In the Wisconsin Northwoods, Volunteers Just Built a Whole New Mile of Trail

Here's a good one: Ice Age Trail Crew volunteers built nearly a mile of new tread beneath a shady, green canopy during the August Trailbuilding event along the Underdown Segment in Lincoln County, Wisconsin, according to a report the Ice Age Trail Alliance posted in mid-August. That's a mile of real footpath that didn't exist before, dug out of the Northwoods by regular people with hand tools and a free weekend.

What happened

Over four days in early August, volunteers gathered off State Highway 51 in Lincoln County and got to work. Their work created a new section of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail through the Parallel Ridges State Ice Age Trail Area — a new starting or ending point for the segment and a welcome break from a 16-mile road walk. If you've never hiked a long trail, know this: a road walk is the part everybody grits their teeth through. Sixteen miles of shoulder gravel getting shorter, one volunteer-built mile at a time, is the kind of progress you can stand on.

There's a bonus, too. The new path features the first Dispersed Camping Area along a 30-plus-mile stretch that begins at the county line with the Timberland Wilderness Segment. Somewhere out there, a future backpacker is going to pitch a tent on that spot and sleep well because of it.

Why it matters

The Ice Age Trail isn't built by a road crew on a contract. The Ice Age Trail Alliance is a nonprofit, volunteer organization whose mission is to create, support and protect the many segments of the trail, with 21 local chapters across Wisconsin, and volunteers play a key role in constructing new segments and keeping existing ones open. The Ice Age Trail Crew is a program of the Alliance supported by the DNR and National Park Service, with projects taking place on trail segments throughout Wisconsin from spring to fall. It's one of the last big things in America still built mostly by neighbors.

A banner season across the state

This mile wasn't a one-off. The first Trailbuilding event of the season featured 116 volunteers donating more than 2,700 service hours from May 13-17 in the Blue Hills. Then in midsummer, a volunteer effort during July's Ice Age Trail Crew event completed the Antigo Heights Segment in Langlade County — the culmination of four trailbuilding events that brought the new segment to life. String those together and 2026 is shaping up as the kind of year trail folks will brag about for a decade.

Want to swing a tool yourself?

The season isn't over. The Alliance has a county-wide trail maintenance sweep of all Ice Age Trail segments in Taylor County running September 30 through October 4, where volunteers will refresh blazes, cut back brush, and de-berm tread. No experience required — just show up ready to work, and the crew will show you the rest. It's honest labor in good company, and Wisconsin in early October is about as pretty as this country gets.

And if a work weekend isn't in the cards, just go hike the thing. New trail deserves boot prints. We built our Off the Clock collection for exactly these kinds of days — the ones you spend outside on purpose. The Off-Course Standard Tee works just as well under a dusty daypack as it does at the tavern afterward.

Common questions

What is the Ice Age Trail, exactly?

Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail is one of 11 National Scenic Trails in the U.S. — a 1,000-mile journey that follows the edge of the last continental glacier, winding through forests, prairies, wetlands, farmland, and small towns. It's a walk through the state's whole story, glacial and human alike.

Do I need trail-building experience to volunteer?

No. Trained volunteers specialize in working safe, having fun and building and maintaining high-quality, sustainable Ice Age Trail segments — and training happens on site. Crews pair newcomers with veterans, and there's a job for every back and every skill level.

Where can I see the new mile?

Head for the Underdown Segment in Lincoln County, Wisconsin. The new section runs through the Parallel Ridges State Ice Age Trail Area and gives the segment a new starting or ending point — a fine excuse for a Northwoods day trip this fall.

Reported by Ice Age Trail Alliance. Details as published at the time of writing.