Ice Age Trail – Columbia County

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a 1,000+ mile hiking trail that meanders throughout Wisconsin and follows the edge of what once was a large glacier that extended into Wisconsin from Canada approximately 25,000 years ago before it melted approximately 14,000 or so years ago.  The trail is one of 11 designated National Scenic Trails supported in part by the National Park Service (NPS).  The Trail is managed and maintained through a three-way collaboration between NPS, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and a very active and successful non-profit organization, the Ice Age Trail Alliance comprised of hundreds of volunteers who help maintain the Trail.

There are two sections of the Ice Age Trail in Columbia County, including the 2.8-mile Portage Canal Segment that begins in Pauquette Park on the southwestern edge of Portage, goes through the city of Portage and then along the old Canal, ending on Agency House Road, close to the Historic Indian Agency House.  At the parking lot, the 4.3 mile Marquette Trail Segment begins heading north, criss-crossing the Fox River at many places.  The Columbia County section of the Ice Age Trail follows one of the most historic routes of early European explorers to Wisconsin, following the Fox River to the “portage” to the Wisconsin River a short distance away.  Access to the Wisconsin River from the Fox River drainage provided the French fur-traders and eventually early settlers access to all of the western United States.