From the Ice Age glacial topography of the Kettle Moraine to the quartzite bluffs of Devil's Lake to the steep hills and valleys of the Driftless Area, southern Wisconsin is a wonderful place to hike, and while there may not be any mountains, it is still a lovely scenic area, with the glacier-sculpted landscape having a beauty of its own. The Ice Age National Scenic Trail runs through this area, offering many kinds of kinds of hikes all by itself, and beyond the "Big Three" parks of Devil's Lake, the Kettle Moraine and Governor Dodge are numerous other public lands and preserves of all types--from state parks and wildlife areas to county and city parks--that have hiking trails.
This group is strictly about day hiking, i.e. "done in a day" and back home to sleep in your own bed, so no camping or backpacking is done nor required, and no need to carry a heavy pack, a Camelbak hydration pack is the most gear that is needed. I emphasize the "day" part of "day hike", so this means that the featured hikes are going to be long, over 12 miles in length, on potentially rugged trails, with many being over 15 miles and even 20 miles in some cases, taking up to 6 hours to complete.
I want to clarify that this isn't a beginner's hiking group, the hikes that I do are oriented towards the more advanced and physically-fit hiker. Since there isn't any significant elevation change in southern Wisconsin, in order to provide a challenge I specialize in what I call "power hiking", doing these kind of long hikes at a fast 4 mph average pace (think of it as a slower form of trail running). I also do shorter hikes, with my idea of "short" being from 5-10 miles. These short hikes act as warmups for the longer hikes and are meant to be especially fast-paced workouts, not nature walks. So in order to hike and keep up with me, you need to be able walk at a minimum 3.5 mph average pace over 12+ miles, otherwise you'll fall behind and basically will have to do your own hike. If you're only interested in slower-paced walks of under 5 miles in length (like many of the "hikes" described in the various Wisconsin hiking books that have been published, and I have them all), then I'm sorry, this group just isn't for you. Now, if you're looking for a hiking challenge or want to increase your ability and endurance then this IS the group for you, as the goal of my "power hiking" is to combine geologic exploration with outdoor physical fitness, and is my way of training for the truly challenging hiking in the mountains and canyons of the west.
The principal hiking area is centered on Madison, in a a rough rectangle stretching from the Kettle Moraine State Forest in the east, to Governor Dodge State Park in the west, to Mirror Lake State Park in the north, and to Yellowstone Lake State Park in the south. At certain times long hikes may be done outside this area, these will involve driving for 2-3 hours both to reach the location and to return home. I have classified the hikes that are done into three types: "Short Hikes" of 5-10 miles in length will be done in the Madison area, while "Long Hikes" of 10-15 miles and "Super Hikes" of over 15 miles (up to 20 and even beyond) will usually be done in the major state park and forest areas as well on major segments of the Ice Age Trail. Anything under 5 miles in length I call a "Stroll" and won't usually be done as it's just too short for to go out of my way for, however it will show up more often during the winter months as snowshoe walks.
Oh, this is also a year-round hiking group, as winter is no reason to stop hiking, so put on a pair of snowshoes and get outdoors and hike those snow-covered trails! Winter hikes will tend to be shorter ones, as walking on snow, especially fresh powder, requires much more effort than on dry ground. If there isn't any snow on the ground, then hikes will continue as though it was still late fall, just being a little colder. Winter can be a great time to hike, as there is no humidity and the bugs are gone, plus you can see the landscape features through the bare treee.
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Hike Type: ~8-mile circuit loop Plenty of time before the Super Bowl to do a hike, and this time I'll be doing the singletrack mountain bike trail at CamRock County Park... Learn more
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Hike Type: 8-10 mile loop circuit. A winter hike at the Black Hawk Unit of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway just south of Sauk City. Both a scenic and historic area,... Learn more
