Monticello Segment of the Ice Age Trail

To hike the Monticello Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, I parked at the Old Train Depot on Pratt Road in Monticello, WI. The parking lot is large with restrooms and refurbished buildings, all currently closed for the season. The Ice Age Trail (IAT) is not yellow-blazed on this segment, but the multi-use trails it follows are easy to find and follow. Heading north, I crossed County Highway C, and transitioned from the Sugar River Trail to the Badger State Trail. Not switching to the Badger State trail would have resulted in a walk to New Glarus rather than a walk through the Stewart Tunnel.

Connecting Route from the Brooklyn Wildlife Segment to the Monticello Segment of the Ice Age Trail

On a gorgeous February Sunday, I parked in the Hughes Road parking lot at the Brooklyn Wildlife Area trail head. I began walking west on Hughes Road, south on County Highway D, then west on Wisconsin 92 / County Highway W to the Monticello Segment of the Ice Age Trail. After completing the connecting route between the Brooklyn Wildlife and Monticello Segments of the Ice Age Trail, I headed south on the Monticello Segment to Tunnel Road, before back-tracking back the to car.

The Brooklyn Wildlife Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail

Section hiking the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT) is my winter treat. At the pace I'm going, looks like I'll enjoy this treat for many winters to come. After parking on Frenchtown Road at the tee made with Pillar Road in Belleville, I began to hike the 2.5 mile (4 km) portion of the Montrose Segment leftover from my last IAT hike before heading into the 3.5 mile (5.6 km) Brooklyn Wildlife Area. As I stepped from the car I enjoyed watching the fat, red moon from the night before setting and heard an owl call.

Montrose Segment of the Ice Age Trail

Astronomical twilight tempered the darkness to a nearly imperceptible extent as I parked at the Badger State Trail parking area on Sayles Trail. Able to see only a tunnel of white heading into a sea of black and the twinkling stars above, I headed south on the National Scenic Ice Age Trail (IAT). This portion of the IAT overlaps with the Badger State trail, a 40 mile multi-use trail that travels from Madison to the Illinois border.

Connecting Route from the Verona Segment to the Montrose Segment of the Ice Age Trail

Snow flurries greeted me as I began to walk the connecting route between the Verona and Montrose Segments of the Ice Age Trail. Although the traffic roars on County Road Pb, the remainder of the walk proved pleasant with little traffic. After parking at the Prairie Moraine County Park on Wesner Lane just off County Road Pb, I walked south on County Road Pb, east on Sunset Drive, south on Borchert Road, and east on Purcell Road to the Badger State Trail. This road walk ranks an easy 2.9 miles (4.7 km), 5.8 miles (9.3 km)  considering of the walk back to the car.

The Verona Segment of the Ice Age Trail

The Verona Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT) provides a 6.4 mile (10.3 km) stroll through county parks and suburbia, with convenient places to hop off-trail for a bite to eat. The trail meets up with various other biking and hiking trails along the way, crosses several roads, and follows along County Highway M for a time.

Reflections on 2015

So much changes in a year, and so much stays the same. Jobs and people come and go out of our lives, but our wild places, our places of beauty and solitude, remain. With so many truly beautiful outdoor spaces to be thankful for, many of them close to home, I feel blessed. It is my hope that by sharing my love of these places, others will come to love them as well, leading to their preservation for future generations.