Outdoor Recreation in Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire
If you love getting into the outdoors and experiencing Mother Nature at her best, then the Inn on Lake Wissota in Wisconsin is the perfect getaway destination! The natural beauty of the Chippewa Falls/Eau Claire area offers an exquisite backdrop for the area’s outdoor activities. Choose from golfing, biking, hiking, kayaking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding, or fishing. If you need to rent equipment while staying at the Inn on Lake Wissota, check out the links below to help you with that.
Golfing, Biking, and Snowsports
Lake Wissota Golf
18 holes of championship golf on the shores of Lake Wissota. Conveniently located less than one mile from the Inn, Lake Wissota Golf & Events is a beautiful course featuring over 6,000 yards offering both fun and challenging play for all skill levels. After your round, grab a beverage and enjoy the view of the lake as you sit on the patio.
Ojibwa Golf and Bowl
9-hole course, plus 20 lanes of bowling. Ojibwa Golf & Bowl in Chippewa Falls is a family-friendly experience for people of all ages. Combine our great golf course with an onsite bowling center and Jimbob’s Pizza & Grill and you have endless possibilities for fun. The easy hop on golf course and wooded scenery have made Ojibwa a Northwoods favorite.
Lake Hallie Golf
Designed by Golf Course Architect Art Tangen and opening in 1925, the 18 Hole Layout at Lake Hallie Golf Club in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin features 5,885 yards of golf from the longest tees, playing to a Par of 70. The course rating is 68.3 with a slope rating of 124. Lake Hallie provides a unique & fun challenge to experienced and novice golfers alike. We welcome and encourage non-members to enjoy the beauty of our course with an atmosphere like no other.
Spring Street Sports
For over 30 years, Spring Street Sports has served bicycling and snowsports enthusiasts. They offer a wide range of services from sales and repairs to rentals of hybrid or fat tire bikes, cross-country skis, and snowshoes.
On the Water
Wissota Waterfront Rentals
Offering both Pontoons and Fishing Boats, Wissota Waterfront Rentals caters to however you want to enjoy your time on the water! They will drop off and pick up at Lake Wissota Boat landings. Rates vary per boat and length of rental.
Lake Wissota Pontoon Rental
Enjoy Lake Wissota from the water on one of Lake Wissota Pontoon Rental’s 20′ Sylvan pontoons.
Loopy’s Rentals
Loopy’s Inner Tube, Canoe, Kayak, and Shuttle or Van Rentals – Environmentally friendly, fun, relaxing, and very inexpensive! The activities are available all summer, every day – weather permitting. All rentals include shuttle service upriver. After your trip down the river, you will end at Loopy’s. A 14-passenger van or shuttle bus with surround seating and drivers is also available to rent. (Fully insured and licensed.)
White’s Rentals Paddle Shop
Just about everyone loves a little time on the water, so White’s Rentals Paddle Shop now offers watercraft rentals. Take your pick from a selection of canoes and kayaks and enjoy a relaxing journey around the lake. Located at The Sandbar and Grill on the shores of Lake Wissota.
Parks and Trails
Irvine Park
Irvine Park was established in 1906 and provides the citizens and visitors of the Chippewa Valley with quality opportunities for recreation and education. This free park offers a unique blend of activities and encounters with the natural world. We believe these encounters contribute to the well-being and enrich the lives of thousands from all economic levels.
Lake Wissota State Park
Less than 2 miles from the Inn, this park, northeast of Chippewa Falls, has more than 1,000 acres of forest and open prairie on a 6,300-acre man-made lake. Lake Wissota State Park offers secluded campsites, hiking, biking, and horseback riding trails, picnic and playground areas, and a 285-foot swimming beach. Boating, canoeing, kayaking, and water skiing are popular summer activities on Lake Wissota.
Old Abe State Trail
The 19.5-mile abandoned railroad grade connecting two State Parks, from Chippewa Falls to Cornell, Wisconsin. This old railroad grade has been developed into a multi-use trail for bicyclists, snowmobilers, hikers, horseback riders, and inline skaters. Starting at the parking lot, which is conveniently located less than 1/2 mile from the Inn, at the junction of Hwy S and Hwy O, the trail is flat and easygoing. It winds through agricultural land into the community of Jim Falls, where the horseback riding portion of the trail ends. Continuing north from Jim Falls, the trail follows the undeveloped shoreline of the Chippewa River (The Old Abe Flowage). Solitude and wildlife are abundant. Five miles north of Jim Falls, you will arrive in historic “Cobban”, the site of the Cobban Bridge! North of Cobban the trail leaves the Chippewa River for several miles before joining back up to the river, just south of Cornell. The Old Abe State Trail will create the northern portion of a 70-mile trail system from Menomonie (Red Cedar Trail) through Eau Claire (Chippewa River Trail) and Chippewa Falls to Cornell.
Phoenix Park, Eau Claire
Phoenix Park is a public space in downtown Eau Claire, Wisconsin, located on a former brownfield site at the confluence of the Chippewa River and the Eau Claire River. It covers approximately 9 acres with approximately 1/2 mile of riverbank frontage. The park serves as the trailhead for the Chippewa River State Trail. The park also offers a walking labyrinth, a natural amphitheater, and is home to Eau Claire’s year-round farmer’s market. These amenities make Phoenix Park a major gathering spot, especially during the summer months when the park plays host to concerts.
Carson Park, Eau Claire
Carson Park in Eau Claire contains three major attractions including the Paul Bunyan Logging Camp, the Chippewa Valley Museum, along with Eau Claire’s baseball stadium. This is one of the more unique parks in baseball. The Eau Claire Express became the newest tenant of Carson Park in 2005.
Carson Park also features the Paul Bunyan Camp, which faithfully recreates a 19th-century Northwood’s logging camp; a working quarter-scale railroad; picnic pavilions; access for fishing and canoeing; and the baseball stadium where home run king Hank Aaron played his first professional games, and where the Eau Claire Cavaliers still play ball on balmy summer evenings. Nature trails/hiking, playground equipment, pavilions, restrooms, picnic tables, grills, lake/water, softball diamonds, parking, tennis courts, lookouts, boat dock/landing, biking, cross country skiing, volleyball, museums, horseshoe courts, electricity at pavilions, a historic baseball stadium with Hank Aaron Plaza. The park is surrounded by Half Moon Lake.