Kettle Moraine State Forest — Southern Unit
Kettles, ridges, lakes, oak forest, prairie, and long trail systems spread across a noncontiguous state forest formed along the edge of the Green Bay ice lobe.
Artwork inspired by Sister Thomasita Fessler
The Southern Unit is a network, not a fenced park. Roads, trailheads, campgrounds, lakes, preserves, and communities occupy a long glacial corridor where buried ice left kettles and meltwater built ridges and outwash. The headquarters in Eagle is an orientation point, not the geographic center of every activity.
Choose a destination before navigating: Scuppernong for hiking, Lapham Peak for elevation and tower access, Ottawa Lake for camping and water, or a defined Ice Age Trail segment. Passes differ for vehicles, mountain bikes, skiing, and horseback use; hunting seasons and shared trails require current maps and visible clothing.
- Formation
- Wisconsin glaciation
- Trail spine
- Ice Age National Scenic Trail
- Unit
- Southern Kettle Moraine
Quick guide
- Orient at the headquarters
- Collect current maps and distinguish the forest unit from individual recreation areas
- Name the glacial feature
- Look for kettle, moraine, outwash, or esker instead of treating every hill as generic scenery
Choose one landform and one trail system
- Orient at the headquarters
- Collect current maps and distinguish the forest unit from individual recreation areas.
- Name the glacial feature
- Look for kettle, moraine, outwash, or esker instead of treating every hill as generic scenery.
- Match the right pass
- Vehicle admission does not automatically cover every trail activity or grooming program.
- Check shared-use conditions
- Cyclists, horses, skiers, hunters, and hikers use different routes that change by season.
Good to know
Do not navigate only to “Kettle Moraine”; confirm the specific trailhead, recreation area, pass, and seasonal use before driving.
Notice these
- Scuppernong trails
- Ottawa Lake
- Lapham Peak