Did you know that Wisconsin has more than 15,000 lakes? Or that it has over 460,000 acres of state parks and natural areas? What about the fact that the Ice Age ended so recently here that glaciologists consider it the global textbook example of the last major glacial period?
When Backpacker arrived in Wisconsin in September to hike the Ice Age Trail, we had a lot to learn about the state. As we cruised along the eskers, skirted glacial lakes, climbed over moraines, and wound through the autumnal forests, Wisconsin’s magic dawned on us. Even those who had spent a lot of time in the Midwest found new things to appreciate.
The Backpacker team hiked a 25-ish-mile section from Jerry Lake to Mondeaux Flowage. We witnessed wildlife, glacial geography, and forest flora so thick we couldn’t see past the trail’s next bend. We all came away with a new appreciation for the state, and a better understanding of this iconic Midwest long trail.
Transcript:
Beginner backpackers and advanced backpackers will both find something to appreciate on this trail.
Associate Editor Will Brendza here with the Backpacker team, and we are hiking the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. A beautiful trail, it winds and wanders through tons of woods. A lot of it’s flat, so it’s a very approachable trail for a lot of different levels of backpackers.
As far as elevation gain goes, you’re not going to find too many steep climbs on the Ice Age Trail. It’s relatively flat, but it still keeps your mind active. There are so many rocks and roots to watch out for, and small animals like frogs and snakes to see. Your brain’s still working while you’re hiking.
For advanced backpackers who want to cover a lot of miles and get distance, this trail offers a lot of nice rolling hills, esker walks, and the trees are so thick you could easily get into a nice flow state while you’re hiking.
Beginner backpackers, the miles are fairly easy. If you’re trying to approach a trail that you can just tick off bits and bits by day, you’ll love this one.
You should expect some road walking on this trail. We’ve run across several pieces, and we just did a small bit of the trail, so don’t think you’re going to be in the woods the whole time.
We’ve been hiking along these long eskers, which are basically these ridges that were carved out by glaciers. A lot of this trail is deep in the woods. You don’t really get the big, stunning views that you’re going to see in places like Colorado or Wyoming. But you pop out on lakes like the one that we’re camping on right now, and they are just stunningly gorgeous. Thick woods, lots of trees, squirrels—we’ve seen snakes, we’ve seen foxes, we’ve seen deer. There’s some really interesting bird life.
We’ve been popping out of the woods and finding some really gorgeous lakes along the way. But throughout the trail, you kind of walk along these boardwalks. Clearly, there’s a lot of water at certain times of year. We haven’t really crossed a ton of creeks or rivers. So when there are opportunities to fill your water or filter, we’ve been taking them for sure.
This national forest is kind of unlike any national forest that I’ve really been in before. It’s a lot of birch trees and oak trees, and this time of year, the colors are just exploding. It’s stunning in a truly Wisconsin kind of way.
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