Route
The trail roughly follows the location of the terminal moraine from the last Ice Age. As the route continues across the moraine, it sometimes meanders into areas west of the moraine, including the Driftless Area in southwestern Wisconsin. The trail passes through 30 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, from the northwestern part of the state to the Lake Michigan shoreline in the east. The western end of the trail is at Interstate State Park along the St. Croix River, which there serves as the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. The eastern terminus of the Ice Age Trail lies at Potawatomi State Park, which is along Wisconsin's Door Peninsula off of Sturgeon Bay. Along its route, the trail crosses numerous local parks, state parks and forests, state wildlife and natural areas, as well as the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Like other National Scenic Trails, the trail often coincides with other trails within various county and municipal parks. The trail thus passes through the land of various owners, including the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Ice Age Trail Alliance, and hundreds of private citizens. As of 2008, the trail is 1,099.5 miles (1,769.5 km) long with 467 miles (752 km) being traditional hiking paths, 103.2 miles (166.1 km) being multi-use trails, and 529.3 miles being connecting roads and sidewalks.
The Ice Age Trail is also host to one of only two designated national side trails, the Timms Hill National Trail. National Side Trails are a fourth, but as yet very seldom used, category of national trails established by the National Trails System Act. The ten-mile Timms Hill Trail connects the Ice Age Trail with Timms Hill, Wisconsin's highest point, which is located in Price County.
Read more about this topic: Ice Age Trail
Famous quotes containing the word route:
“But however the forms of family life have changed and the number expanded, the role of the family has remained constant and it continues to be the major institution through which children pass en route to adulthood.”
—Bernice Weissbourd (20th century)
“The route through childhood is shaped by many forces, and it differs for each of us. Our biological inheritance, the temperament with which we are born, the care we receive, our family relationships, the place where we grow up, the schools we attend, the culture in which we participate, and the historical period in which we live—all these affect the paths we take through childhood and condition the remainder of our lives.”
—Robert H. Wozniak (20th century)
“A route differs from a road not only because it is solely intended for vehicles, but also because it is merely a line that connects one point with another. A route has no meaning in itself; its meaning derives entirely from the two points that it connects. A road is a tribute to space. Every stretch of road has meaning in itself and invites us to stop. A route is the triumphant devaluation of space, which thanks to it has been reduced to a mere obstacle to human movement and a waste of time.”
—Milan Kundera (b. 1929)