Top fall trails in east-central Wisconsin, Pt. I

Potawatomi State Park, Wisconsin

There’s no better way to experience autumn colors around east-central 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 around east-central Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Brown County
A grove of cottonwoods awaits hikers on the Woodcock (Blue) Trail at Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve in Suamico. The 0.75-mile trail heads north from the interpretive center and curves around a small pond in the preserve’s northwest corner. During autumn, it’s a gloriously beautiful walk, as the tall eastern cottonwoods – which are largely absent in this part of Wisconsin – turn a bright yellow. From U.S. Hwy. 141 in Suamico, take Lineville Road east. Turn left/north onto County Road J/Lakeview Drive and then right/east into the preserve. Park at the center.

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Hikers can head through a remnant of the great oak forests that once covered all of Brown County. The 1.15-mile round trip McMahon Woods Trail sits in the Cofrin Memorial Arboretum, which surrounds the UW-Green Bay campus. The trail runs alongside McMahon Creek, which flows into nearby Green Bay. Russet-colored oaks dominate the McMahon Woods' uplands while colorful sugar maples can be found in the understory. Fifty-nine different trees and shrubs can be seen along the trail. From Wis. Hwy. 57, take Nicolet Drive north. Turn right/southeast onto South Circle Drive. Roadside parking is available along the road’s first curve.

Calumet County
Day hikers can enjoy great views of Lake Winnebago atop a ridge on the Red Bird Trail at High Cliff State Park. The mostly level 3.4-mile trail runs along the ancient Niagara Escarpment’s western edge. Autumn offers the opportunity to see the lake through a northern wet-mesic forest, which offers the evergreen of northern white-cedar, Balsam fir and spruce, the yellows of black ash, the light orange of speckled alder, and the reds of mountain maple. A bonus is an observation tower you can climb to see the canopy and lake from above. From the park’s entrance road (State Park Road) turn left/southeast onto Lower Cliff Road. Next, go left/northeast on High Cliff Road. Park in the observation tower lot.

Door County
Day hikers can enjoy great autumn colors on the Tower Trail at Potawatomi State Park in scenic Door County. The 3.5-miles loop traverses the state park’s northern end. Part of the trail is the eastern terminus of the nearly 1200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail that crosses Wisconsin. The trail is among the best in Wisconsin to see fall leaves. The reds, oranges and yellows of maple, the amber and oranges of beech, and the olive of American basswood all light the trail with the brilliant blue waters of Sturgeon Bay in the background at vistas. From Wis. Hwys. 42/57 on Sturgeon Bay’s west side, head north on Park Road. The park is in a little over a mile; turn right/east into it on Entrance Road. At North Norway Road, turn left/north. After passing the North Camp Area, the park road intersects with Shoreline Road. A parking lot is at the intersection. From the lot, hike north alongside Shoreline Road. The Tower Trail crosses the road in about 330 feet.

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Hikers can enjoy majestic views of blue Green Bay and the yellow and orange leaves of a blufftop forest at Ellison Bay Bluff County Park. An unnamed 1-mile trail loops through a woods of sugar maple, white ash, red oak, birch and beech. A spur trail leads to an observation deck at the edge of the 100-foot high limestone bluff. An enclosed catwalk extends outward from the bluff; walking on it will make you feel like you’re flying. From Ellison Bay, take Wis. Hwy. 42 south. Turn right/west onto Porcupine Bay Road then right/north onto Ellison Bluff Road. The road loops through the park; leave your vehicle in the lot on the loops’ southwest side.

Fond Du Lac County
Golden tamaracks circle the shores of Mauthe Lake in the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit every October and November. The 2-mile Tamarack Nature Trail hugs the lake’s northweastern shore and then rambles over the nearby ice age-shaped terrain. Though tamaracks look like pine trees, their needles turn color and fall off like leaves on deciduous trees. From Campbellsport, take Wis. Hwy. 67 east. Turn right south on County Road SS then right/south on County Road GGG. Take the first right/west into the Mauthe Lake Recreation Area. The trail begins near the Mauthe Lake Beach and loops around the waterbody via the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and the Lake to Lake Bike Trail.

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Hikers can explore the autumn beauty of a creek along the bottom of a deep ravine at Hobbs Woods Nature Area. The Main Trail Loop plus the access trail to it runs 1.31 miles on both sides of Parsons Creek, crossing it twice and a tributary once along the way. The autumn canopy casts a yellow and orange glow over the trail and creek in the 60-acre, thickly wooded county park. From Fond du Lac, take Interstate 41 south. Exit onto County Road B (exit 92), going right/west. Turn right/north onto Wis. Hwy. 175 then left/west onto Hamilton Road and finally left/south onto Hickory Road. The entry to Hobbs Woods is on the left/east.

Kewaunee County
A pretty fall hike along a river awaits on a segment of the Ahnapee State Trail. The 2.25-mile round trip rail-trail between County Road M and Washington Road sits in the Ahnapee River’s wetlands cooridor where migrating birds gather each autumn amid the bronze grasses. On higher ground, look for the willows’ shimmering gold leaves in the breeze, dogwoods’ deep scarlet leaves and berries, and bog birch’s amber. From Algoma, take County Road M north. The parking lot is on the northeast corner of where the the road and trail meet.

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A perfect spot for taking young children to see autumn leaves is a segment of Ice Age National Scenic Trail at the Bruemmer County Park and Zoo near Kewaunee. The trail skirts the park’s northern side, from where it crosses County Road F in the west to the zoo in the east. The trail – including the small zoo’s exhibits – runs about a mile total. Leaves along the trail and at the zoo turn orange, crimson and various yellows. From Kewaunee, head west on Wis. Hwy. 29. Turn right/northwest onto County Road C/Ellis Street. Enter the park by going left/southwest onto County Road F and park at the zoo.

Day trail offers great vista of Sturgeon Bay

View of Sawyer Harbor, Cabot Point and Sturgeon Bay from near the lookout
tower at Potawatomi State Park in Wisconsin.

Tower Trail map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can enjoy great autumn colors on the Tower Trail at Potawatomi State Park in Wisconsin’s scenic Door County.

The 3.5-miles loop traverses the state park’s northern end. Part of the trail is the eastern terminus of the nearly 1200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail that crosses Wisconsin.

The trail is among the best in Wisconsin to see fall leaves. The reds, oranges and yellows of maple, the amber and oranges of beech, and the copper of American basswood all light the trail with the brilliant blue waters of Sturgeon Bays in the background at vistas.

To reach the trailhead, from Wis. Hwys. 42/57 on Sturgeon Bay’s west side, head north on Park Road. The park is in a little over a mile; turn right/east into it on Entrance Road. At North Norway Road, turn left/north. After passing the North Camp Area, the park road intersects with Shoreline Road. A parking lot is at the intersection. From the lot, hike north alongside Shoreline Road. The Tower Trail crosses the road in about 330 feet.

Go left/west onto the trail. The trail bisects the North Camp Area then soon heads up a steep hill.

American basswood
Among the native Wisconsin trees that is common along the trail is the American basswood, also known as the American linden. The tree grows across the upper Midwest through New England as well as southern Ontario and Quebec. It’s easy to spot; the domed crown consists of spreading branches, the bark ranges from gray to light brown with narrow fissures, and the 4-6 inch long leaves alternate with the larger ones on the side nearest the branch.

About a half-mile in, the trail levels and passes through forest with an understory of ferns. A connector trail runs right/northeast to the the other side of the loop, then at 0.9 miles a north-south bike intersects the route. As the trail curves southwest, it parallels the road you drove in on.

The American basswood lives for about 200 years and reaches maturity quite quickly. It grows at twice the rate of the American beech and most birch species, topping out between 60 to 120 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 3-5 feet.

At 1.2 miles, the trail crosses another point on the bike trail. Continue straight. Next the trail curls away from the park road and heads northeast, twice intersecting other spots on the bike trail you just crossed.

The American basswood often is used as an ornamental tree because it offers excellent shade. Horticulturalists also plant it as a windbreak to protect to young trees in orchards.

After several curves, the trail at 1.4 miles heads alongside a field. During summer, it’s alit with wildflowers. Turkeys can be seen here and sometimes whitetail deer. Unfortunately, the trail also heads beneath a powerline along the way, but it’s a brief run.

Lookout tower
In autumn, the basswood brightens the forest with chartreuse to yellow-green leaves. Depending on the the temperature and sunlight received, sometimes the leaves will turn a deep yellow with hints of orange. The edges usually brown before the leaves drop.

The footpath again intersects the bike trail then crosses North Norway Road at 2 miles from the trailhead. There it reaches the Old Ski Hill Overlook, which offers a nice view of the valley below, especially when it’s painted in autumn’s harvest colors.

Next the trail parallels North Norway Road before reaching the observation tower at 2.4 miles. You can’t go into the tower, though; it was found unsafe and closed in late 2017. The 75-foot tall tower was completed in 1932 and over the decades has suffered severe wood decay. The tower gave great views of Sawyer Harbor at the base of the cliff below with Cabot Point in the distance. Plans call for tearing down the tower and eventually replacing it.

The tower marks the Ice Age Trail’s eastern terminus. Running across 30 counties, the trail roughly marks the farthest advance of ice during the last ice age about 12,000 years ago.

Sturgeon Bay
From the tower, the trail crosses the park road and runs southeast. A bike trail goes southwest from it. The Tower Trail here heads along a rolling ridgeline, passing through stands of maple and beech.

At 2.6 miles, it crosses Shore Road. The hill there overlooks the waters of Sturgeon Bay, an arm of Green Bay that cuts into the Door Peninsula. A canal connects the inner bay to Lake Michigan. Just 0.2 miles from the road is a steel tower that boats use as a navigation marker on the way to the city of Sturgeon Bay’s docks.

Cedar dominates for the next half-mile or so. The sweet scent of their fallen needles permeates the air.

At 3.2 miles is the connector trail leading to the loop’s other side. Continue left-straight/southeast. When the trail crosses Shore Road, follow the park street left/south to your parking lot.

Hiking boots are a must on the trail, which heads over exposed roots, mud, and flagstone at various points. Autumn leaves often cover those hazards.