By John McCracken
Correspondent

BROWN COUNTY – Thanks to a mostly mild winter up to this point, Brown County parks have seen an uptick in visitors using the trail system.

Brown County Parks Director Matt Kriese said county parks have seen a continuation of users who visited or purchased permits in the spring of 2020, and interest has carried through to the beginning of 2021.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have wanted to get outside, and Brown County has no shortage of avenues for outdoor recreation, Kriese said.

Unfortunately, the same mild winter which allows for more hiking and snowshoeing has led to unfit conditions for ice fishing and snowmobile enthusiasts.

Kriese said no ice is safe ice, and users need to remain vigilant when on frozen bodies of water.

Moreover, because the season hasn’t allowed for a strong showing of activities that require ice, the influx of guests on the trail system has started to stir up problems.

Heavy hiking boots and snowshoes have already caused disruptions for the manicured snowmobile and fat tire biking routes in county parks, because Kriese said there has been an abnormal amount of hikers for the season.

The influx of more hiking visitors and fat-bike riders has created repeated occurrences of hikers on fat tire bike trails, causing problems for both types of users.

Kriese said visitors need to remember there are a plethora of trails, but to keep inside the correct areas at all times.

“We have marked snowshoe trails,” Kriese said. “We encourage people to use those dedicated winter walking trails.”

Fat tires rolling along 

Heather Gentry, president and co-founder of the Green Bay Bicycle Collective, said the demand for fat tire bikes has increased due to the pandemic.

She said she believes 2021 will be another banner year for bike sales.

The Green Bay Bicycle Collective is a non-profit organization which focuses on outreach and advocacy for bicycling and transportation issues, including free bike distribution to children in need of bikes.

“Winter is tough for residents because not everybody has fat bikes and they are in huge demand right now,” Gentry said.

She said she has had an influx of callers asking for fat tire bikes and has repeatedly had to turn them away.

Jim Hansen, manager and bike buyer for Pete’s Garage, said the store predicted a big influx for the season, but as of early January, it is almost out of its fat tire bike stock.

“The current demand in the cycling industry has made it hard to get,” Hansen said.

According to a May 2020 New York Times report, nationwide bike sales for leisure were up by 121 percent, compared to the previous year, while fitness and commuter bikes increased 66 percent.

Hansen said Pete’s Garage has placed large re-stocking orders, but due to demand, new fat bikes are slated for a July 2021 arrival.