Bottom line - It is each homeowners responsibility to maintain the path, so there is a wide variety of surfaces. The only 'rule' seems to be that the path can't be blocked. There are a lot of uneven surfaces, and several sections of stairs so be prepared to run slower than you're used to.
I parked in Williams Bay (E Geneva St & Harris Ave)- there is plenty free parking and a public bathroom - so a perfect starting point in my opinion. I headed east from there toward Lake Geneva.
The path between Williams Bay and Lake Geneva is a mix of brick pacers, cobble stones, and grass. I'd say it was about 1/2 cobblestone. There were several sets of stairs along the way as well. There were a few homeowners who re-routed the path; one up their boat launch (I have some nice words for that unnecessary hill) and one around the front of their house (I missed the turn back to the lakefront somehow, so cut through the side yard of their house :)
Downtown Lake Geneva is about 6.5 miles down the path. The path through downtown Lake Geneva is brick pacer and a very nice welcome. There is a public bathroom and water in the marina.
About a mile out of downtown LG, the path runs on S. Lake Shore Dr. It is a well traveled road, but the shoulder was generally sufficient to run on. I either missed the entrance back to the actual path, or it is not even close to how it is drawn in Google maps. I stayed on the road and headed west on Hwy BB. I then cut back to the lake at Hilltop Dr. Any extra miles were probably made up for by the consistent and smooth surface.
Not long after getting back on the path, it took a sharp left away from the lake again. A guy 'manning' a boat launch pointed me in the right direction It wasn't well marked when I turned, but was well marked after that.
From there, the path ran through a golf course - I was surprised the golf course didn't even mark the path - it was just across the grass for the most part.
Along the south side of the lake, there was another mix of surfaces. With less cobble stones, but more dirt path (complete with roots, so watch your step) Several places the path narrowed to single file width. There was a water fountain on the path in someone's back yard around mile 15 of my run - about a mile east of the Geneva Lake Yacht Club (Yacht Club Dr). There was Probably more grass than anything along this side of the lake.
Through Fantana, the path is sidewalk, and another nice welcome after the uneven terrain. There is again a public bathroom and water available.
Between Fontana and Williams Bay, the path is mostly dirt. It runs through a few camps (a church camp and George Williams College).
In total, my course of the path was 21.6 miles. It was much hillier than I expected (although not too bad), and the uneven terrain made it a much slower run than I'm used to. I wouldn't suggest it if you have a big race in the near future (due to the risk of rolling an ankle or something), but if you're willing to slow down and take your time, it is a doable run. I ended up about a minute per mile slower than I'm used to running (due to the terrain and getting stuck behind a few walkers).
I don't know if I'll ever do it again, but running through the backyard of multi-million dollar mansions (belonging to the likes of the Wrigley Family) made it well worth the adventure!
Get out there and Run!!
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