Hiking and Trails Right Here in New Richmond

Doar Prairie Restoration

The Doar Prairie Restoration was created to provide New Richmond with a natural outdoor area featuring prairie grasses and flowers. Donated by Tom Doar, the trail system offers trail users a multi-use network of paved trails. Along the over 14.5 miles of trails, visitors can use the stone benches along the path to sit for a while and take in the natural beauty. There are also educational signs found throughout the system that trail users can read to learn more about the area and the development. The Doar Prairie Restoration area is a popular New Richmond green space, especially with bicyclists.

Sather Nature Center

Located along the Willow River in New Richmond, the community Nature Center has been a part of the city since 1971. Covering around 16.5 acres of wooded land along the river, the Sather Nature Center offers a great outdoor environment for heading out on a bike ride, going for a run, walking the dog, or simply enjoying a peaceful nature walk. There are walking paths and footbridges for visitors to use, which are easy to find because they have been designated by the center as natural trails. Visitors can make a day out of their visit, too, by taking advantage of the center’s canoe and kayak launch areas on the Willow River. Pack a picnic lunch, and the center’s shelter is the perfect place to sit down at the picnic tables and refuel. The Nature Center is a great outdoor location for all the seasons, but it has become a particularly popular place for fat tire bikes during the wintertime.

Doughboy Trail

A fairly new trail, the Doughboy Trail was developed in 2014. Previously existing as one of New Richmond’s oldest landmarks, the Doughboy Feed Mill, today the site is celebrated and made use of as a beautiful outdoor trail. For those who like fishing and wildlife viewing, the trail provides access to areas that are perfect for these outdoor activities. Though walkers, runners, and bicyclists get plenty of use from the trail as well, as it follows along the Willow River and provides connections to other New Richmond trails, like the North Side Trail and the John Doar History Trail.

John Doar History Trail

Dedicated to the late John Doar, a New Richmond native who played a significant role in both the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the John Doar History Trail is a must-see. With six informative and educational interpretive panels along the path, trail users can learn all about John Doar and his great legacy. This could include learning about his time serving in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, as well as the role he played in relation to the impeachment inquiry of President Nixon. The John Doar History Trail received an official state historical marker in 2018, and is a great place to spend a couple of hours reconnecting with nature and learning about a significant historical native of the city.

Groups and Clubs

• The Big Ring Flyers (Cycling)

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