The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail stretching in the state of Wisconsin in the United States. and is constructed and maintained by private and public agencies including the Ice Age Trail Alliance, a non-profit and member-volunteer based organization with local chapters. It became an official unit of the National Park System in 2023.

Route

The trail roughly follows the location of the terminal moraine from the last Ice Age. As the route traverses the moraine, it sometimes meanders into areas west of the moraine, including the Driftless Area in southwestern Wisconsin. The trail passes through 30 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, from the northwestern part of the state to the Lake Michigan shoreline in the east. The western end of the trail is at Interstate State Park along the St. Croix River, which is the border between northwestern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. The eastern terminus of the Ice Age Trail lies at Potawatomi State Park, on Wisconsin's Door Peninsula near the city of Sturgeon Bay.

Along its route, the trail crosses numerous city and county parks, state parks and forests, state wildlife and natural areas, and the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The trail often coincides with other trails within various county and municipal parks. It passes through the land of various owners, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Ice Age Trail Alliance, and hundreds of private citizens. As of October 2020, is completed with over connected by connecting routes (usually roads). National Side Trails are national trails established by the National Trails System Act. The ten-mile Timms Hill Trail connects the Ice Age Trail with Timms Hill, Wisconsin's highest point, which is located in Price County.

History

The Ice Age Trail began as conservationist Ray Zillmer's idea for having an "Ice Age National Park" of , starting at St. Croix Falls, going south through Madison, northeast through the Kettle Moraine areas, and finally ending near Sturgeon Bay.

In a 1959 interview in Wisconsin Alumnus magazine, Zillmer emphasized the importance of prioritizing the project: "This land must be purchased soon, before the population explosion following the opening of the St. Lawrence waterways affects Wisconsin, before the hills are pre-empted by private homes and the land becomes too expensive." He started at Potawatomi State Park in May 1979.

Use

The trail is open primarily to hiking, although other activities are allowed where the trail follows other existing routes. A 2019 survey gave an estimated annual usage of 2.3 million people for the trail.

Sights along the trail

Primary attractions include topography left by glaciation in the Last Ice Age. Glacial features along the trail include kettles (usually as a kettle lake), potholes, eskers, kames, and glacial erratics. Many of the best examples of glacial features in Wisconsin are exhibited in units of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve, most of which lie along the trail.

Numerous species of mammals can be seen along the trail, including red fox, American red squirrel, white-tailed deer, porcupine, black bear and grey wolf. Birds seen along the southern part of the trail include the Acadian flycatcher, Henslow's sparrow, red-headed woodpecker or hooded warbler. In contrast, further north white-throated sparrows, ruffed grouse and bald eagles become more common.

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File:IATMonches.JPG|A creek along the Monches segment in Waukesha County

File:YellowBlaze.JPG|Yellow blazes mark the path of the trail.

File:IATPorcupine.jpg|A porcupine in Lincoln County's New Wood State Wildlife Area

File:Western Terminus of the Ice Age Trail (St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin).jpg|Western terminus of the trail at Interstate State Park in St. Croix Falls

File:Ice Age National Scenic Trail Eastern Terminus.jpg|Eastern terminus of the trail at Potawatomi State Park along Wisconsin's Door Peninsula

File:Ice Age Trail Sign.jpg|Sign at the Table Bluff segment near Cross Plains

File:KettlebowlSkiArea1.jpg|The Kettlebowl Ski Area near Bryant lies along the trail.

File:IAT New Wood.JPG|Northern landscape in Lincoln County's New Wood State Wildlife Area

File:Ice Age Trail at Portage Canal.jpg|Crossing the Portage Canal

File:Ice Age Trail bog Taylor County WI.JPG|Crossing a bog in the Chequamegon National Forest in Taylor County

File:Ice Age Trail Picnic Lake.jpg|October view of Picnic Lake west of Cornell

File:Ice Age Trail Holy Hill Segment August 2023 01.jpg|Holy Hill Segment during summer

File:Ice Age Trail Holy Hill Segment October 2024 05.jpg|Holy Hill Segment during fall

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See also

  • Geological Features of Wisconsin
  • List of hiking trails in Wisconsin
  • Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin, Geology of Wisconsin (1877)
  • Ahnapee State Trail, which coincides with the Ice Age Trail in the north

;Stages

  • Quaternary glaciation
  • Illinoian Stage
  • Laurentide Ice Sheet
  • Pleistocene
  • Last glacial period
  • Driftless Area

;Components

  • Interglacial (longer warm period during ice age, such as today)
  • Interstadial (brief warm period during ice age, weaker than interglacial)
  • Stadial (brief cooler period during interglacial, such as Older Dryas, Younger Dryas, Little Ice Age)
  • Little ice age
  • Post-glacial rebound
  • Timeline of glaciation
  • Canadian Shield
  • Glacial history of Minnesota
  • Lake Agassiz
  • Wisconsin glaciation

References

Further reading

  • Ice Age Trail Alliance. Ice Age Trail Atlas.
  • Ice Age Trail Alliance. Ice Age Trail Companion Guide 2011.
  • Mittlefehldt, Sarah. "The origins of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail: Ray Zillner's path to protect the past," Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 90, no. 3 (Spring 2007)
  • Reuss, Henry S., Tanner, Gilbert, Dinsmore, Philip, Hellman, Robert, with The Milwaukee Public Museum, On the Trail of the Ice Age: a hiker’s and biker’s guide to Wisconsin’s Ice Age National Scientific Reserve and Trail (January 1976)
  • <!-- LOC said 1990, Wikipedia previously said 1976 -->
  • Ice Age Trail Alliance website
  • Ice Age National Scenic Trail, National Park Service website
  • Wisconsin DNR
  • Hiking journals and photos from the Ice Age Trail
  • Ice Age Trail Design video produced by Wisconsin Public Television