Geau Outside
Expiration: Apr 30th 2025
Ring, ring, the outdoors are calling! We’re presenting our new, free mobile pass for our fellow outdoor adventurists! Say “hello” to Geau Outside, an experience pass that guides you to Eau Claire’s scenic destinations packed with outdoor recreation. Find out how we take on the outdoor scene, and explore parks bridges, swimming holes, waterfalls, bike trails, picnic spots, and more stunning locations around Eau Claire. Experience the outdoors in Eau Claire, and win our coolest gear yet just for visiting. Pack your bags and let’s hit the road– it’s time to Geau Outside!
Included Venues
See locations on an interactive map.
Beaver Creek Reserve
Experience the enchanting Beaver Creek Reserve located just outside of Eau Claire! This facility and property is home to hiking & walking trails, a butterfly house, and an indoor sanctuary for animals and workshops. In the wintertime, you can rent snowshoes and cross-country skis to explore the trails, and they offer canoe and kayak rentals in the summer. You can even rent telescopes at the facility and get an up-close view of the stars and planets above!
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Big Falls County Park
This county park is located a short drive outside of Eau Claire and offers stunning views in every season! Big Falls is a summer hot spot for swimming in the falls, geocaching, and picnicking on the beaches. Whether there’s snow or shine, the falls are stunning in the various seasonal scapes– and they make a great background for photographs! Entrance fee is required.
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Boyd Park
Boyd Park is a stellar location for skateboarding in Eau Claire with a brand-new skate area. In the winter, Boyd Park is known for its community hockey rink and ice skating area. This park also leads to trail access on the Chippewa River State Trail.
Braun's Bay at Half Moon Lake
For those outdoors enthusiasts who prefer to spend their time on the water, Braun's Bay is your sweet spot. In the summertime, you can often find this bay covered with kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, and fishing recreationists. It's calm, clean, and a perfectly comfortable spot to relax on the water!
Buffalo River State Trail
Jump on the Buffalo River State Trail for a day of ATV/UTV riding! This trail runs from Mondovi, WI to Eleva, WI, to Strum, WI, to Osseo, WI, to Fairchild, WI. The check-in point for the Buffalo River State Trail is located in Osseo, WI, on Condensary Road next to Northwoods Brew Pub.
Carson Park
Right in the hub of Eau Claire is a park filled with outdoor opportunities! Carson Park is home to geocaching and the perfect places to hammock, go fishing, play Kubb, birdwatch, or have a picnic. A family-friendly favorite includes a ride on the Chippewa Valley Railway at Carson Park and seeing the area on train tracks! Carson Park holds many more attractions including Eau Claire Express baseball games, the Chippewa Valley Museum, and Paul Bunyan & Babe the Blue Ox.
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Coon Fork Lake County Park
Coon Fork Lake County Park is located in Augusta, WI, and is perfect for a camping getaway in the Chippewa Valley. With a lake for swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding, Coon Fork is a dreamy park located just 30 minutes from Eau Claire. This county park is also an ideal starting point for gravel biking opportunities in the Chippewa Valley!
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Devil's Punchbowl Preserve
Devil's Punch Bowl is a scenic, hidden gem in Menomonie, WI, just a 25-minute drive from Eau Claire. This location is a short walk and is meant for sightseeing and geocaching. Devil's Punch Bowl is open throughout all seasons, and we'd recommend experiencing this location in the summer and snow to appreciate its versatile beauty!
Dunnville State Wildlife Area
The Dunnville State Wildlife Area, also known as the "Dunnville Bottoms," is a hidden gem outside of Menomonie, WI, that can be accessed by driving or by biking/walking on the Chippewa River State Trail and the Red Cedar State Trail. This spot is a common swimming hole on the Chippewa River and is a popular location for picnicking, biking, and fishing.
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Eau Claire Outdoors
Downtown Eau Claire's newest outdoor retail shop has everything you need from rentals to gear to clothing for all of your adventures. Stop in at Eau Claire Outdoors to shop for accessories, apparel, camping gear, water sports equipment, and so much more! This shop is also the pickup location when you redeem your points for prizes, so don't forget to check in when you claim your sticker or water bottle!
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Hickory Ridge
Take a short drive to Bloomer, WI, to experience the beauty of Hickory Ridge. All year long, you're in for a treat with the views you'll see by mountain biking, winter biking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing. These trails lead to ponds in the area that are breathtaking and perfect for photo opportunities!
High Bridge
One of Eau Claire's most iconic bridges is known as the High Bridge and is a part of the Chippewa Valley State Trail. This bridge was formerly a railroad bridge and sits high above the Chippewa River. Here, you can observe the river, downtown Eau Claire, and the dam upstream.
Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area
If you like to climb to see views of the Chippewa Valley, Hoffman Hills cannot be skipped! This area is located between Eau Claire and Elk Mound, WI, and offers a one-mile trail for hiking, running, & walking that is ADA-accessible. There is an observation tower to climb that brings you higher than the trees for stunning views of the surrounding area. (The views are especially beautiful in the fall!) Hoffman Hills also welcomes cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, picnicking, and is open for 9 days for deer hunting in the fall.
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Loopy's Grill & Saloon
Loopy's is the summer spot to be at in Wheaton, WI, just outside of Eau Claire. This bar and grill offers canoe, kayak, and tubing rentals, as well as a shuttle service to Chippewa Falls, WI, so that you can go floating on the Chippewa River back to Loopy's. When you've returned from the approximate 3-hour float, the tiki bar at Loopy's will be waiting to serve you refreshing cocktails and seasonal Leinenkugel's beer on the deck!
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Lowes Creek County Park
Lowes Creek County Park is home to nearly all outdoor recreation abilities in Eau Claire. In the summertime, you can find visitors exploring the trails by hiking, running, or mountain biking, and some are even out in the park geocaching! The winter months are filled with skiing, snowshoeing, and fat-tire biking on the 5 miles of trails.
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Northwest Park
This park in Eau Claire is a great place to escape the hustle of downtown Eau Claire and connect with nature! Northwest Park can be used for mountain biking, hiking, running, or walking in the summer, and is often used for snowshoeing, fat-tire biking, and cross-country skiing in the winter.
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is located in the heart of downtown Eau Claire and is the central area for beginning your adventures in the area. This park is a starting point that will lead you to most trails starting with the Chippewa River State Trail. In the warmer months, you're sure to see this area filled with people fishing, walking/running the river walk, or putting in their tubes, kayaks, or canoes on the Chippewa River!
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Pinehurst Park
One of Eau Claire's major destinations for outdoor recreation is Pinehurst Park. This multi-seasonal location can be used for mountain biking, hiking, running, walking, disc golf, snowshoeing, ice skating, hockey, crokicurl, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, sledding, and winter biking. There also is a bike pump track at Pinehurst Park for bike trick professionals! (Photo Credit: Pinehurst Park)
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Putnam Trail
Explore the stunning Putnam Trail in all its winter, summer, spring, and fall glory. This trail is located in downtown Eau Claire and can be accessed on Putnam Drive or near UW-Eau Claire. Use this trail for walking, running, biking, winter biking, or geocaching in Eau Claire. This trail can also be used for cross-country skiing, although it is not groomed in the winter for skiing.
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Red Cedar Trail
This 14.5-mile rail trail shadows the steep walls of the Red Cedar Valley from Menomonie to its connection with the Chippewa River State Trail. Along its route, the trail passes through the communities of Irvington and Downsville and the Dunnville State Wildlife Area. The trail passes by prairies, marshland bottoms, forests and farmlands, including sandstone bluffs and other unique rock formations.
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River Prairie Park
Head to River Prairie for a relaxing outdoor experience and a variety of activities! Go for a run, walk, or bike ride on the trail along the Eau Claire River, play Kubb on the park's lawn, or even try out a game of Crokicurl in the winter. River Prairie is also a prime location for hammocking, bird-watching, or doing yoga on the lawn!
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The Local Store
Looking for a bike or scooter ride around Eau Claire? The Local Store can hook you up! This Eau Claire goods shop offers electric bike and electric scooter rentals in the summer months, and they provide recommended routes for every kind of traveler, depending on what features of Eau Claire you'd like to see! Rent bikes or scooters to ride to Eau Claire's bridges, downtown scene, or head out to the countryside on the trail systems in Eau Claire.
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Tower Ridge County Park
Tower Ridge is another multi-faceted location in Eau Claire that offers adventure around the calendar year. In the warm months of the year, take on the hiking/walking/running trails, challenge your crew to a game of disc golf, and the park is even open for horseback riding. This winter, explore the cross-country ski trails and even a fantastic warming hut on those extra cold days. Entrance fee is required.
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Town of Union Conservancy Area
For stunning views of the Chippewa Valley, take on the trails at the Town of Union Conservancy! The trails here are meant for hiking, walking, and horseback riding in the summer months, and snowshoeing in the wintertime. Explore the wildlife and woodland areas of the Town of Union Conservancy!
Wheaton Park
This lovely recreational area is located just outside of Eau Claire and can be used multi-seasonally. In the summer, enjoy the trails for walking, running, or hiking, have a picnic, play basketball, tennis, or baseball, or play on the epic playground. In the snowy season, take on the sledding hills, try ice skating, go snowshoeing, or hop on the area's snowmobiling trails.
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