Ice Age National Scenic Trail
Moraines, kettles, eskers, outwash, forests, farms, and towns form a statewide trail whose disconnected segments demand careful trip design.
Artwork inspired by John Steuart Curry
The Ice Age Trail follows evidence near the southern edge of the last continental ice sheet across Wisconsin. Its completed footpath, road connectors, and affiliated routes reveal how ice deposited ridges, stranded blocks that became kettles, redirected water, and left soils that still influence farms and forests.
It is not continuously off-road. Segment length, road walks, water, parking, hunting, mud, insects, and shuttle logistics vary enormously. Use the Ice Age Trail Alliance map and local land-manager notices, select a named segment with two confirmed endpoints, and never rely on a generic map pin to begin a hike.
- Planned length
- About 1,200 miles
- Designation
- National Scenic Trail
- State
- Entirely in Wisconsin
Quick guide
- Choose the landform first
- Pick a segment known for moraine, kettle, esker, or outwash so the geology has a clear focus
- Carry current navigation
- Yellow blazes help on the ground but do not replace official maps and closure notices
Plan a named segment, not an abstract thousand miles
- Choose the landform first
- Pick a segment known for moraine, kettle, esker, or outwash so the geology has a clear focus.
- Confirm both endpoints
- Parking legality, road access, and a return shuttle matter before mileage.
- Distinguish trail types
- Off-road footpath, road connector, and connecting route create very different experiences.
- Carry current navigation
- Yellow blazes help on the ground but do not replace official maps and closure notices.
Good to know
The Google location is the Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters, not a universal trailhead; every hike needs its own access plan.
Notice these
- Terminal moraines
- Kettle lakes
- Yellow-blazed footpath