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| Scenery along Van Kuren Trail. Photo by Amy Bayer/flickr.comphotosamy_bayer |
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| Van Kuren Trail map. Click for larger version. |
Running 2.1 miles total, the trail consists of two loops with a connector between them and a spur leading to an observation tower. The Wisconsin River Power Company recently constructed the hiking/ski trails adjacent to the Petenwell Flowage in Adams County.
To reach the trailhead, from Adams-Friendship take Wis. Hwy. 13 north. Turn left/west onto Wis. Hwy. 21 then right/north onto County Road Z. At Buttercup Avenue, go left/west. After going under the power lines is a very small parking area.
From the parking lot, head northwest on the stem trail. When it splits, go left/northwest.
The trail crosses a rolling landscape through oak and pine stands then curls north around a pavilion and fire pit at about 0.36 miles from the trailhead. Hikers will enjoy shade almost the entire way.
Petenwell Flowage
Views of Petenwell Flowage should be visible through the woodline in this portion of the trail. Sometimes referred to on maps as Petenwell Lake, the flowage was created in 1949 by damming the Wisconsin River and erecting a protective dike. The flowage inundated Lake Van Kuren, a backwater of the main Wisconsin River.
The trail next parallels the flowage’s shoreline as heading roughly north. Along the way, it heads through several ecosystems, so a wide variety of wildlife – whitetail deer, raccoons, squirrels, and chipmunks among them – potentially can be seen.
At a mile in, the trail junctions another path. Turning right/southeast heads back to the stem trail. Instead, go left/northwest onto a connector trail.
The connector is short, and after 300 feet you’ll reach the trail’s second loop. Go left/west onto it.
Observation tower and second loop
Upon reaching gravel Brown Deer Drive, head left/west rather than straight/north. The spur heads for 0.13 miles to an observation tower overlooking the 23,000-acre flowage.
After enjoying the sites from the tower, go back on the spur trail. At Brown Deer Drive, should you have you some extra energy, you can go left/north and do the full second loop. It runs 1.75 miles before coming back to the connector trail you previously hiked. In the future should you wish to do just the second loop, there is a small parking area here off of Brown Deer Drive.
As the scenery on the second loop is much like that on the first, it can be dispensed with on this hike, so head right/southeast back to the connector. Once the connector reaches the first loop, finish it by going straight/southeast. The stem trail is in 0.45 miles. At the stem, go left/southeast back to your parked vehicle.
The trail is named for Gilbert Van Kuren, one of the area’s earliest settlers.
