- Home
- Departments
- Parks & Recreation
- Ice Age Trail
Ice Age Trail
About the Ice Age Trail (taken from the Ice Age Trail website)
More than 12,000 years ago, an immense flow of glacial ice sculpted a landscape of remarkable beauty across Wisconsin. As the glacier retreated, it left behind a variety of unique landscape features. These glacial remnants are now considered among the world's finest examples of how continental glaciation sculpts our planet.
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a thousand-mile footpath that highlights these landscape features as it travels through some of the state's most beautiful natural areas. The Trail is entirely within Wisconsin and is one of only eleven National Scenic Trails.
But the Ice Age Trail is more than a path through the woods. It is a place for mental and physical rejuvenation, a place to unwind after a hard day and enjoy the landscape of Wisconsin. More than 2.3 million people use the Ice Age Trail each year to hike and snowshoe, to backpack, to disconnect and reconnect.
Behind the scenes, a vibrant community of volunteers across the state work to build and maintain the Trail, making it one of the country's best hiking experiences.
Headquarters for the Ice Age Trail Alliance
The Village of Cross Plains is proud to be host to the Ice Age Trail Alliance's headquarters. Their office is located right on the Ice Age Trail, downtown on Main Street. They love visitors and are open Monday-Friday, 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
Ice Age Trail Community
The Village of Cross Plains is one of fifteen official Ice Age Trail Communities! You can view our flyer here.