Registration provides you with special Challenge communications and access to Trail Community itineraries. Plus, to receive your Challenge patch and certificate, you’ll need to fill out the Completion form when finished and registration numbers will help us plan for ordering patches.

Your registration also helps us track the popularity of the Challenge, which provides valuable feedback to our Trail Community partners and supporting businesses.

Registration for the Challenge is free, although donations to the Ice Age Trail Alliance are accepted and appreciated.

No! Simply make sure the miles you hike (or run, or walk, or backpack) add up to 44. If you hike out and back on a stretch of trail, feel free to count your miles both ways. You may also include mileage from any white-blazed loop trails you find along the way. Miles from suggested connecting road routes count as well. If you’re part of a team, you can combine your mileage.

Not sure you can hike 44 miles this year? We invite you to achieve your 44 miles by taking advantage of bonus miles. 

See the list above for bonus mile opportunities.

There’s no limit to the number of bonus miles you can earn! Get out there and explore and enjoy! You will be able to share the bonus miles you used on the completion form.

It’s Scout’s honor when it comes to reporting your mileage and Trail Community visits. So track your miles any way you want (via paper, using a fitness tracking app, etc.).

Feel free to use the official 2024 Mammoth Hike Challenge Hiking Log to track the segments and distances you’ve hiked, plus the Trail Communities you’ve visited. Enjoy the 2024 Mammoth Hike Challenge Kid’s Hiking Log (it’s fun and interactive)!

The Hiking Log is for you; it does NOT need to be submitted for completion of the Challenge. The Hiking Log is NOT required.

You’re encouraged to visit and support three Trail Communities (there are now 24).

When you are visiting one of our 24 official Trail Communities, you’ll know that you’re visiting a place that values the Ice Age Trail, understands the importance of the quality of life for its residents and visitors, and supports the work of the Ice Age Trail Alliance.

Tour local museums, book overnight lodging in a hotel or Airbnb, browse charming shops, and savor a meal at a local restaurant. We challenge you to experience these gems – the communities and people shaped by the glacial terrain and surrounding landscape.

Yes! Itineraries are available for each Ice Age Trail Community to help you experience the best of what each community has to offer, along with how to contact local tourism outlets. Itineraries showcase exceptional restaurants, attractions, historical landmarks, and Ice Age Trail segments. In 2024, there are 24 Trail Communities; let’s show them some love. The itineraries were updated for 2024.

Learn more about our 24 Trail Communities! 

If that’s the case, you’ll receive a certificate for completing the 44-mile requirement however, you will not receive a patch.

Yes! Please, do. If you enjoy hiking with a partner, appreciate the accountability, or want to encourage your family and friends, then signing up as a team is for you.

You can register multiple participants under one registration—and your miles and Trail Community visits can be cumulative. Unfortunately, we cannot edit an existing registration, so if you want to add team members, just complete another registration form for them.

Upon completion, you will indicate how many certificates and patches are needed for your team members.

Someone in your group needs to be designated the Team Captain. The Captain is responsible for filling out the completion form and will be sent the certificates and patches to distribute accordingly.

Yes! Absolutely. If your household signs up as a “team” you will be able to indicate how many certificates and patches are desired when filling out the completion form. Enjoy the 2024 Mammoth Hike Challenge Kid’s Hiking Log to track miles (it’s fun and interactive)!

We get it, some kids’ enthusiasm for hiking doesn’t match their parents. This is one of the reasons we created Ice Age Trail Explorer Backpacks. They contain everything you need to keep your kids engaged and excited while hiking the Ice Age Trail. Backpacks are available for FREE checkout at public libraries in our Trail Communities.

Enjoy the 2024 Mammoth Hike Challenge Kid’s Hiking Log to track your miles (it’s fun and interactive)!

You could also try ColdCaching. It’s a fun activity that combines treasure hunting with navigation and ice age history.

For additional kid-friendly activities and resources – for example, Ice Age Trail Bingo, Engage the Senses, Forest Bath, Hiker Lingo – check out our website.

And for the stuffed animal lovers out there, perhaps a little incentive like Monty the Mammoth will do the trick.

Your overachieving spirit is impressive. But, there’s only one patch to earn per person with the Mammoth Hike Challenge.

However, a number of our chapters offer a patch if you hike all of the segments within their area. Learn more here.

To immerse yourself in fall’s brilliant colors during the Mammoth Hike Challenge, look no further than the Ice Age Trail Fall Color Experience Map!

This map combines Travel Wisconsin’s Fall Color Report with a comprehensive list of local attractions, dining, lodging, and shopping along the Trail.

Yes, please! We love seeing photos of people’s Ice Age Trail adventures. Feel free to tag us @iceagetrailorg and use #MammothHikeChallenge in your photos and posts.

You will have the opportunity to upload up to seven of your best photos when you fill out the Completion form.

Your photos may be used on social media, in Mammoth Tales, or other publications. We’ll be sure to give you credit if they’re used.

Broadly stated, hunting seasons in Wisconsin range from September through May. For this reason, you are encouraged to wear “Blaze Orange” or other brightly colored clothing when you (or your pet) head out for a hike during these months. This includes during October and the  Mammoth Hike Challenge.

Hunting seasons differ depending region of the state and what is being hunted. So, it’s good to know the types of hunting allowed where you’re planning to hike and season dates. Check out our Hunting Season and the Ice Age Trail page for more information!

Some seasons require hikers to exercise more caution than others. For example, it’s safer to hike during archery and crossbow season than during gun deer season. A bullet travels farther than an arrow.

The good news is this: During October, just about all segments of the Ice Age Trail that cross public lands remain open for hiking during the hunting seasons of various game species, including the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, state and county forests, and state parks.

As a general rule, hikers can feel pretty safe on the Trail; however, it’s good to follow these suggestions:

1. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: Hunting Season Dates set by the Wisconsin DNR; Closures along the Ice Age Trail, during gun deer season, where the Trail crosses private land; and Ice Age Trail Alliance properties where hunting is allowed. You may want to purchase the Ice Age Trail Guidebook. Its segment-by-segment information also highlights which sections or segments are closed for hunting season.

2. WEAR “BLAZE ORANGE” or other highly visible clothing.

3. IF YOU HIKE WITH A DOG, it should wear a blaze orange vest and be on a leash at all times.

4. USE EXTRA CAUTION AT DAWN and DUSK. Hunting activity may increase at dawn and dusk when animals are feeding. Please wear reflective vests if you hike during these times of low visibility. Using a headlamp is a good idea, too.

5. AVOID HUNTER INTERFERENCE. It is prohibited by Wisconsin law to interfere with people engaged in lawful hunting, fishing, or trapping (WI Statutes 29.083).

6. BE HEARD. Make sure you are heard, by whistling, singing, or talking while you hike.