Bugline Trail
{{Short description|Trail in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, USA}}
{{Infobox hiking trail
| name = Bugline Trail
| photo = Bugline Trail.jpg
| caption = The trailhead in North Lake
| length_mi = 15.6
| established= 1983
| location = Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States
| trailheads = Menomonee Falls {{coord|43|11|2.1235|N|88|6|48.6544|W|display=inline}}
North Lake{{coord|43|9|36.2102|N|88|21|56.9059|W|display=inline}}
| use = Hiking and biking
| surface = Asphalt
| map = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=line}}
}}
File:Pond off of the Bugline Trail - panoramio.jpg
The Bugline Trail is a paved {{convert|15.6|mi|adj=on}} rail trail located on the former Milwaukee Road right-of-way in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
The trail stretches between Appleton Avenue (Highway 175) in Menomonee Falls to just east of North Lake in Merton. A separate 4-foot wide bridle trail adjacent to the original 8-foot wide recreation trail extends {{convert|2.5|mi}} from The Ranch in Menomonee Falls to Menomonee Park where it joins the park bridle trails.{{cite web|title=Bugline Trail|url=https://www.traillink.com/trail/bugline-trail|website=TrailLink}}{{cite web|title=Bugline Trail|url=http://www.wisconsinbiking.com/trails/listing.cfm?TrailID=13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060320085459/http://www.wisconsinbiking.com/trails/listing.cfm?TrailID=13|url-status=dead|archive-date=20 March 2006|work=Wisconsinbiking.com}}
History
The railroad formerly occupying the trail area was constructed in 1890 by the Milwaukee, Menomonee Falls, and Western Railroad, later acquired by the Milwaukee Road. It hosted passenger service, and freight service for quarries, feed mills, creameries, and a cannery. Passengers compared the route as similar to that of "a bug following a grapevine"; later, locals referred to it simply as the Bugline. Service ceased in 1978.{{Cite news |last=Wenzel |first=Mark |date=July 22, 2011 |title=The Bugline |work=Urban Milwaukee |url=https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2011/07/22/the-city-cyclist-the-bugline/ |access-date=November 18, 2023}}{{Cite news |date=October 7, 2015 |title=Newly paved Bugline Trail a great fall ride |work=Chippewa Herald |url=https://0-infoweb-newsbank-com.countycat.mcfls.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D8DE8DE83992E4A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F1612594F90A7F250 |url-access=registration |access-date=November 18, 2023 |via=NewsBank}}
The right-of-way for the trail was acquired in 1979.{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Laurel |date=February 11, 1986 |title=Unbridled anger: Lack of riding trails frustrates horse owners in Waukesha |work=Milwaukee Journal |url=https://0-infoweb-newsbank-com.countycat.mcfls.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D8DE8DE83992E4A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A1477BBDEA50EB75C%2540EANX-NB-160B81F6C88D1CF0%25402446473-160AE205BA188258%254013/hlterms%3ABugline |url-access=registration |access-date=November 14, 2023 |via=NewsBank}} The trail itself opened in 1983,{{Cite web |title=Bugline Trail |url=https://www.menomonee-falls.org/1168/Bugline-Trail |access-date=November 14, 2023 |website=Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin}} with an initial length of {{Convert|10.5|mi|km}} from Appleton Avenue in Menomonee Falls to Oakwood Road in Lisbon.{{Cite news |last=Hajewski |first=Doris |date=August 12, 1983 |title=Work is delayed on county trails |pages=3A |work=Milwaukee Journal |url=https://0-infoweb-newsbank-com.countycat.mcfls.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D8DE8DE83992E4A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A1477BBDEA50EB75C%2540EANX-NB-1608E6C16E427859%25402445559-16087F0AC482DF9D%254030-16087F0AC482DF9D%2540/hlterms%3A%2522Bug%2520Line%2522 |url-access=registration |access-date=November 14, 2023 |via=NewsBank}} In 1987, the county purchased land to extend the trail {{Convert|1.65|mi|km}} into the village of Merton.{{Cite news |last=Walker |first=Laurel |date=January 29, 1987 |title=Board OKs rezoning for office buildings |pages=B1 |work=Milwaukee Journal |url=https://0-infoweb-newsbank-com.countycat.mcfls.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D8DE8DE83992E4A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Aimage%252Fv2%253A1477BBDEA50EB75C%2540EANX-NB-160B8F7296652AFB%25402446825-160B8DCA8D18ECE8%254020-160B8DCA8D18ECE8%2540/hlterms%3Abugline |url-access=registration |access-date=November 18, 2023 |via=NewsBank}} In 2013, a section of the trail in Sussex was rerouted to accommodate redevelopment of a former cannery; plans also progressed to extend the trail to North Lake.{{Cite news |date=November 21, 2013 |title=County officials negotiate land swap deal for Bugline trailhead |work=The Waukesha Freeman |url=https://0-infoweb-newsbank-com.countycat.mcfls.org/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=WORLDNEWS&req_dat=0D8DE8DE83992E4A&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews%252F14A37AFFDE34BE08 |url-access=registration |access-date=November 18, 2023 |via=NewsBank}}
Planning work for paving the trail started in 2012; paving occurred in a segmented fashion between 2013 and 2016.