The Ice Age Trail (IAT)

When I first started hiking, I was a lost soul. From equipment and trails to clothing and shoes, I knew nothing about hiking. I merely strapped on my 15 year old LL Bean hiking boots and started walking the neighborhood. Soon I was doing laps all over town to get in my daily mileage exploring the Village Park and surrounding neighborhoods. I have become a familiar site with my backpack around the village.

As time went by, I ventured further afield walking both directions on the Bugline Trail. The Bugline Trail is an approximately 16-mile-long bike trail that winds from Menomonee Falls directly through my hometown of Sussex, Wisconsin terminating in North Lake, Wisconsin. During the winter, walking this trail worked out well for Macc and I. But as the weather warmed, it was taken over by bicycles and was not ideal for someone just plodding along trying to lose himself in the miles with a curious dog that wanted to say hello to everyone on the trail.

Its’ lack of any elevation was also a concern as I began to train for my first thru- hike in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. What I needed was a trail dedicated to hiking like the Appalachian Trail (AT). I have no interest in taking on a herculean task like thru-hiking the AT end-to-end, but it would be nice to have a trail I could call my own that offered more variety than going in the same circular route or that I’d have to share with the thriving bicycle community in Wisconsin.

Little did I know that Wisconsin is home to The Ice Age National Scenic Trail or IAT for short. It is one of only 11 national scenic trails in the country and its 1,000 plus mile path is contained entirely within the state of Wisconsin. This past year, the National Park Service officially became a partner in managing the trail along with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Its’ yellow blazes stretch over 700 miles of trail and about 500 miles of connecting road segments for a total span of 1,200 miles.

The Ice Age Trail began through the dream and effort of Ray Zillmer, a Milwaukee conservationist. He envisioned a long linear park winding through Wisconsin’s glacial terminal moraine (a ridge of rocks marking the farthest point a glacier reaches). The IAT winds over national forest, county forest, state and city parks and private land.

The Ice Age Trail stretches from its Western terminus in Interstate State Park in St. Croix Falls on the Minnesota border to the Eastern terminus in Potawatomi State Park on Lake Michigan. The path is divided into segments of various lengths as it winds its way across the state. I am blessed to have numerous segments within easy commuting distance from my home.

I immediately purchased the IAT Atlas that contains maps of each segment. I have used it to input my hikes into my favorite hiking application, onX Backcountry so I am never lost on the trail.

As I began to search for more authentic natural hikes, the Ice Age Trail fit the mold perfectly. To date, I have hiked a mere 15 segments, most, numerous times. The challenge to completing more segments stems from my desire to keep my daily hikes to between 6 and 12 miles to balance hiking with my other activities. Without a dedicated shuttle, that means many of my treks are out and back meaning my mileage on the trail is half of what it could or should be.

To address this, I have invested in an e-bike. When the weather warms, I plan to drop the bike off at one end of a segment and then drive to the other end of the trail segment. After completing the hike, I will return to my car using the e-bike. My hope is that this will allow me to significantly expand my official mileage on the IAT.

Currently, there are just over 600 individuals who are members of the 1,000 Miler club by traversing the entire trail. Hikers can either thru-hike (going from end to end in a continuous hike) or complete the trail segment by segment (as well as connecting routes) over time.

I have committed myself to knocking off as many segments as possible before my 65^th birthday, but I really would like to become one of the few who have completed the entire trail. I’ve even purchased the special IAT license plates for both of my cars. If you see the plate, H Dude or HK Dude (short for Hiker Dude) in any of the trailhead parking lots, it means I am on the trail that day.

People have a multitude of motivations to hike the Ice Age Trail. From health and fitness to nature and wildlife, the trail hosts over 4.65 million people annually according to a 2024 study by the Fiscal and Economic Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

My own reasons likely differ from the average hiker. I seek healing, peace, and cleansing as I continue to wrestle with my grief. I hold Amy in my heart as I wander mile after mile.

Looking ahead, I would welcome any hiking buddies. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you ever want to tackle any trail segments. Thank you to the army of trail builders, volunteers, and financial supporters who work tirelessly to maintain and expand the Ice Age Trail.

Happy trails.