Hiking Trails: Plenty to Feast Your Eyes on!
TRAILS OF ALL SORTS ENTICE THE NOVICE TO AVID HIKER
Nothing works up a healthy appetite like a good hike, and Northeastern Wisconsin is blessed with many beautiful scenic trails to enjoy. Here are just a few in the area, but make sure to take along plenty of water, a picnic lunch or just a nutritious snack. Chef Terri Milligan offers a couple recipes you can make at home before you go.
AHNAPEE STATE TRAIL, KEWAUNEE
The Ahnapee State Trail is a rails-to-trails portion of Wisconsin’s own segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Spanning approximately 50 miles between Algoma and Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay, the gravel trail is firm and flat – perfect for novice hikers or avid bikers. Pick up the trail at the Bruemmer Park Zoo in Footbridge, a few miles west of Kewaunee. Bruemmer Park Zoo offers a free zoo, playground and picnic area set into the scar of a former limestone quarry. The entire park is shaded by cedars, and the air is punctuated with peacock shrieks. Deer, sheep, geese and some assorted feline species also call the zoo home. The park offers lovely picnic tables and barbeque areas, as well as a spot to fish on the Kewaunee River. The rails-to-trails conversion meanders alongside the Kewaunee River watershed Kewaunee and Ahnapee river watersheds, offering sweeping vistas of the river’s valleys and bluffs as well as an up-close, in-person view of the marsh. For an alternate picnic spot, spread your toes in the sand at City Beach in Kewaunee near the Ahnapee State Trail Trailhead and parking lot.
HIGH CLIFF STATE PARK, SHERWOOD
High Cliff State Park comes alive in spring. The sounds of spring rains trickling down the Niagara Escarpment, waves crashing and birds returning pepper the air. Head to the top of the cliff near the lookout tower at the trailhead of the Red Bird Trail for the best picnicking vantage point. Choose from picnic tables, barbeque grills or a large grassy lawn upon which to spread your picnic blanket. The Red Bird Trail offers unparalleled views of Lake Winnebago and the Fox Valley from the top of the Fox Valley portion of the Niagara Escarpment. Explore the ruins of a dormant lime kiln on the aptly-named and moderately challenging Lime Kiln Trail, which meanders from cliff side to lakeside. The most recent addition to High Cliff’s trail offerings includes the Butterfly Pond Trail -- a paved, ADA accessible trail. Park at the trail’s parking lot or down by the High Cliff Marina which also offers several lakefront picnic tables, fire rings, grills and views of the purple martin families and variety of boats. This is an especially lovely spot for a sunset picnic.
High Cliff State Park
HECKRODT NATURE CENTER, MENASHA
Located in Menasha on Lake Winnebago, the Heckrodt Nature Center is 76 acres of urban nature reserve with forested wetland, cattail marsh, open water, created prairie, open field and upland forest. The center also boasts an indoor live wetland and aquariums that house local fishes, crayfish, turtles and snakes. Their outdoor exhibits include a memorial butterfly garden, bird feeding area and a pond, bog and stream complex. There are three miles of flat, gravel trails and boardwalk that meander through the wetland.
In spring, Heckrodt is a natural nursery for all kinds of animal; and it also serves as a natural filtration system for the Lake Winnebago watershed. The trails are easy, offer a variety of interpretive displays and opportunities for observing wildlife and are great for strollers and kids. The center also offers a unique “nature playground,” designed to provide children with a hands-on experience with natural-based elements like cross-cut logs, tunnels, mounds and even a debris shelter. Spread your picnic nearby and let the kids or grandkids run wild.
THE RIDGES SANCTUARY, BAILEYS HARBOR
Spring at The Ridges Sanctuary is a fantastic setting to hunt for native orchids and other rare plants. The Ridges protects and offers incomparable interactions with one of the rarest and most biologically diverse ecosystems in our state. Choose from any number of combinations of trails that traverse the ridges and swales formed by Lake Michigan over the past 1,400 years. The unique complex of 30 ridges and swales offers a condensed array of Wisconsin’s native habitats, including wetlands, open beach and boreal forest.
Boardwalk to lower range light at the Ridges Sanctuary.
SENSIBA UNIT, GREEN BAY WEST SHORES WILDLIFE AREA, SUAMICO
One of the best-kept secrets of the Green Bay area is a trail that runs along a manmade dyke built to restore wetlands to the bay. This wildlife area offers a stunning view of the Door County Peninsula and the Bay of Green Bay. The constant activity of the ever-changing waterfowl and wildlife are a dramatic introduction to the change of seasons. This large expanse of wetland, hardwood forest and sand spit is an important stopping point for migratory birds and an incredible nursery and nesting spot for native waterfowl. The avian cacophony is only matched by the soothing roll of Lake Michigan waves on the rocky crest of the dyke. Beavers and otters also have called this area home. Pack a picnic for your boat (the Suamico Boat Landing is nearby, which is an easy launch point to cruise to the Longtail Sandspit) or spread your blanket out at the small beach and pavilion area at Sunset Beach Park at the tail end of Sunset Beach Road.
dnr.wi.gov/topic/wetlands/cw/NLMich/index.asp?mode=detail&Re cID=1E8D922A018
