Ice Age Trail Alliance: Dane County Chapter

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail Your Path to Wisconsin's Treasures A Walk Through Time... 10/24/2009

Cross Plains segment of the Ice Age Trail

The Ice Age Trail is part of the National Park Service National Scenic Trail System. The Trail loosely follows the terminus of the furthest extent of glaciation from the last ice age that receded about 12,000 - 15,000 years ago. The Trail traverses the state starting at Potawatomi State Park in Door County and runs southeast through the Kettle Moraines to Janesville. Then as it turns north and passes west of Madison, it continues through Devil's Lake State Park and on north to Langlade County. It then meanders west through northern forests to Interstate State Park on the St Croix National Scenic Riverway. Currently, about 600 miles out of what will be eventually be an over 1000 mile foot path are completed statewide.

The Ice Age Trail Alliance (formerly Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation) is the non-profit 501(c)3 organization responsible for obtaining volunteers and performing much of the on-ground work to build the Trail, and we just celebrated our 50th anniversary with a name change. The mission of the Alliance is to create, support and protect a continuous foot path tracing ice age formations across Wisconsin. The Dane County Chapter is one of 22 chapters statewide that work to build and maintain the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Our statewide Trail partners are the National Park Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Here in Dane County, the Dane County Parks Department and Parks Commission are local Trail partners.

We rely on the support of volunteers for most Trail activities and efforts. See our Volunteer Opportunities page for some ideas of wonderful ways to get involved, support the Trail, and have fun!

A schedule of activities is also available on the File Library page. More information on specific events is available on the Events page, and the Ice Age Trail Alliance web site.

For hikers, the Ice Age Trail Atlas and Companion Hiking Guide are available from the Alliance. Please call Eric at (608) 798-4453. You can also make maps of the Trail by going to the DNR Webview site and selecting the layers you wish to display.

See you on the Trail!