Lakeshore Chapter Click here to take a look at the chapter’s newsletter. DOOR COUNTY The Door Peninsula owes its existence to the hard dolomite (similar to limestone) of the Niagara Escarpment. This enormous arcing ridge appears on the east side of Horicon Marsh and Lake Winnebago, through Door County, Michigan, and Ontario, and forms the crest of Niagara Falls, New York. The Niagara Escarpment also separated the Lake Michigan and Green Bay lobes of the recent glaciation. The Ice Age Trail’s eastern terminus is at the observation tower in Potawatomi State Park. Heading southwest, the Ice Age Trail coincides with the Ahnapee rail-trail, passing through drumlins, farms, wetlands and forests. KEWAUNEE COUNTY The Kettle Moraine reaches its northern extent in Kewaunee County. Most of the existing Ice Age Trail through the county coincides with the Ahnapee rail-trail, bringing the Trail to the City of Algoma on Lake Michigan. Algoma, which means “Hill of Flowers”, was originally the site of a Potawatomi Indian village. By the late 1800’s, Algoma boasted the largest commercial fishing fleet on Lake Michigan.Carved by the gushing meltwater from Glacial Lake Oshkosh, the Kewaunee River Valley today is calm and scenic. MANITOWOC COUNTY Here, the Ice Age Trail generally follows the upper East Twin River Valley in the north and passes through Point Beach State Forest where a hiker can enjoy a beach walk along the largest glacial feature of the Ice Age Trail (Lake Michigan). Then through the cities of Two Rivers and Manitowoc, the Trail follows the Manitowoc River and takes in the Kettle Moraine in the southern part of the county. Sites along the way include the Wisconsin Maritime Museum, the Mariners Trail along Lake Michigan, the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum, the Two Rivers History Museum, the Historic Washington House, Walla Hi County Park and Vanderbloemen Bog State Natural Area. FOND DU LAC & SHEBOYGAN COUNTIES The Ice Age Trail lies within the Kettle Moraine through Fond du Lac and Sheboygan counties, where volunteer trail building began in the 1920s. Wetlands intersperse several forested uplands. Trail in the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest highlights formations of kettles, kames and eskers. Greenbush Kettle is one of the most symmetrical, deep kettles in the area. Other larger, more irregularly shaped kettles include Elkhart and Crystal Lakes. The area between the Ice Age Trail and Long Lake contains one of the most striking groups of kames to be found anywhere in the world. Dundee, Johnson and McMullen hills are some of the most well known and can be viewed from atop the Parnell Observation Tower. For more information on chapter activities and/or hiking the Ice Age Trail in this region, contact the volunteer chapter coordinator: Meetings: Due to the chapter’s large geographical area, meeting locations will rotate. Please contact chapter coordinator for details. |
©2009 Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation |