The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a thousand-mile-long trail located entirely within Wisconsin. It is one of only eight National Scenic Trails in the United States. Currently, more than 600 miles are completed. Wisconsin’s Department of Tourism has recognized the Ice Age Trail as Wisconsin’s number one outdoor recreational resource and it has been featured in National Geographic and Backpacker magazines.

Walking, hiking, backpacking, bird watching and snowshoeing are popular on the Ice Age Trail, as it offers a wide range of distances and landscapes. Many segments support cross-country skiing, too. Whether you seek a short stroll over gentle terrain or a multi-day deep-woods adventure, there’s a perfect segment for you.

The Ice Age Trail is intended for low-impact activities like walking, hiking, backpacking and snowshoeing.  Biking is only allowed on a few segments of the Trail where it coincides with state bike trails. Ownership of the Trail varies by segment (some is private land, for example), and owners will often dictate usage.

In addition to the maps available on this website, the Ice Age Trail Atlas and the Ice Age Trail Companion Guide provide detailed directions to trail segments and descriptions of what you'll find on the Trail.

The route of the Ice Age Trail generally follows the last outline (“terminus”) of Wisconsin’s most recent glacier — more than 10,000 years ago. It diverges in some places to include other features of the glacial landscape as well as parts of the “Driftless Area”.

It is the southwestern quarter of Wisconsin that was untouched (“unglaciated”) by glaciers during the last Ice Age. This area was deeply cut by ancient streams into narrow, twisting valleys and ridges. The surface landforms there are much older than the rest of the state, which was shaped by the relatively recent glacier.

Wisconsin’s most recent large glacier, consisting of six large lobes, flowed (yes, the ice actually flowed) into the state about 25,000 years ago. It reached its greatest extent, covering approximately two-thirds of the state (all but the southwestern part), about 14,000 to 16,000 years ago before melting back.

The last Ice Age endured from 2.5 million to 10,000 years ago. It covered most of northern North America, as far south as the Missouri and Ohio River Valleys. The last stage of glaciation is called the “Wisconsin Glaciation” because its effects are more noticeable here than anywhere else in the United States.

A variety of geological landforms, associated almost exclusively with glaciation, are better seen in Wisconsin than anywhere in the world. These include moraines, eskers, erratics, kettles, drumlins, kames, dells (dalles) and outwash plains. Check out our glossary for definitions of these and other Trail-related terms.

It began in the 1950s as the dream of Milwaukeean Ray Zillmer who had vision of a thousand-mile-long park (hence the name Ice Age “Park” and Trail Foundation) winding through Wisconsin along the terminal moraine. The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation was established to make the dream a reality.

In 1980 Congress recognized the national significance of the Ice Age Trail by designating it a National Scenic Trail (NST).

In 1987 the State of Wisconsin gave it the second designation of State Scenic Trail.

No one entity owns all the land through which the Ice Age Trail passes. The Trail passes through a patchwork of lands owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation, county parks, local municipalities and hundreds of generous private landowners.

The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation, The National Park Service and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources cooperatively manage the Ice Age Trail. Other partners manage certain segments; the U.S. Forest Service, county and municipal park and forestry departments and other civic entities and private landowners. The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation delivers much of its management responsibility through local volunteer chapters.

Because the Ice Age Trail is only half-complete, new land must be purchased through federal, state and private funding. The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation, much like The Nature Conservancy, purchases land with privately donated funds and grants from government partners. The State of Wisconsin acquires land for the Trail through its Stewardship Program.

Not entirely. The Appalachian Trail is about twice as long (about 2200 miles) and runs through 14 states. It seldom intersects a town or community. The Ice Age Trail is totally within Wisconsin. One of the virtues of the Ice Age Trail is its involvement with the diverse communities along its route. It was designed to connect communities, not avoid them. In fact, approximately 57% of Wisconsin residents live within 20 miles of the Trail. The Ice Age Trail was also designed very specifically to preserve and protect Wisconsin’s cultural and glacial heritage.

The Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation (IAPTF) is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. Its mission is “to create, support and protect a thousand-mile foot trail tracing Ice Age formations across Wisconsin.”

More than 3,300 members nationwide work and support the IAPTF in the completion of its mission.

Becoming a member of the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation is a great way to support our mission. Dues begin at $25.00 for students and seniors. Contributions can be any amount, and all dues and contributions are tax deductible. Members receive a subscription to Mammoth Tales, discounts on Ice Age Trail merchandise, and may attend IAPTF annual membership meetings. Click here for membership information.

We hope you will! Without volunteers and their continuous efforts, the Ice Age Trail would be little more than a line on a map. Volunteers are the heart, soul, hands and backbone of the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation. Over 50,000 volunteer hours are spent annually to build new trailway, maintain existing segments and generally support and promote the Ice Age Trail. It’s a lot of work, and more help is always welcome.

To learn more about your local chapter, its events and contact information, visit "IAPTF Chapters".

Another volunteer option is the Mobile Skills Crew (MSC). Each year, the Mobile Skills Crew holds at least six trail-building projects throughout Wisconsin. The goals of the projects are to build high-quality, sustainable trail; to train volunteers in trail-building techniques and safety; and most importantly, to have fun. Projects typically start on a Thursday and run through the weekend, but volunteers are welcome to contribute what time they can. Check the calendar for a schedule of upcoming MSC events.