PDA

View Full Version : Where to hike in WI to prep for AT????



webejpn01
02-25-2009, 09:17
Ok, so i just moved back to Wisconsin after living in Ohio for 8 years. I didn't realize how many different hiking opprotunities I had down there until I moved back here.

So anyway, I want to get some miles in for my brother and I before our section hike on the AT in late April. I am in Green Bay, WI and the closer the better.

But I'd like to find something where we can hike 7-10 miles a day camp overnight to get him used to the gear setup, etc, and then hike another 7-10 miles out.

I bought the 50 Hikes in WI book, but those are mostly 5mi or less hikes. Can someone please reco either a stretch on the IAT or other places in WI????

puddingboy
02-25-2009, 18:36
Last october i hiked the south kettle moraine section, if i remember right it had 30 miles of continous trail, the hiking was realitively easy so expect to hike long distances. Also there is north kettle moraine, or i think the ice age east terminus is near green bay.

mkmangold
02-25-2009, 22:22
For a fairly long trail section, try the Northern Kettle Moraine. You need to call 888-947-2757 to reserve the shelters along the way if you want to do overnight camping.
Start at the trailhead just east of Glenbeulah, WI (off Hwy P in Sheboygan County). There is parking there, just make sure you can park for extended lengths of time. I used the Ice Age Trail maps and made rough estimates of mileage between shelters so these may be off a little. A bogger on this site named "Ice Age" may have more precise figures for you.
The first shelter south of the trailhead is 6+ miles at Greenbush Kettle (shelter no. 5). The next shelter is about 3 1/2 miles (shelter no. 4 near Parnell Tower) while the next one is shelter no. 3 about 5 1/2 miles south near Reuss Ice Age Interpretive Center. The center is worth definitely worth the stop.
Shelter no. 2 is 5+ miles from there north of New Fane. South of New Fane, near Kewauskum, is the last shelter, no. 1, which is about 7 miles from shelter no. 2. If you decide to go and end up at shelters no. 2 or 1, let me know: me and my boys will meet you there and help share the cost of the shelter (if its a weekend).

mkmangold
02-25-2009, 22:24
I mean "blogger"

webejpn01
02-26-2009, 09:10
Do you still need reservations if you pitch tents each night?

Is it safe to say you can do 20mile days? The north section looks like 32 miles as well as the southern. So could we do start to finish in 3 days?

Tilly
02-26-2009, 09:17
The IAT also does a loop through Devil's Lake State Park.

webejpn01
02-26-2009, 09:37
The IAT also does a loop through Devil's Lake State Park.

Is that a special area or something??

The Solemates
02-26-2009, 10:27
IAT=Ice Age Trail

its a 1100 mile trail thru WI

http://www.iceagetrail.org/index.htm

SGT Rock
02-26-2009, 10:29
But not all strung together. A lot of gaps.

FWIW I did some hiking out there summer 2007 - trails listed as the most dificult would be rated as flat on the AT. Just so you know.

jaywalke
02-26-2009, 10:56
Ok, so i just moved back to Wisconsin after living in Ohio for 8 years. I didn't realize how many different hiking opprotunities I had down there until I moved back here.

So anyway, I want to get some miles in for my brother and I before our section hike on the AT in late April. I am in Green Bay, WI and the closer the better.


You're not far from the UP of Michigan, and there are excellent trails there. You could hit the Porcupine Mountains, or do my favorite trail section in the world: the North Country Trail through Pictured Rocks, between Grand Marais and Munising.

dart7383
04-28-2009, 00:44
I would say the closest thing I've seen was Devils Lake. It's all pretty much dayhiking, but you can camp there. I hiked there a few times to get ready for the AT. You can pretty much hike the whole park in a day. Potholes and CCC are the most rugged trails Ive encountered in the area. They are kinda like the AT only much shorter.

Lint
04-28-2009, 17:36
Join the IAPTF for sure. Cool people and a wealth of info. Nothing close to Green Bay that sticks out in my mind as far as training. Fill your pack with Old Style and walk to the Mars Cheese Castle. Devil's Lake is sweet, but avoid it on the weekends!!!

mkmangold
04-28-2009, 19:08
Definitely join the foundation. They can use help connecting pieces of the trail together. In fact, there's a large gap between Casco near Green Bay and Glenbeulah. I still think you can get a good hike in starting at Glenbeulah which is only 56 miles from Green Bay.

George
04-28-2009, 20:33
I will second pictured rocks lakeshore

hikingsailor
04-29-2009, 19:27
check out the north country trail I believe it runs thru there.

turtle fast
06-16-2010, 15:05
My wife and I hiked Devils Lake for a shakedown of our gear for the AT in 2007. After hiking half the AT in 08 I see that this was possibly the closest to the terrain. I would add hiking the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is fairly close too. So if looking to where to do a shakedown hike for the AT in the upper midwest check those spots out. ....then there is the Greenstone on Isle Royale or the Superior hiking trail...

mkmangold
06-17-2010, 01:32
But not all strung together. A lot of gaps.

FWIW I did some hiking out there summer 2007 - trails listed as the most dificult would be rated as flat on the AT. Just so you know.

Ya, I pretty much like going to other trails to report on how much they suck, too.

Del Q
06-17-2010, 05:16
Stair stepper with a 30-35 pound pack. Up & down as steep a hill as you can find is best, take it easy when starting the AT - NOT too many miles early on!

IceAge
06-18-2010, 15:36
Ya, I pretty much like going to other trails to report on how much they suck, too.

I think Sarge was just being honest. There are a lot of gaps, and a lot of flat spots. The gaps we are working on, the terrain is hard to change.

4Bears
06-18-2010, 19:21
I would say try Isle Royale a hike to Lane Cove then to Daisy Farm for a long weekend, or in the U.P. the "Porky's" or Pictured Rocks is very scenic but quite flat, great for a gear shakedown, some exercise, and lots of wildlife.

mkmangold
06-19-2010, 02:37
I think Sarge was just being honest. There are a lot of gaps, and a lot of flat spots. The gaps we are working on, the terrain is hard to change.

That's my point, Doug. How about a little help instead of criticism? Two of my boys and I worked on the "south of NN trail" last year and instead of criticizing the the IAT (or AT), we just did it.

turtle fast
06-19-2010, 12:38
One day this trail will be done and when so will be a great asset for hikers. A 1000 mile hike for long distance hikers does not require the same time commitment as the AT or PCT. Perfect for hiking the summer between college semesters or school teachers, etc.
Many sections are great and much like the AT at one time are not all connected. However imagine being the only few....truely few who has the privledge in being the first ones to blaze a trail on the IAT. It would be like being the first ones to hike the AT or PCT. Just imagine!

4Bears
06-19-2010, 13:47
Well said turtle fast, well said indeed.