Putnam Trail: A Mushroom Paradise In Eau Claire, WI

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One of the hikes I wanted to do the most in Eau Claire was the Putnam Trail and I finally did it last summer, twice!

While it’s not the most thrilling hike in a challenging way, it’s beautiful and has SO MANY cool plants and mushrooms and bugs, I love it!

This is a popular trail, owned by the University, for both hiking and biking, and it’s right in the heart of the city, so no long drives necessary.

The trail starts in a residential neighborhood and follows a small creek-like body of water that I don’t know the name of, which drains into the Chippewa River at Little Niagara, AKA the end of the trail.

Side note, the Putnam Trail on AllTrails seems to start at Little Niagara and I’m NOT talking about that one in this post.

The trail starts at a dirt parking lot at the end of a residential street and follows a creek (or something?) to the right that eventually goes to the Chippewa River. Or comes from? I don’t know how these things work.

Eventually on the right, but before the tunnel, there is a small path that leads to a little bridge that goes over the creek thing. It’s not marked at all but it’s pretty easy to see.

The view from there is really nice and it’s worth the quick detour. I do think it leads to someones yard so I wouldn’t go past the bridge.

I’m honestly not even sure if people are supposed to go on the bridge but there are no signs saying not to, so if you do, just be careful and respectful. Just in case.

Not too long after that you’ll go through a big tunnel that passes under State Street. There are stairs on both sides if you want to go up here for some reason.

The part before the tunnel is definitely my favorite because that’s where most of the mushrooms and cool plants were. The mushrooms are generally on the hill side and plants seemed to be on the water side.

Soon after this you’ll start to see university buildings on your right and before you know it you’re at Little Niagara, a small waterfall-ish rocky area right on the Chippewa River.

The view from here is beautiful. You get a view looking down the rover and toward the bridge and university.

There are usually other people here but I don’t know if I would says it’s busy necessarily. And sometimes there isn’t anyone else, it just depends.

From here you can either turn around, head up the stairs into the woods (on the AllTrails Putnam Trail), or take a stroll through campus and either go back to the trail at State Street or just go through the Third Ward to get back.

I think whichever option you choose it will be enjoyable. I know a walk through a neighborhood doesn’t sound that exciting, but there are tons of little free libraries in the Third Ward!

Some are on the map on the LFL app but a lot of them aren’t. And there are A LOT.

While this isn’t the most thrilling trail there is, it’s a great hike and super convenient since it’s right in town.

And if you’re a fan of mushrooms like me, that makes this hike even better! I would definitely recommend it if you want an easy hike in town with cool nature.

Travel Services I Recommend:
AllTrails – This is my favorite hike tracking app.
America the Beautiful – The national park pass is essential.
Booking.com – This is great for finding and booking hotels.
Get Your Guide – I recommend Get Your Guide for booking tours.
National Park Obsessed – This is the best national park planner.
Skyscanner – Skyscanner is great for finding and booking flights.
Enterprise – This is my rental car recommendation.
See all my resources here.

Where is the Putnam Trail?

The Putnam Trail is in downtown Eau Claire, connecting the Third Ward area to the University.

The trailhead and parking is at the end of Putnam Drive, just past Demmler Park. This is a residential area, so please be respectful of that.

Putnam Dr, Eau Claire, WI, United States

How long is the Putnam Trail?

It’s about four miles round-trip if you go from the trailhead to Little Niagara. Mine clocked in at 4.21 miles on AllTrails.

Although AllTrails has it as a 1.3 mile loop, which seems to actually be in the woods by Little Niagara, not the trail I’m talking about in here.

I haven’t done the one on AllTrails yet, but I will this summer now!

Is the Putnam Trail hard?

Nope! It’s all flat and packed dirt. There is a side option that goes up through the woods on a smaller trail and that might be more difficult (I haven’t done it yet) but I still wouldn’t guess its tough.

Is the Putnam Trail worth it?

Yes! While this isn’t a difficult or particularly adventurous trail, it’s a great trail right in town with tons of cool plants and bugs and mushrooms.

It’s a great option for a short hike any time of day and one I’ll probably be doing more this year.