This Is the Most Claustrophobic Hike in Wisconsin—Would You Try It?

Thanks to Driftless Area topography and an abundance of water, Wisconsin is home to a few slot canyons and gorges. However, most of the narrow canyons and gorges in the Badger State are not hikeable by the public, either because they're filled with water, on private land, or have been put to a different use, like Witches Gulch in Wisconsin Dells or Lost Canyon in Lake Delton, which are open for tours but not public hiking. (By the way, neither of these tours should be on the to-do list of anyone who dislikes tight spaces.) Another Driftless Area trail offers plenty of level hiking with open skies above, but some sections are so enclosed that many hikers may hesitate before entering for the first time. This is why I think certain segments of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail represent the most claustrophobic hike in Wisconsin.

The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is a 32.5-mile multi-use trail that slices through some of the most beautiful scenery in Wisconsin's Driftless Area. The trail enjoys some renown as the first rail-to-trail path in the country, and it's particularly popular with cyclists, but plenty of hikers and walkers take to the route, as well. Although the trail surface is generally wide and level, the rugged terrain it crosses offers plenty of ups and downs, so anyone traversing its entire length will gain nearly 1,600 feet in elevation.

Along parts of the course, you'll also pass through dense forest towering over either side of the path, as well as narrow sections running between limestone walls that rise up above the trail. Neither are ideal for folks who don't love close spaces, but the really tight parts of the trail are something altogether different: along its course, the Elway-Sparta State Trails passes through three hand-hewn tunnels.

Two of the tunnels measure nearly a quarter mile each, while the longest is three-quarters of a mile long—that's one way. So, to traverse the latter, you'd be hiking through a narrow bore in the bedrock, surrounded by darkness for nearly 4,000 feet—or the length of 13 football fields.

You will, of course, eventually reach the daylight. However, since the Elroy-Sparta State Trail is not a loop, you may have to go back through the tunnel(s) to get to where you started, which is definitely not ideal for those averse to enclosed spaces.

With its three tunnels, totaling a mile-and-a-quarter (one way) of totally enclosed hiking, plus its sections through dense forest and limestone walls, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail is, in places, as claustrophobic a hike as you'll find in Wisconsin. Can you think of any other tight squeezes in the Badger State? We'd love to hear your suggestions over on our Nomination page.

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