Mammoth Beauty Celebration!

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Mammoth Steps, National Trails Day, Lodi Marsh Segment, Dane County
A mother and son enjoy a spring saunter on the Lodi Marsh Segment in Dane County. Photo by Joshua Fager.

Imaginehikers safely sauntering along the entire Ice Age National Scenic Trail from end to end in a single day!

Imagineif they photographed the best features of the Ice Age Trail along the way: the expansive views, tread unfurling ahead, and ephemerals peeking up from the forest floor.

Imaginea snapshot of the Ice Age Trail, in its entirety, as it looks on a single day!

This vision could become a reality with your help.

We have 120 Ice Age Trail segments waiting for you to enjoy, camera in hand and eyes finely-tuned for beauty, as part of our National Trails Day celebration on Saturday, June 6.

Join Our Mammoth Steps Event!

What We're Looking For:

1. Ideally, we’d love to receive photographs taken on every single segment of the Ice Age Trail for future use in Ice Age Trail Alliance publications, social media, and videos (maybe one of our collective National Trails Day adventures).

2. We’re looking for a mix of images, beauty shots as well as photos of you (and your hiking companions) having fun on the Ice Age Trail.

3. It is helpful if a yellow blaze is present in the background of some of your images (for example, on a tree) to establish Ice Age Trail identity.

4. Consider taking both horizontal and vertical photographs (vertically-oriented photos are rare, but useful for our purposes!).

5. We’d also like to receive short videos (58 seconds or less) of what captured your interest: a burbling stream, a flower bobbing in the breeze, your child’s face as he or she listens to bird calls, jumps in a puddle, or plays with a stick, and so on.

(See photo credits by hovering mouse on image.)

How to Join Us:

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Mammoth Steps, National Trails Day, Straight Lake Segment, Polk County
An ideal resting spot along the Straight Lake Segment. Photo by Mary Johnson.

Save the Date:

Reserve June 6 (or June 5, or June 7, if one of those days is better for your schedule) to hike and photograph a segment of the Ice Age Trail.

Register Today:

Sign up to hike a segment near you, or one not too far away.

The deadline to sign up for a segment is Sunday, May 31.

Register HERE. (Link no longer active.)

a. This Google Spreadsheet is a LIVE document. Once you put your name and email on the sheet, it is saved.

b. The form requests your email, however, please know once entered into this live document, your information will not be private. If you’d prefer it kept that way, email Elena@iceagetrail.org and let her know your choice of segments.

c. The sign-up form can accommodate up to three people per segment, however, if you select a segment that others have not already chosen, we will come that much closer to walking and photographing the whole Trail. 😊

The Day of Mammoth Steps:

Saturday, June 6 (or Friday, June 5, or Sunday, June 7)

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Mammoth Steps, National Trails Day, Lodi Marsh Segment, Dane County
A forest of Mayapples along the Lodi Marsh Segment in Dane County. Photo by Joshua Fager.

Have Fun!

1. Enjoy an immersive experience on the Ice Age Trail.

2. Take photos and maybe even a video or two.

3. Consider hiking and photographing the Ice Age Trail during the hours of “magical” light, shortly after sunrise and a few hours prior to sunset.

Be Social!

1. Post a few of your favorite photos from the day to social media and share why the Ice Age National Scenic is important to you (and your family).

2. Please use the hashtags:
#MammothSteps #NationalTrailsDay #IceAgeTrail #MyHappyPlace #RecreateResponsibly

3. Please tag:
@IceAgeTrail and @AmericanHiking

Note: Please Hike Responsibly

  • Please plan to hike safely, remaining mindful of social distancing requirements and limiting your hiking companions.
  • While we may no longer need to stay Safer-at-Home, COVID-19 is still present among us. More suggestions for hiking responsibly are here.
  • Please plan ahead so you can take appropriate steps and follow these Leave No Trace practices.

The Day After Mammoth Steps:

Deadline for photos: Sunday, June 14, 2020

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Mammoth Steps, National Trails Day, Gibraltar Rock Segment, Southern Columbia County
The overlook out from the top of the Gibraltar Rock Segment in Southern Columbia County. Photo by Nazan Gillie.

1. Please select up to 10 of your best photographs and up to 2 video clips.

2. Please upload the largest digital file sizes for both photos and videos to the file sharing system you prefer (i.e. Google photos, Dropbox, WeTransfer, etc.).

3. Send the link to info@iceagetrail.org.

4. Please include your name (for future photo credit), the names of your hiking companions, and the segment which you hiked.

Questions? Email Lysianne Unruh, IATA Communications Manager, Lysianne@iceagetrail.org