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| Colonial Park in Racine, Wis. |
There’s no better way
to experience autumn colors in southeast Wisconsin than a hike.The brilliant yellows, oranges and red of maples to the
scarlet and russets of oaks...the crisp, fresh autumn air and the last warm rays of sunlight before winter arrives...
the crunch of fallen leaves and acorns beneath your boots...stopping to enjoy a warm mug of apple cider or a caramel apple pulled from your backpack – it all calls for an afternoon on the trail.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails across southeast Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.
Racine County
Day hikers can walk across what used to be a terrace of ancient Lake Michigan and now is a wonderland of harvest colors in autumn. A 1-mile nature trail loops through Sanders Park Hardwoods State Natural Area, which is located within Sanders County Park. Among the highlights are gold-leaved basswood, wine-red white oak, bright-yellow black walnut, russet-colored red oak, lemony white ash, and a brilliant yellow elm-ash stand. From Racine, take Taylor Avenue south. Turn left/southwest onto Wood Avenue then right/east onto Exculpating Road where there’s a parking lot.
Walworth County
Among the best places in southwest Wisconsin to enjoy fall colors are its moraine ridges. They offer terrain relief and slopes where different trees can flourish. One great trail for hiking a moraine is the 9-mile round trip Lake La Grange Trail. Part of the trail climbs to a ridge 200 feet above the surrounding terrain, sporting a hardwood forest of yellow-orange-red sugar maple, bronze basswood, and gold to maroon-colored white ash. From Whitewater, take Bluff Road east. Turn right/south on Duffin Road. Park at the Ole Oleson Historic Log Cabin and from there join head east on the connector to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Go south on the Ice Age Trail.
Washington County
Day hikers can enjoy the rich and varied autumn colors of sugar maple leaves on the Holy Hill segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The out-and-back trail runs 2.6-miles round trip in southeastern Wisconsin. It sits beneath the majestic Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary. The first stretch of the trail is fairly level as heading through a woods dominated by sugar maples. Aspen with its golden leaves and the evergreens white pine and white spruce dot the forest, making a perfect accent to the sugar maples’ yellow, orange and red crowns. From Hartford, take Wis. Hwy. 83 south. Turn left/east onto Wis. Hwy. 167 (aka Holy Hill Road). In about 2.5 miles, go right/south on Stationway Road. After about 0.1 miles, look for the parking lot along the road’s left/east side. There’s a small clearing with picnic tables there, and the trail runs southeast from the lot.
Waukesha County
Hikers can head through a colorful oak woods and to the top of an observation tower on the county’s highest point at Kettle Moraine State Forest-Lapham Peak Unit. The ADA accessible 1.8-mile Plantation Path loops past prairie and through a woods of black, red and white oak, shagbark hickory, red maple, aspen, basswood, paper birch, white pine, and black cherry. A connector trail to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail leads to the observation tower atop Lapham Peak, which rises to an elevation of 1,233 feet. From Delafield, take County Road C south. Turn left/east toward the park office. Park in the Homestead lot.
Waushara County
A pretty walk along a quiet river awaits hikers on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail-Mecan River segment. The 3.4-mile round trip footpath heads beside part of the Mecan River, lined by beech, maple and hemlock, a colorful sight in autumn. The trail also crosses an oak savanna. From Coloma, take Wis. Hwy. 21 east then turn left/north onto 6th Avenue. Go right/east onto Chicago Road then right/south onto 6th Lane; a parking lot is on the left/east. Head south on the IAT and turn back at County Road GG.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails across southeast Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.
Racine County
Day hikers can walk across what used to be a terrace of ancient Lake Michigan and now is a wonderland of harvest colors in autumn. A 1-mile nature trail loops through Sanders Park Hardwoods State Natural Area, which is located within Sanders County Park. Among the highlights are gold-leaved basswood, wine-red white oak, bright-yellow black walnut, russet-colored red oak, lemony white ash, and a brilliant yellow elm-ash stand. From Racine, take Taylor Avenue south. Turn left/southwest onto Wood Avenue then right/east onto Exculpating Road where there’s a parking lot.
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Hikers can enjoy a bird sanctuary undergoing a major transformation at Colonial Park in Racine. The 1-mile round trip Root River Pathway makes two crossings over the waterway on its way to Lincoln Park. Many rare warblers stop in the park during the fall migration. An extensive effort is underway in the park to eliminate invasive species, such as buckthorn, reed canary grass, and garlic mustard, and to restore wetlands as well as replace ash trees ravaged by emerald ash borer. In 2019, a total of 175 small trees – birch and oak – and shrubs – elderberry, hazelnut, chokeberry and nannyberry – were planted in the park’s southern section, making for a great walk in which fall colors are at eye level. From downtown, take State Street west. Turn left/west onto West High Street. The road ends in the park.***
Hikers can wind their way through a thick oak forest at the Wehmhoff Woodland Preserve near Burlington. Each autumn, the leaves there turn from green to tan and russet. The 1.6-mile Wehmhoff Woodland Trail crosses the preserve’s 80 acres of hilly terrain; part of the route is a ridge overlooking a bog, where grasses dry to a bronze color that is brilliant in the sunlight. From Milwaukee Avenue in Burlington, go west on West Grove Street, which becomes South Honey Lake Road. The preserve’s entry road with a small parking lot is on the street’s right/east.Walworth County
Among the best places in southwest Wisconsin to enjoy fall colors are its moraine ridges. They offer terrain relief and slopes where different trees can flourish. One great trail for hiking a moraine is the 9-mile round trip Lake La Grange Trail. Part of the trail climbs to a ridge 200 feet above the surrounding terrain, sporting a hardwood forest of yellow-orange-red sugar maple, bronze basswood, and gold to maroon-colored white ash. From Whitewater, take Bluff Road east. Turn right/south on Duffin Road. Park at the Ole Oleson Historic Log Cabin and from there join head east on the connector to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Go south on the Ice Age Trail.
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A pleasant walk through the woods past a tiny stream at Price Park Conservancy near Elkhorn will delight day hikers, especially during fall. The 0.51-mile Red Loop heads through a forest of sugar maple, shagbark hickory, elm, oak and dogwood and and a grove of evergreens near a tributary to Sugar Creek. In autumn, the trees turn orange-gold, with an occasional purple crown. From Elkhorn, take U.S. Hwy. 12 north. Turn right/east onto Potter Road. then left/north onto Hodunk Road. The parking lot is on the left/west.***
A pleasant walk alongside a small creek through a woods awaits hikers at Springs Park in Delavan. During autumn, the trees shimmer gold on the 1.3-mile round trip trail next to Swan Creek. The trail is located in the lower part of the 33-acre park. In Delavan, from the junction of Spring Lane and West Washington Street, take the latter east. Turn right/south into the park.***
Though known for its beautiful Lake Geneva shoreline, Big Foot Beach State Park is an excellent place to enjoy autumn leaves. Each fall, the leaves of hardwood trees turn gold, orange, russet and olive. One of the best routes for walking under the harvest-hued canopy is the 1.3-mile Yellow Trail, which loops through the park’s wooded western section and past Ceylon Lagoon. In Lake Geneva, take South Lake Shore Drive south to Buttons Bay. Turn left/east into the park and leave your vehicle at the first lot on the road’s left/north side. The trail is on the lot’s north side.Washington County
Day hikers can enjoy the rich and varied autumn colors of sugar maple leaves on the Holy Hill segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The out-and-back trail runs 2.6-miles round trip in southeastern Wisconsin. It sits beneath the majestic Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary. The first stretch of the trail is fairly level as heading through a woods dominated by sugar maples. Aspen with its golden leaves and the evergreens white pine and white spruce dot the forest, making a perfect accent to the sugar maples’ yellow, orange and red crowns. From Hartford, take Wis. Hwy. 83 south. Turn left/east onto Wis. Hwy. 167 (aka Holy Hill Road). In about 2.5 miles, go right/south on Stationway Road. After about 0.1 miles, look for the parking lot along the road’s left/east side. There’s a small clearing with picnic tables there, and the trail runs southeast from the lot.
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Hikers can head to an observation tower atop one of southeastern Wisconsin’s highest points, which offers a beautiful view of fall colors. The Orange Trail in the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Pike Lake Unit loops along high ground past the spring-fed lake and includes a side trail heading to Powder Hill Tower for a 3.26-mile hike. Powder Hill is a glacial kame rising to 1,350 feet elevation, a full 35 stories above the lake. Sugar maple, basswood, and black, red and white oak dominate this area of the state forest. From Hartford, go east on Wis. Hwy. 60. Turn right/south onto Powder Hill road then take the first left/east to the Ice Age Trail parking lot.***
Great autumn views of a wooded valley await at the Glacial Blue Hills Recreation Area in West Bend. The Ice Age National Scenic Trail runs north-south through the recreational area. During autumn, the trees on the hills and in the valley turn amber, pumpkin orange, crimson and olive. From the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 45 and Wis. Hwy. 33, take the latter east. Turn left/north onto North 18th Avenue then left/west onto Beaver Dam Road. A parking lot is on the road’s right/north. From the lot, you can go either north or south on the Ice Age Trail. The north route goes 1.5 miles round trip to County Road D while the south route runs 2 miles round trip to Park Avenue.Waukesha County
Hikers can head through a colorful oak woods and to the top of an observation tower on the county’s highest point at Kettle Moraine State Forest-Lapham Peak Unit. The ADA accessible 1.8-mile Plantation Path loops past prairie and through a woods of black, red and white oak, shagbark hickory, red maple, aspen, basswood, paper birch, white pine, and black cherry. A connector trail to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail leads to the observation tower atop Lapham Peak, which rises to an elevation of 1,233 feet. From Delafield, take County Road C south. Turn left/east toward the park office. Park in the Homestead lot.
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Hikers can experience brilliant autumn colors in a variety of ecosystems at the Retzer Nature Center in Waukesha. The 2.6-mile Yellow Loop heads through woods and an oak savanna as well as passes a prairie. The woods boasts ash trees, aspens, elms, hickories, sugar maples, and red and white oaks while the savanna features burr oaks. Leaf colors range from gold, amber and orange to russet, crimson and burgundy while the prairie grasses glow a fiery red. From the intersection of U.S. Hwy. 18 (Summit Avenue) and County Road TT (Meadowbrook Road/Merrill Hills Road), go west on the former. Turn left/south on County Road DT then right/southeast into Madison Street. The center is the next right/south. Park in the lots where the road ends. Waushara County
A pretty walk along a quiet river awaits hikers on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail-Mecan River segment. The 3.4-mile round trip footpath heads beside part of the Mecan River, lined by beech, maple and hemlock, a colorful sight in autumn. The trail also crosses an oak savanna. From Coloma, take Wis. Hwy. 21 east then turn left/north onto 6th Avenue. Go right/east onto Chicago Road then right/south onto 6th Lane; a parking lot is on the left/east. Head south on the IAT and turn back at County Road GG.
