Summer is almost here and it is a wonderful time to get out and experience the many hiking and biking trails that the Milwaukee area has to offer, whether it be for a leisurely stroll or a long, brisk hike. Not only that, but it’s a great chance to unplug and spend some quality time with your family.
We have compiled by no means a complete list, (but it’s a good start!) of some of our favorites. For a comprehensive list of Wisconsin hiking trails, check out Travel Wisconsin. For some good tips on hiking with little ones, check out this Kids and Hiking post from REI. To check the status of the changing leaves, check out the Fall color report. And always remember, take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Our Favorite Milwaukee Hiking Trails
Bong State Recreation Area
26313 Burlington Rd, Kansasville
Open: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
About: Just 40 miles outside of Milwaukee, this 4,515-acre park offers trails for every season. The trails are set in a series of concentric circles which total almost 50 miles!
Havenwoods State Forest
6141 N. Hopkins St., Milwaukee
Open daily from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Admission: free
About: Located right inside the city of Milwaukee, Havenwoods contains more than six miles of trails, inviting visitors to explore the property’s woods, wetlands, and grasslands. With several different trail segments, visitors can choose a hike of varying lengths.
Several geocaches and waymarks can be found at Havenwoods State Forest. Complete the Trek Through Time, a geocaching adventure, and earn a collectible wooden geotoken.
Ice Age Trail – Holy Hill
1525 Carmel Road, Hubertus
Admission: free
About: Standing atop the observation deck at Holy Hill provides an amazing view – at 192 feet tall, you’ll see a stunning view of the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit. Head up the 178 steps to the observation tower and you’ll see the Milwaukee skyline that’s over 30 miles away. Park at the base of the hill to the basilica, hike up to the church then down the paved path through the Stations of the Cross. At the parking lot, hop on the Ice Age Trail for a short out-and-back hike to Highway 167. Back near the basilica, grab the blue trail spur back to your car.
Kettle Moraine State Forest – Pike Lake Unit
3544 Kettle Moraine Rd, Hartford
Open: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
About: This 678-acre park provides panoramic views from atop Powder Hill as well as nine different hiking trails that provide hikers with a variety of topography and scenery. Users will pass through wetlands, maple, oak, and basswood stands, open prairies, and a variety of glacial terrain. Some of the more popular trails include Black Forest Nature Trail – a self-guided 0.8-mile hike, Astronomy Trail – a half-mile walk through the solar system, Powder Hill – a glacial kame (the accumulated deposits of sediment at the front of a stationary glacier) which is one of the highest points in Southeastern Wisconsin, and Ice Age Trail – part of the National Scenic Trail that explores approximately 475 miles through significant glacial heritage. The boardwalk trial runs through a wetlands area along Pike Lake.
Lac Lawrann Conservancy
300 Schmidt Rd, West Bend
Open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Admission: free
About: Lac Lawrann Conservancy has 4 miles of trails that lead hikers through deciduous woodlands to kettles, kames, an esker, as well as to ponds, wetlands, prairie, and a red pine plantation. Neighboring Royal Oaks Park adds another 1.5 miles of trails. Hiking trails include the Lake Loop, Railroad Spur, Esker, Northern Wetland, Pine Plantation, and Prairie Trails.
Lapham Peak
W329 N846 Co. C, Delafield
Open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
About: The Kettle Moraine and Lapham Peak were formed 10,000 years ago when a glacier covered much of Wisconsin. More than 1,000 acres of this hilly terrain are within the Lapham Peak boundaries. Lapham Peak has a variety of sights and activities to offer, including 21.2 miles of hiking trails and a 45-foot observation tower atop the highest point in Waukesha County (1,233 feet above sea level).
Lion’s Gorge Nature Preserve
511 High Bluff Dr, Grafton
Open from sunrise to sunset
Admission: free
About: Lion’s Den George offers 73 acres of hiking trails, boardwalks, wetlands, forest and beachfront along the shore of Lake Michigan. Offering 1/2 mile of 90 to 100 ft bluffs, the preserve is one of the last stretches of undeveloped lakefront property between Mequon and Port Washington and is adjacent to a 44-acre wetland complex dedicated to enhancing populations of migratory birds and other wildlife.
Monches Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
Trailhead located on E Kilbourn Road, Hartland, just West of Laskin Road
Open from sunrise to sunset
Admission: free
About: Located in the hardwood forest north of Hartland, this section of the Ice Age Trail offers some of the most spectacular fall hiking in the state. The 2.7-mile one-way hike follows the route of the Oconomowoc River including idyllic views of clear water and small babbling brooks, with the backsplash of colors from the fall leaves of oaks and aspens.
Nashotah Park
W330 N5113 County Hwy C, Nashotah
Open from sunrise to 10 p.m.
Admission: $5 per car
About: Nashotah Park is a 444-acre park nestled among rolling hills, woodlands, wetlands, and grasslands that offer habitat for deer, waterfowl and a variety of songbirds. 7 miles of nature trails lead through easily identifiable landscape types that were created by the last glacial advance more than 10,000 years ago: a natural lake system, an oak forest, an oak savanna (an area sparsely populated with trees), a cedar glade, a floating leaf marsh.
Riveredge Nature Center
4458 County Hwy Y, Saukville
open daily from dawn to dusk (check website for visitor center hours)
Admission: $4 for adults, $2 for children 14-4, children 3 and under are free
About: With over 379 acres of land and ten miles of meandering trails, its easy to lose yourself in one of the most beautifully restored natural sanctuaries in southeastern Wisconsin. With prairies, woods, ponds, and over one mile of Milwaukee River shoreline, there is always something to explore.
Schlitz Audobon Nature Center
1111 E Brown Deer Rd, Milwaukee
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: $8 for adults and $5 for children & veterans, members are free
About: Once a farm for the Schlitz Brewery draft horses, the center offers six miles of trails that take visitors through 185 unique acres of forests, wetlands, restored prairies, ravines, bluffs, and Lake Michigan shoreline.
Seven Bridges Trail in Grant Park
100 Hawthorne Ave, South Milwaukee
Open daily 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Admission: free
About: “Enter this wild wood and view the haunts of nature.” As you wind your way through the ravine on unpaved and Lannon stone paths, Lannon stone staircases, and numerous footbridges, you’ll discover the delights of nature – a carpet of spring wildflowers, the songs of migratory birds, fabulous fall color, the refreshing sound of water rushing in a brook. Following the trails, you’ll be led among enormous trees such as the native beech, along creeks, into secluded areas, and onto the shore of Lake Michigan.
Wehr Nature Center
9701 W. College Ave, Franklin
Open every day from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Closed some holidays, check their website)
Admission: free, but $3.50 per car parking fee
About: Wehr has over five miles of trails on their 220 acres that link the Center’s natural communities: the Woodland, Wetland, Prairie, Oak Savanna and Lake. Interpretive signs introduce self-guided visitors to the homes and habitats of Wisconsin wildlife. Study sites along the trails allow guided groups to investigate the natural world face-to-face.
More than a 30-minute drive, but well worth it:
Devil’s Lake State Park
S5975 Park Rd – Baraboo, WI
Open 8:30am – 4:00pm, with later hours on the weekends.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
About: Just 120 miles out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s largest state park offers magnificent views from 500-foot Quartzite bluffs overlooking a 360-acre lake. Drive into Devil’s Lake State Park this fall and you’ll be blown away by the colors. It starts at the main entrance road with a welcome tunnel of bright gold maple leaves. It’s a favorite photo op spot, but that’s not all. Take either the East Bluff or West Bluff trails for amazing views of the park and the 500-foot tall quartzite bluffs. Don’t be alarmed if you see someone hanging from the side of a cliff. Rock climbers like fall color too, and this is a popular place to climb.
Lake Geneva Shore Path
918 W Main St, Lake Geneva
Admission: free (address is the public library, which is one of the public access points for the trail)
About: The multimillion-dollar mansions that line Geneva Lake in Walworth County are out of reach for most people, but the 21-mile path that circles the lake is accessible to everyone.
Peninsula State Park
9462 Shore Rd, Fish Creek
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
About: The third-largest state park in Wisconsin clocks in at 3,776-acres with eight miles of Green Bay shoreline in Door County. Peninsula has a total of 20 miles of hiking trails of varying difficulties and views.
Our Favorite Biking Trails:
Paved trails:
While I’m sure that one day, we will be taking on the gravel (and dare I even say rocky) biking trails out there again, right now, we’re sticking to the paved ones.
Hank Aaron State Trail
Multiple entry and exit points throughout the city, including at Miller Park!
My husband and I loved riding this trail before we had kids. It is paved, but near Potawatomi, there is a hill that would kick our behinds regularly. There are plenty of flat portions of the trail. Check the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail for various routes ranging from 1.5 miles to a full marathon in length.
Beerline Trail
Along the Western Side of the Milwaukee River from Pleasant to Capitol
The Beerline trail runs north to south along the western side of the Milwaukee River. No, you can’t count on someone handing you a brew while you ride, it is named “Beerline” because it is along where Milwaukee breweries were built. The trail begins at Pleasant Street, just north of Downtown Milwaukee, goes north through Gordon Park, and continues through the Riverwest neighborhood following the path of an old railroad line. Currently, the trail extends just north of Capitol Drive to the border between the City of Milwaukee and Glendale.
Oak Leaf Trail
Numerous
If you run out of trail here, you should get a job with Peloton, because there are over 125 miles to explore! When we lived in the third ward, my husband and I loved using the Lake Loop, riding past the Milwaukee Art Museum, Veteran’s Park, Bradford Park, and all the way up to Lake Park.
Bugline Trail
Menomonee Falls
This 16-mile asphalt multiuse trail was built in 1983 on the former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is wide enough for those bike trailers if you have littles who are just along for the ride and it extends from Menomonee Falls west to the Village of Merton. This trail connects Village neighborhoods to Menomonee County Park. Parking is available at Menomonee Park, Madeline Park, Village Park, Lisbon Community Park, and Fireman’s Park.
Lake Country Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Lake Michigan Pathway
Racine
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Ozaukee Interurban Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Seven Waters Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Glacial Drumlin State Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Unpaved Trails:
Havenwoods State Forest
6141 N Hopkins St, Milwaukee, WI 53209
Though this is a state forest, you do not need a vehicle admission sticker to enter. There are over six miles of biking trails. Some are limestone/paved, but others are grass and woodchips. Check this map for details.
Kegel Alpha Mountain Bike Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Oak Hill Mountain Bike Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Hoyt Mountain Bike Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
Bubba’s Woods Mountain Bike Trail
Open from 6 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Admission: A state parks vehicle admission sticker is required. A daily pass can be purchased for $8.
What are your favorite hiking and biking trails in the Milwaukee area?
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