10,000 years ago a massive glacier crawled into northern Wisconsin, drastically altering the landscape it slowly crept over. It left behind lakes, bluffs, outwashed plains, and much more. The edge of that glacier is something called a terminal moraine, which means that the glacier could go no further. Today, this beautifully sculpted border has become The Ice Age Trail. In 1958 a lawyer mountaineer named Ray Zillmer founded the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation, which was later renamed Ice Age Trail Alliance.
The trail sees over a million people each year, all year around. Everything from backpacking to snowshoeing happens on the 1,200 miles of trail that wind through 31 of the 72 counties in Wisconsin. The Ice Age Trail starts on the western edge of Wisconsin in St. Croix Falls and ends in Potawatomi State Park in beautiful Door County. There are many ways to experience the Ice Age Trail. Obviously, you can hike the entire trail unassisted. If you’re curious, the current speed record is 22 days, set by Jason Dorgan in 2007. He averaged 54 miles per day. If you want to take a more leisurely pace you could hike between all of the B&Bs that are listed on the Ice Age Trail website. Personally, I think this sounds light a delightful way to experience the trail. Volunteering is another way to explore the trail. It’s a great way to get some exercise while contributing to a worthwhile project.
Also, I should mention that the Ice Age Trail is only about half finished. A thru-hiker would be walking many miles on connecting roads to complete the journey. This is why the Ice Age Trail Alliance is so important. More development on the trail means more hikers and more awareness of the trail itself. If you find yourself in Wisconsin and want to hike one of only 11 national scenic trails in the country, look up iceagetrail.org and do your best to put a few miles in.
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