Wisconsin Snowshoe Trails-Ice Age Trail

You’re never far from a Wisconsin showshoe trail

In fact with Wisconsin’s Ice Age Trail covering 31 counties around the state and 600 miles of marked trails, chances are pretty good that a portion of the trail is easily accessible to many of Wisconsin’s population.

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The trail is always open to backpackers, hikers, and snowshoers making it the perfect four season outdoor recreation activity.

A couple of years ago I went out and bought myself a pair of snowshoes. I’m not one to really enjoy many winter activities, but I enjoy hiking and thought the snowshoes would be a great way of motivating myself to get out and enjoy our Wisconsin winters.

Snowshoeing is an economical way to enjoy the winter and get exercise too! Check out these highly rated all around snowshoes in a variety of sizes for kids thru adult. Trust me, you will love the quick buckle release and adjustable straps!

Don’t forget the trekking poles!

Last year I bought Rick a pair for Christmas thinking he would enjoy snowshoeing with me.

Snowshoeing the Walla Hi Segment of the Ice Age Trail

After of being stuck in the house the last couple of weeks, first because I was sick and then because of arctic cold temps, Rick and I dusted off those snowshoes and loaded them in the car for the short one mile drive to Walla Hi County Park.

Yes, we are pretty lucky to be within a short distance to the Walla Hi Segment, one of the newest segments of the Ice Age Trail on the Manitowoc/Sheboygan county line. Once we get bored with that segment we can easily head to Elkhart Lake and do the two short LaBudde Creek Segments that total a little over 3.5 miles with the connecting roadway. Then after that we can head south to the Greenbush Segment which covers 8.7 miles.

You can read about more about my Walla Hi Ice Age Trail Segment experience here

We strapped on our snowshoes only to find that Rick’s did not fit (next time he will have to wear his other boots). Good thing the snow was not too deep that he could just hike while I blazed the trail in front. It was clear by the other tracks that we weren’t the only ones that had decided to make use of the trail. In fact this county park has always been popular with hikers as well as cross country skiers and even horseback riders in the winter as well as year round. I can remember as a kid this area was one of our favorite snowmobiling spots where we would stop and build a fire on the trail and roast hot dogs on a Sunday Afternoon.

As far as Wisconsin snowshoe trails go this Walla Hi Segment is short, just 2.3 miles, but when you’re trekking with snowshoes it makes for a challenging workout. You are going up and downhill through the kettles.

There’s plenty to see, we spotted four does and a buck taking off as they heard us come up the trail. You can see plenty of tracks in the snow as we identified, squirrel, mouse and LOTS of deer tracks. We even spotted a bedding spot where not too long before a deer was slumbering.

There are plenty of photo ops along the way. The most photographed spot on the trail has to be the bridge over the creek that runs through the park. I’ve taken prom photos on this bridge. Today it was Rick looking at the creek below.

There’s more snowshoe trails inside Walla Hi County Park

Along with the Ice Age Trail Segment, there are other trails in Walla Hi County Park. This day we headed down the Main Street trail to make a loop back to the first parking lot where our truck was parked. This trail didn’t have as many tracks so we made sure we followed the markers along the way.

Coming back around we came to the creek and crossed another smaller bridge (my turn for the photo op) and made our way to the deserted picnic area of the park and eventually made it back to the beginning.

It was a very windy morning, but it was nice walking through the woods. By the time we arrived back at the truck, we had worked up a healthy sweat!! We were out for nearly two hours enjoying the sounds of the trees swaying and the snow crunching under our feet.

There are an abundance of Wisconsin snowshoe trails all around the state and this time of the year you can find many nighttime candlelit hikes in many of Wisconsin’s State Parks. It’s a great way to get out and enjoy the Wisconsin winter and get some exercise too!

Do you have favorite Wisconsin snowshoe trails?

I’d love to hear about it!

Thanks for reading!!

Lori

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