Category Archives: Trail Projects

A Successful 2024 Trailbuilding Season, Thanks to Volunteers!

Posted on November 25, 2024

Many upgrades improved existing segments in a maintenance-focused year!

“It’s exciting to build brand-new segments of Ice Age National Scenic Trail, but it’s also necessary and rewarding to maintain what we have,” said Dave Caliebe, Trail Program Manager. “In 2024, 935 Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers dedicated 23,617 service hours to upgrading existing segments by improving drainage, hardening tread, and building new structures.”

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More Trail to Explore in Marquette County!

Posted on November 13, 2024

Thanks to volunteers, hikers now have an attractive boardwalk and two miles through Montello to enjoy.

“The leaves are gone from the hillsides, and the glory of the red maple and yellow aspen and birch is strewn upon the ground. Only in the protected swamps is there any color, the smoky gold of the tamaracks.” ~ Sigurd Olson

The Ice Age Trail Crew project at the Alliance-owned Muir Preserve contained everything for an ideal season finale. A mellow vibe carried through all four and a half days, during which 122 volunteers collectively donated 2,333 service hours. Pre-project frame-building efforts by the Marquette County Chapter got the smooth-rolling project off to a good start. Then, perfect weather graced it with cool evenings, frosty mornings, and pleasant daytime temperatures. As a bonus, early morning coffee drinkers enjoyed muted autumn beauty, watching fog rise from mirror-like Ennis Lake.

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Great Progress: Trail Reroute Underway in the Blue Hills

Posted on October 17, 2024

More than one mile of tread built thanks to volunteers!

So, after years of patiently waiting, 128 volunteers arrived with their sleeves rolled up, ready to work. They enthusiastically churned through the construction notes—the section-by-section to-do list—collectively donating 4,500 service hours. Crews built a three-quarters-mile-long section of four-step tread, completing the last page of the construction notes by the end of the day on Thursday.

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High-Quality Tread Improves the Hiker Experience on the Greenbush Segment

Posted on September 26, 2024

Thanks to volunteers, 4,800 feet of sustainable tread exists!

Built 30-plus years ago, the nearly 9-mile Greenbush Segment winding through the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest was due for some attention. Especially the section of Ice Age Trail south of State Highway 23. In that spot, the Trail traveled straight up and down hills along a rocky, rooted path. Instead of enjoying the views, hikers had to be cautious about where they put their feet. A reroute to ensure a safer, more enjoyable experience was in order.

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New Puncheon and Stepping Stones Keep Boots Dry on the Plover River Segment

Posted on August 29, 2024

Cheerful volunteer crews embrace muddy conditions, getting good work done!

Built a decade ago, the Plover River Segment needed some attention, especially the nearly one-mile-long section between STH-52 and Village Road. Picturesque and famous for its river crossing, many hiking boots had churned up the mud-prone tread along this stretch. Now, 107 volunteers collectively donated 3,366 service hours to remedy the situation and elevate the hiker experience with lengths of puncheon and strategically placed granite boulders.

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Volunteers Spruce Up Grandfather Falls Segment

Posted on August 20, 2024

A small maintenance crew persevered through heat and humidity for a successful event in Lincoln County!

Despite a rainy forecast and driving through a deluge, volunteers remained committed to helping members of the Northwoods Chapter spruce up Lincoln County’s most popular segment: Grandfather Falls. Mother Nature rewarded their dedication by providing three rain-free work days but heaped on the heat and humidity. Evening rain storms made for exciting sky-watching and raindrop dodging.

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Thanks to Exemplary Teamwork, the Plover River Segment has New Stepping Stones

Posted on July 26, 2024

These new stepping stones will keep boots dry for hikers!

“This project was one of my all-time favorites,” said Dave Caliebe, Trail Manager for the Ice Age Trail Alliance. “The event’s narrow scope meant all the crews did the same things: rock shopping, making crush, and setting stones. And we all got muddy!”

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Thanks to Volunteers, Hikers Have Dry Boots Through a Wetland

Posted on July 26, 2024

Skilled construction creates a 424-foot boardwalk on the Holy Hill Segment!

An amended easement, negotiated between the Ice Age Trail Alliance and a private landowner, required an Ice Age Trail reroute along the Holy Hill Segment. The move took the Trail from the edge of an agricultural field onto a more scenic path, but one through a reed canary grass wetland. Luckily, Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers, skilled in boardwalk construction, capably rose to the challenge. During a 4.5-day project, 28 volunteers donated 627 hours to construct a 424-foot-long boardwalk.

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Oldest Segment Receives Maintenance Sweep Love

Posted on July 17, 2024

A small maintenance crew in Langlade County makes great progress across challenging terrain!

It was fitting that Langlade County’s oldest Ice Age National Scenic Trail segment—12-mile-long Parrish Hills—received the most attention during the 3.5-day Maintenance Sweep event. This remote, rugged segment winds through wetland areas inside an evergreen forest where it intersects and overlaps logging roads and ATV or snowmobile trails. The challenging terrain created plenty of work for 44 volunteers who collectively donated 1,143 service hours along with the labor provided by 6 WisCorps members.

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Future Crew Leaders Receive Hands-On Training

Posted on July 9, 2024

Crew Leader Training brings volunteers—who have previously demonstrated leadership skills—together to learn, work, and connect.

Demonstrating their deepening commitment to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, 16 volunteers (plus 3 guests) collectively donated 529 hours to attend Crew Leader Skills Training from June 20-22, 2024 in Cross Plains, Wis. Their admittance into this three-day program underscored their prior enthusiasm for and participation in chapter-led or Ice Age Trail Crew events. The training supported their desire and ability to lead volunteer crews.

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High Spirits, Inquisitive Minds at IAT-U

Posted on June 18, 2024

A rewarding, hands-on learning experience for volunteers!

“Spirits were high and minds inquisitive,” said Riley Dupee, Field Operations Specialist, describing the vibe at the recent Ice Age Trail University (IAT-U) in Dane County. “Plus, the weather was mostly sunny. The sunsets from base camp were terrific and included a firework show in the distance on Saturday night.”

IAT-U successfully delivered 10 trainings to a total of 94 volunteers, who generously dedicated 1,486 hours to learning the skills and techniques necessary to contribute to the creation, maintenance, and promotion of a National Scenic Trail.

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Teamwork Successfully Kicks Off the Trailbuilding Season

Posted on May 28, 2024

Multiple structures got built and repaired on the Hemlock Creek Segment!

Like the warblers, sparrows, and scarlet tanagers arriving from their winter home, the Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers returned to the Trail. 96 volunteers donated 3,325 service hours in 4.5 days to building and repairing Trail on the Hemlock Creek Segment (Barron and Rusk Counties, Wis.).

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Expert Assistance Spruces Up Beloved Polk County Segments

Posted on May 20, 2024

A small maintenance crew in Polk County resulted in big accomplishments!

The first Maintenance Sweep event in 2024 crossed many items off the Indianhead Chapter’s to-do list, assisted by 30 volunteers who donated 677 service hours.

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A Successful Winter Habitat Improvement Program (HIP) Season

Posted on February 16, 2024

Dedicated volunteers improved many acres of crucial habitat!

Dedicated Ice Age Trail volunteers helped improve crucial plant and wildlife habitats across three Ice Age Trail Alliance-owned preserves: SwampLovers (Dane County), Hartland Marsh (Waukesha County), and Steenbock (Columbia County). A total of 158 volunteers donated 2,136 service hours.

Winter, offering both challenging AND perfect conditions for the Habitat Improvement events, didn’t deter hardy sawyers, swampers, and brush haulers. Invasive trees and shrubs were removed from more than seven acres, allowing for the expansion of native prairie and oak savanna.

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Thank You for a Successful 2023 Trailbuilding Season

Posted on November 17, 2023

Nearly 15-miles of brand new Ice Age Trail!

Two words – New Trail – describe the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s 2023 Trailbuilding Season!

Nearly 15 miles of brand-new Ice Age National Scenic Trail took shape, creating a banner year.

The season’s true superstars were the 1,031 volunteers who donated 24,725 service hours, an impressive amount!
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A Road Walk Becomes a Walk in the Woods!

Posted on October 27, 2023

The final MSC Trailbuilding project for 2023 in Cross Plains brought a record number of volunteers and service hours.

The five-day trailbuilding project from October 18 – October 22 along the Cross Plains Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail ticked a lot of boxes: Enthusiastic volunteers, great weather, even better food, vibrant autumn color, an evening watching UW-Madison’s women’s volleyball on the big screen (literally), and pumpkin carving! As a bonus, volunteers built 3.1 miles of tread, including a 0.6-mile white-blazed loop trail.
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A 15-Year Project Receives Finishing Touches

Posted on October 13, 2023

The concluding Rib Lake MSC Trailbuilding Project, a volunteer celebration, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the re-opening of the Rib Lake Segment.

“This MSC event was about putting on the finishing touches to a 15-year project,” said Dave Caliebe, Trail Program Manager. “Although Bob Rusch knows more about this than I do, the entire week felt like the final kick runners muster when approaching a marathon’s finish line.”

152 volunteers donated 4,388 service hours to reach the home stretch: The Ribbon Cutting ceremony on the morning of Sunday, October 1st, followed by a hike along the rerouted and reopened Rib Lake Segment
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The Rejuvenation of the Eastern Terminus

Posted on September 18, 2023

“I love working on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail because what we do today will live on after we are gone,” said Cheryl Gorsuch, Lakeshore Chapter Coordinator. “It will provide our children and grandchildren with a legacy of connecting with nature and preserving the land for future generations.”

And since the Eastern Terminus is either the start or end of a 1,200-mile adventure, it’s fitting that seasoned volunteers worked alongside children with many years ahead of them. Together, the generations revitalized an important stretch of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
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Meet the Wisconsin Conservation Corps Crew Who Spent their Summer on the Trail

Posted on August 30, 2023

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail and its volunteers got an assist this summer from five Wisconsin Conservation Corps crew members, who helped build and maintain the Trail:

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A Charmed Event: The Final Iola Ski Hill Segment MSC

Posted on August 28, 2023

Some MSC events occur beneath a charmed star like the third and final project of the Iola Ski Hill Segment’s reroute. It started with an outstanding and fun group of people coming together – 101 volunteers donated 2,237 service hours. This number included several volunteers from the June 2023 Crew Leader Training class.
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Second Seasonal Maintenance Event Spruces Up Taylor County Segments

Posted on August 8, 2023

Pilot program proves successful.

Taylor County has more blazed Ice Age Trail than any other county in the state. It also has one of the smallest volunteer chapters (High Point Chapter) to support it. It’s for reasons like this, the Ice Age Trail Alliance formed a maintenance crew, comprised of volunteers across the state, to lend extra hands to local volunteers.
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IAT-U Provides In-Depth Learning Opportunities

Posted on July 27, 2023

Hands-on classes spruce up an iconic segment.

The boyhood land of John Muir, eminent naturalist and conservationist, provided inspiration and a scenic backdrop for Ice Age Trail University (IAT-U) activities on July 12-16, 2023. And the Ice Age National Scenic Trail’s John Muir Park Segment offered an ideal setting for IAT-U’s outdoor classrooms, along with good weather: blue sky, plenty of sunshine, and the occasional breeze.
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Intense Heat Fails to Wilt Good Spirits

Posted on June 29, 2023

Storrs Lake Segment MSC
June 21-25, 2023

To combat the intense 90-plus-degree heat, project hosts – the Rock County Chapter – provided buckets of iced beverages and handed out cooling towels to each participant. Small pop-up tents offered important (but minimal!) shade during lunch breaks. And crews guzzled gallons of Gatorade.

Nonetheless, 51 stalwart volunteers donated 1,181 service hours to build an 856-foot boardwalk during the 5-day MSC project.

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Incredible Progress Made for October’s Grand Opening

Posted on June 1, 2023

Clouds of Northwoods gnats swarmed volunteers, encouraging a run to Walmart for head nets! But, despite this springtime challenge, 101 volunteers donated 2,773 service hours, making incredible progress toward the October 1st Grand Opening.
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A Mighty Group Tackled Winter Storm Clean-Up in Northern Wisconsin

Posted on May 15, 2023

A winter of ice and snow did quite the number on the Ice Age Trail in Northern Wisconsin, making the Trail impassable in places from downed trees and brush. It took considerable effort from segment maintainers to even open parts of the Trail this spring. To help with the efforts, a hardy group of 46 volunteers spent 1,035 hours clearing the Trail where progress was measured in feet, not miles.
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