Hiking the Ice Age Trail through Marquette County

A trail lover at heart, I took a deep breath, sucked it up, and began my road-walk through Marquette County. Thirty plus miles of road-walking had me avoiding this county for some time. As I walked down country roads as the sun rose, and I watched golden leaves twirl in the wind I got to thinking. Thanks to crisp, sunny autumn weather, this walk I had been avoiding wound up providing more beauty and solitude than I could ever have imagined.

Hiking the Connecting Route from the John Muir Segment to the Chaffee Creek Segment of the Ice Age Trail

When autumn rolls around, road-walking the connecting routes along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT) offers an alternative to hiking on trails hunters like to frequent. This fall I walked from the John Muir Memorial County Park (John Muir Segment of the IAT) to the Chaffee Creek Segment of the IAT, breaking the route into several fall walks. I deviated from the suggested connecting route shown on the Ice Age Trail Alliance's website, shaving off about 10 miles (16 km) of road-walking.

John Muir Segment of the Ice Age Trail

The John Muir Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a short, easy loop trail around Ennis Lake in Marquette County, Wisconsin. If you hike with small children, this 1.7 mile (2.7 km) loop is perfect. This segment is located in the John Muir Memorial County Park near the boyhood home of John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club.