Ahnapee State Trail

The Ahnapee State Trail (also known as the Ahnapee Trail) is a multi-use trail along the Ahnapee River and the Kewaunee River in northeastern Wisconsin.[2]

Ahnapee State Trail
Ahnapee State trail bridge over the frozen Kewaunee River
Length48 miles
Established1974[1]
UseHiking, Biking, Horseback Riding, Snowmobiling
WebsiteAhnapee State Trail, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Route

Beginning in downtown Sturgeon Bay, the trail winds south along the Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers to Algoma, Casco, Luxemburg, and Kewaunee. Near Casco, the trail branches off in three directions, west to Luxemburg, northeast towards Algoma and southeast towards the city of Kewaunee.[3]

The Ice Age Trail follows two sections of the Ahnapee State Trail corridor, for about 17 miles from downtown Sturgeon Bay in Door County to Algoma and for another 10 miles from the city of Kewaunee through the C.D. Besadny Fish and Wildlife Area in Kewaunee County.[4]

Access
The Ahnapee River below the dam at Forestville

The trail is open to bicyclists, walkers, joggers, horseback riders, and pets on leashes. In the winter the trail is open to cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. The grade of the trail is entirely level, which although suitable is not the most ideal for cross-country skiing.[5]

Although the trail is open all 24 hours, the public park toilets located along the trail at the Forestville Dam, the wayside in Maplewood, and S Neenah Ave. in Sturgeon Bay are only open a half hour before sunrise to 11 PM.[6]

In 2019, the trail was found to be the fourth most frequently visited county park in Door County in a voluntary response survey conducted by the county.[7]

History
Ahnapee and Western caboose, on display at the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay.

The Ahnapee and Western Railway right of way was purchased by the state in 1970 at a cost of $25,000 for 200 acres of land.[8] The Ahnapee State Trail was constructed over the rail bed, traveling from the railway's original connection with the former Green Bay and Western Railroad tracks at Casco Junction to Sturgeon Bay. Many artifacts of the Ahnapee and Western Railway's history remain along the trail including steam locomotive boiler culverts, dated concrete bridges, several steel girder bridges, and many of the buildings that once housed rail-related industries.

Location

References
  1. New trail now ready, Door County Advocate, Volume 113, Number 43, August 13, 1974, page 1
  2. "Wisconsin State Park System Ahnapee State Trail". Wisconsin DNR. Retrieved 2015-01-23.
  3. Ahnapee State Trail by the Friends of the Ahnapee State Trail, Kewaunee County Promotions and Recreation Department, and the Door County Parks System, pages 3–4
  4. Kewaunee & Door Counties in the Ice Age Trail Atlas 2020 – 2022 Edition by the Ice Age Trail Alliance, page 364 (page 5 of the pdf) and Interactive map of the northern terminus of the Ice Age trail
  5. Master Plan: Ahnapee State Trail Door and Kewaunee Counties by Daniel C. Rodgers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, March 4, 1975, page 7 (page 9 of the pdf)
  6. Rules for all door county parks
  7. From weighted statistical averages; Door County Board of Supervisors Agenda Packet, May 26, 2020, page 77
  8. Railbed trail, park projects are approved, Door County Advocate, Volume 109, Number 9, April 21, 1970, page 1
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