Sheboygan's Nostalgic Railway | The Shoreline 400 Trail

Greetings fellow hikers! In this overview we review the Shoreline 400, a short rail to trail that runs through the northern side of Sheboygan.

This is a paved trail that’s like taking a step back in time. At the southern end, you’ll park near the old train depot. Feelings of the old nostalgic railway are highlighted by the authentic brick-clad roads, Sheboygan River shoreline, and many old buildings. You know you’re in the heart of Sheboygan!

As you cross over the Sheboygan river on the converted rail trestle bridge, you’ll appreciate the new benches, blacktop, sidewalks, lighting, and signage depicting the history of Sheboygan’s beginnings.

This trail doesn’t feature any major elevation changes and is relatively easy to hike. The Shoreline 400 caresses' multiple food, fuel, restaurant, and bar locations among other businesses.

You can connect to this trail at multiple points and use it as an alternate route for the massive interurban trail, Taylor Drive Pathway, and others. While this trail is short, you can tell Sheboygan invested serious effort and dollars to make this a reality.

The trail is a city/county partnership. The County of Sheboygan owns the trail, while the City of Sheboygan is responsible for the general day to day upkeep. This project repurposed the abandoned Union Pacific rail corridor, and the northern half actually runs next to the active train tracks. At the time of this review, the trail only spans 1.67 miles, and at a moderate walking speed can be completed in under 45 minutes. This trail is slated to be expanded sometime in the future.

To recap, we enjoyed this historic walk through Sheboygan. The trail reminds us of the history of Sheboygan, especially in the southern half of the trail where parking is more accessible. We hope to see this trail expand in the future!