Ice Age National Scenic Trail on Hembel-Lidington

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail winds through Wisconsin’s glacial landscapes, offering hikers a look at the state’s unique natural history. Tracing the terminal moraine left by the last Ice Age, the Trail passes through forests, prairies, and wetlands, connecting communities and protected lands along the way.

The idea for this trail began in the 1950s with Ray Zillmer, who envisioned a long hiking route through the Kettle Moraine and beyond. In 1958, he founded the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation (now the Ice Age Trail Alliance) to turn that vision into reality. After the Trail’s first thru-hiker completed the route, President Jimmy Carter signed the law establishing it as a National Scenic Trail in 1980.

Most recently, in December 2023, the Ice Age Trail was recognized as a unit of the National Park System. Today, hikers can explore more than 700 completed miles of this planned 1,200-mile route.

CLCF is excited to share an important milestone in its collaboration with the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA). On October 1–5, over 100 volunteers came together to build a brand-new segment of the Ice Age Trail across CLCF’s Hembel-Lidington property. Through their hard work, brush thickets were cleared, bridges built, and trail tread created.

This addition to the Cedar Lakes segment showcases the area’s unique landscapes. The Trail was also extended through CLCF’s Fox Hill Nature Preserve, from an entrance on Sleeping Dragon Rd, leading hikers out to County Hwy NN. The trail overlaid existing paths, but was officially marked and widened in certain areas, getting hikers off the road shoulder. Plans are underway to bring the trail through CLCF’s Burkepile property, with construction expected to begin in 2026.

CLCF invites you to a Walk & Talk to explore the new segment of the trail on Saturday, October 25th, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm. Along the way, CLCF staff will share the history of the land and highlight its diverse habitat types, unique plant species, and beautiful topography.

To learn more about the Ice Age Trail and the Ice Age Trail Alliance, visit iceagetrail.org.

Find more information and the trail map for the property at theclcf.org/hembel-lidington.