Ice Age

https://www.nps.gov/iatr/index.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Age_Trail The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail stretching 1,200 miles (1,900 km) in the state of Wisconsin. The trail roughly follows the location of the terminal moraine from the last Ice Age. As the route traverses the moraine, it sometimes meanders into areas west of the moraine, including the Driftless Area in southwestern Wisconsin. The trail passes through 30 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, from the northwestern part of the state to the Lake Michigan shoreline in the east. The western end of the trail is at Interstate State Park along the St. Croix River, which is the border between northwestern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. The eastern terminus of the Ice Age Trail lies at Potawatomi State Park, along Wisconsin's Door Peninsula off of Sturgeon Bay. A mere 15,000 years ago during the Ice Age, much of North America lay under a huge glacier. Mammoths, saber tooth cats and cave lions roamed the earth! Some of the best evidence of this glacier is found in Wisconsin such as the state’s many lakes, river valleys, gently rolling hills, and ridges. The nearly 1,200 mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail, established in 1980, traces the glacier's edge. The Ice Age National Scenic Trail stretches nearly 1,200 miles across Wisconsin. Plane Commercial airports are located in major cities and regional communities throughout the state at varying distances from the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Car Numerous trailheads with parking are located throughout the state. Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area Situated along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area offers unspoiled beauty with kettle lakes and many glacial features. Hiking, snowshoeing, backpack camping, fishing and bird watching are popular activities. The David R. Obey Ice Age Interpretive Center houses first-class glacial, cultural and natural history displays. Devils Lake State Park Situated along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Devil's Lake State Park offers magnificent views from 500-foot quartzite bluffs overlooking a 360-acre lake. Visitors enjoy nearly 30 miles of hiking trails, lakeshore picnic areas, swimming beaches, paddling opportunities, and year-round naturalist programs. Interstate State Park Visitor Center Interstate is Wisconsin's oldest state park, established in 1900. Located along the picturesque St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the park provides scenic views of the river and the steep-sided gorge known as the Dalles of the St. Croix. The Ice Age Interpretive Center features a film, photographs, murals and information about Wisconsin's glacial history. Kettle Moraine State Forest Visitor Center The first and largest unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest offers year-round recreation among world-famous glacial landforms. Visitors can swim at three beaches, enjoy challenging mountain biking trails or groomed ski trails, hike the Ice Age Trail, take in a nature program, or just escape among 30,000 acres of rolling, wooded hills and prairies. The Ice Age Visitor Center is open all year. The forest has over 350 campsites, including family, group, equestrian and backpack opportunities. St. Croix National Scenic Riverway The Ice Age National Scenic Trail passes through the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway north of St. Croix Falls. Camping Opportunities There are camping opportunities, both public and private, along much of the 1200-mile route of the trail. Additional information and a map of locations is available through the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Volunteers build a boardwalk at Straight Lake State Park volunteers build a boardwalk Volunteers work to construct a boardwalk at Straight Lake State Park using only hand tools. skunk and foster New trail takes hikers into the forest Newly consstructed trail in the Skunk and Foster State Wildlife Area invites kikers to explore the forest. Lake Michigan For a short time, the trail follows a beach along the Lake Michigan Shore. The trail takes hikers to the beach to enjoy the state's largest glacial feature- Lake Michigan! gibralter Rock expansive view as seen from atop Gibraltar Rock The view extends for many miles from atop Gibraltar Rock. riverland A boardwalks stretched accross conservancy lands. A group of school children explore the trail in Sauk County. 2014 Recipients: George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Discover the inspirational stories and amazing dedication of volunteers honored with the 2014 Hartzog Award. Volunteer Thelma Johnson standing with her cooking equipment 2011 Recipients: George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Meet the six winner of the 2011 Hartzog Awards, which celebrates the amazing contributions of volunteers to our national parks. Youth volunteer 2017 Recipients: George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Meet the recipients of the 2017 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service. These award recipients are recognized for their exceptional dedication and service to parks and programs. Boy outside holding a tool onto a wooden post. 2020 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service Each year nearly 300,000 volunteers across the National Park Service (NPS) donate more than 6.5 million hours of service, for a value of more than $185 million. Through their extraordinary work and dedication, these volunteers make an exceptional contribution to their parks and communities. We are pleased to congratulate the national recipients of the 2020 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service. Photo of Tom and Karen Hartley dressed in period clothing standing and smiling outdoors. Volunteer Story: Ice Age Trail Alliance Staff and volunteers of the Ice Age Trail Alliance were the National Park Service winners of the 2020 George and Helen Hartzog Award in the “Volunteer Group” category. They also won the award in the Midwest region of the National Park Service (Regions 3, 4, and 5). The George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service recognize the exemplary contributions of volunteers across the National Park System. People build a boardwalk within a forest with yellow and green leaves. Things to Do in Wisconsin Find things to do in Wisconsin. A sailboat on calm water near the edge of sandstone sea caves with trees growing on top. My Park Story: Jayne Ann Valley’s National Trails Day Experience Meet Jayne Ann Valley, a volunteer who joined a National Trails Day event at Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway on June 3, 2023 with the Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) program. Working with their partners, Wild Rivers Conservancy, the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway co-managed the volunteer program called Riverway Volunteers. 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service The National Park Service is pleased to congratulate the recipients of the 2022 George and Helen Hartzog Awards for Outstanding Volunteer Service. A montage of photos of volunteers working in a national park. Collaboration promotes efficiency in Midwest Region fuels projects In April 2023, NPS Midwest Region staff were joined by fire staff from Alaska to conduct prescribed fires in the Midwest Region. Fire activity and needs vary throughout the country, and it is a common occurrence for resources to be sent to other regions to assist where needed. Fuel reduction projects were completed in multiple Midwest Region parks, totalling nearly 4,900 acres. Smoke rises from the ground amid leafless trees.

Ice Age Trail Thousand-Miler Map and Checklist 2021-0330 Using This Map Key to Symbols Connecting Route Ice Age Trail Trade River This map was created by an Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteer based on the Ice Age Trail Atlas and the Ice Age Trail Guidebook (2020 – 2022 Editions) and updates provided by the Ice Age Trail Alliance. If you have questions, corrections, or suggestions, contact IATA volunteer Sue Knopf (graffolio21@gmail.com). Segments or connecting routes where changes have been made since the 2020 – 2022 editions of the IATA publications or are anticipated in the near future are noted on the map and in the list with a star ( ). Because the Ice Age Trail route changes from year to year as volunteers construct new segments and reroute and/or close others, hikers should refer to the IATA website (iceagetrail.org) for the most up-to-date Ice Age Trail information. The e-version of this map is available free from the Hiker Resources page of the IATA website (https://www.iceagetrail.org/hiker-resources/; see More Resources to Explore). It is a PDF file enabled for commenting so that you can write notes or mark segments you’ve hiked using Adobe Reader’s commenting tools. At full size, it is 36 inches by 54 inches. A hard copy version is available from the Ice Age Trail Alliance store (https://www.iceagetrail.org/product /ice-age-trail-thousand-miler-map-checklist/). It is 30 inches by 44 inches. Segment label with segment name, mileage, and map number(s). Mileage noted as “4.3 (0.4) mi” means that the segment length is 4.3 miles including a 0.4-mile connecting route. 4.3 (0.4) mi • 3f Connecting route label with mileage and map number(s) CR 4.5 mi • 33f Means an anticipated or actual Trail or route change since the 2020–2022 editions of the IATA publications. Bifurcation points B A Note about Mileages 65.7 The mileages listed on the map are based primarily on GPS data collected in the field. If you add up mileages and compare the totals to the stated mileages for counties and the entire Trail, you may find small discrepancies (usually not more than 0.1 miles) due to rounding error. Accepting these discrepancies, the Ice Age Trail Alliance recognizes the following total mileages at the time the map was published: • Total Ice Age Trail route, including both branches of the bifurcation: 1224.8 miles. • Total Ice Age Trail route, including the eastern branch of the bifurcation but not the western: 1142.9 miles.* • Total Ice Age Trail route, including the western branch of the bifurcation but not the eastern: 1142.1 miles. 1077.2 Washburn 119.3 (See Barron) Burnett 1023.6 * Because most who apply for “Thousand-Miler” recognition hike the eastern branch of the bifurcation but not the western (both are not required), the distances from the county borders to each terminus are based on this approach. Grassy Lake (See Polk) 8.5 mi • 7f CR 0 2.5 mi • 6f. 7f 1142.9 Tuscobia Bear Lake 11.2 mi • 8f–10f 5.4 mi • 7f, 8f Timberland Hills Area 10.9 mi • 6f CR 2.4 mi • 10f 7.0 mi • 10f Sand Creek 65.7 (58.5+7.2) Rusk 6.0 (0.3) mi • 5f, 6f Indian Creek 5.4 mi • 5f CR 4.5 mi • 1f Gandy Dancer 3.4 mi • 3f, 4f 15.5 (0.3) mi • 1f–3f 9.0 mi • 1f 12.8 (4.6) mi • 32f, 33f Wood Lake 13.4 mi • 25f, 26f CR CR 3.4 mi • 23f, 24f 15.6 mi • 12f–14f Highland Lakes 5.5 (2.8) mi • 25f 0.9 mi • 24f CR 53.6 (43.0+10.6) CR Trade River 4.3 (0.4) mi • 3f Barron (and Washburn) Parrish Hills 12.0 mi • 31f, 32f 65.8 (49.7+16.1) Rib Lake Pine Line 7.3 mi • 12f 2.9 mi • 4f Straight River CR 0.6 mi • 24f Southern Blue Hills 0.7 mi • 4f Lincoln 6.5 mi • 24f, 25f 1.2 mi • 11f, 12f CR Pine Lake East Lake 9.6 mi • 11f 9.4 mi • 4f, 5f CR 33.7 (16.9+16.8) Northern Blue Hills • Rice Lake McKenzie Creek St. Croix Falls 364.3 778.6 Hemlock Creek Polk (and Burnett) St. Croix Falls • 298.5 844.4 CR 5.7 mi • 8f 2.1 mi • 28f Harrison Hills Mondeaux Esker 0.8 mi • 3f Straight Lake 3.6 mi • 3f Summit Moraine 14.5 mi • 30f, 31f 11.7 mi • 23f 12.4 mi • 33f, 34f Alta Junction 153.0 989.9 15.2 mi • 22f, 23f CR 7.6 mi • 15f Taylor 6.2 mi • 15f, 16f CR 1.8 mi • 16f 4.0 mi (+1.7 mi retrace) • 28f 26.7 mi • 17f–19f Turtle Rock Averill-Kelly Creek Wilderness CR 5.1 mi • 28f 4.9 mi • 27f, 28f Chippewa (See Kewaunee) 5.9 mi • 39f, 40f 0.6 mi • 27f CR Door Plover River CR Chippewa River 1.9 (0.1) mi • 16f 447.4 695.5 Grandfather Falls Newwood 6.9 mi • 26f, 27f 8.4 (3.2) mi • 16f 24.1 mi • 36f–39f 10.4 mi • 28f, 29f 2.9 mi • 26f, 27f 87.2 (65.9+21.3) Firth Lake CR 83.1 (54.5+28.6) CR Camp 27 9.9 mi • 35f, 36f Langlade 6.3 mi • 29f 1.9 mi • 26f 14.5 mi • 19f–20f Harwood Lakes Underdown CR CR Kettlebowl 1.2 mi • 30f 3.9 mi • 26f 15.6 mi • 21f, 22f Chippewa Moraine 12.0 mi • 34f, 35f CR Timberland Wilderness Lake Eleven 5.7 mi • 14f Lumbercamp 1.2 mi • 30f Jerry Lake • Wausau 58.3 (20.8+37.5) 1142.9 3.5 mi • 40f D