THIS STORY IS PART OF MILWAUKEE MAGAZINE’S HIKES FEATURE. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE. 

When I called Julie Coffman in May, she was in the midst of her second thru-hike of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Birds were chirping in the background, and she hadn’t talked to anyone in a few days. Her first trek – eastbound in the fall – took her 61 total hiking days. In the spring, she was hiking the trail again, this time heading west. “[When I moved here], I wanted to discover everything that Wisconsin has, as far as its nature, its trails and the community,” Coffman says. 

Coffman adds her trek of Wisconsin’s longest trail to her already impressive hiking resume, which includes a thru-hike of the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail in the east and most of the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail in the west (she got pulled off sections for snow and fires). “Other than mountains, [the Ice Age Trail] has pretty much everything all the other trails have,” she says. “It has water, it has trees, it has everything else.” But there’s one thing notably absent from the trail: Crowds. 

As the director of marketing and community relations for the Ice Age Trail Alliance, Melissa Pierick works to build awareness. Even though 60% of the state’s residents live within 20 miles of it, the trail remains a hidden gem. “I’m one of the classic examples of [a Wisconsinite] who never knew the trail existed,” Pierick says. “I would pass signs for the Ice Age Trail every single day, but I never put together what that was.”

So what is it, and how did it come to be? Well, in the 1950s, Milwaukeean Ray Zillmer fell in love with the geological significance of Wisconsin’s glacial geology, and he started petitioning the government to create a 1,000-mile national park to show it off. That didn’t happen, but with some help from U.S. Rep. Henry S. Reuss, he was able to have the land designated as a National Scenic Trail in 1980. It’s one of just 11 such trails today; 220 miles of another, the 4,800-mile North Country Trail, pass through northern Wisconsin.  

The Ice Age Trail follows the route of the glaciers as they retreated, and it’s divided into 124 segments in 30 Wisconsin counties. To hike the whole thing in one go would take you about two months. But that’s not common. Pierick has a five-year plan to complete the hike, one segment at a time. Most hikers will never hit it all and stick to the trails that are close to home or interest them most. There’s no wrong way to approach it. 

“It’s this amazing asset,” Pierick says. “There’s something for everyone on the trail. It’s 1,200 miles of adventure.”

A Hike a Love

Ice Age Trail Mondeaux Esker Segment

WESTBORO

Length: 11.5 mi.
Type: Point to point
Elevation Gain: 650 ft.

One of Ice Age’s more rugged segments, in north central Wisconsin, asks hikers to navigate roots and rocks as they traverse the Chequamegon National Forest and follow the Mondeaux Flowage. “It got pretty swampy and fun,” Coffman says about her first experience hiking this section of the trail. “I like the mud, so I enjoyed that part.”

Super Segments

1. Monches

MONCHES/MERTON

Length: 3.1 mi.
Elevation Gain: 213 ft.

Enter the Charles Schurz Forest and explore its wooded moraines. Then descend toward the marshy banks of the Oconomowoc River. “There’s little bridges you walk over,” Pierick says. “It’s beautiful.”

2. Devil’s Staircase

JANESVILLE

Length: 1.7 mi.
Elevation Gain: 114 ft.

“You walk along a super narrow path, and then it just drops down to the Rock River,” Pierick says. “It’s so fun!” It’s one of the trail’s shorter segments, but it packs a lot in with its steep switchbacks. 

3. Gibraltar Rock

LODI

Length: 4.8 mi.
Elevation Gain: 705 ft.

This segment has big bluffs similar to those of nearby Devil’s Lake, but not the crowds. The trail passes by a stunning vista that shows off the expanse of the Wisconsin River and the rolling Baraboo Hills. 

4. Point Beach 

TWO RIVERS

Length: 10 mi.
Elevation Gain: 91 ft.

The money moment on this trek is the 4 miles it spends in the sand along the shores of Lake Michigan. “It looks like you’re on the frickin’ ocean,” Pierick says. 

5. Holy Hill

HUBERTUS

Length: 6.7 mi.
Elevation Gain: 610 ft.

Atop a hill more than 200 feet above the countryside sits a neo-Romanesque basilica. Listen to the church bells ring out as you hike the heavily wooded trails around its outskirts. From the hilltop, you may even be able to sneak a view of the Milwaukee skyline on a clear day.

6. Whitewater Lake 

WHITEWATER

Length: 4.6 mi.
Elevation Gain: 377 ft.

Get your heart pumping by delving into this thick forest that follows trailside kettles. Level terrain is rare here, with natural stairs and steep climbs throughout. There is a payoff for your efforts: a scenic overlook of Whitewater and Rice lakes. 

Leave No Trace!

• Plan ahead and prepare
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces (stay on the trail)
• Dispose of waste properly (pack out what you pack in)
• Leave what you find
• Minimize campfire impacts
• Respect wildlife
• Be considerate of other visitors.