St Germain offers several distinct activity ideas for trip planning: cycling, hiking, and snowshoeing, as well as recreational activities and an annual snowmobile event. The trails differ by starting point, surface, activity, and length. If you’re looking for a hotel in St Germain, your planned activities can serve as a first filter: for example, a ride on a paved route, a shorter hiking option, mountain biking, or a visit to Elmer’s Fun Park.
Cycling in and around St Germain
The surrounding communities maintain a paved bike trail from Mercer to St. Germain. Along the way, it passes the Big, Upper Gresham, Jag Group, North Trout, South Trout, Firefly, Crystal, Musky, and Plum Lake campgrounds. Mercer and St. Germain are the named endpoints, while the campgrounds offer additional landmarks along the route.
The Heart of Vilas Paved Bike Trail System starts in downtown St. Germain. The Bike & Hike Park behind the St. Germain Area Chamber of Commerce office is a starting point for bike rides in the town center. Their roles differ: the trail system starts there, while the park is identified as a starting point for bike rides.
The Fern Ridge Trails include four miles of singletrack mountain biking trails and a separate 1.4-mile trail for hiking and snowshoeing. The two lengths apply to different activities: the four miles refer to mountain biking trails, while the shorter, separate trail is for hiking and snowshoeing.
Hiking and Snowshoeing
A 2.2-mile hike goes around Shannon Lake and through the Northern-Highland American Legion State Forest; additional loops can extend the route. By comparison, the 1.4-mile Fern Ridge trail is the shorter of the specified options for hiking and snowshoeing. If you’re mainly looking for a route that features a lake and forest, Shannon Lake is the specific hiking option; the Fern Ridge trail is mentioned for snowshoeing.
Recreational Activities Away from the Trails
At Elmer’s Fun Park, the focus shifts from trails to individual recreational activities. The offerings include two go-kart tracks, an 18-hole mini golf course, scenic horseback rides along the river, and a children’s play area with a bounce house and small electric Jeeps. If you don’t want to plan your stay solely around cycling or hiking routes, you can consider these activities as a separate part of your itinerary.
Snowmobile Ride and Regional Context
“Ride with the Champs” is an annual snowmobile ride hosted by the Snowmobile Hall of Fame in St. Germain. The 2026 event took place on February 21. If you’d like to plan a trip around the ride, check the date of the relevant year’s event.
In the wider region, Bo-Boen maintains more than 100 miles of snowmobile trails in Vilas and Oneida Counties. This is a different scale from the annual ride in St. Germain: the event has a specific date, while the Bo-Boen figure describes the extent of the regional trail network.
Discover more destinations: Eagle River, Phelps, Boulder Junction.
View the main travel overview: Vilas County.
