Ice Age Trail Alliance - Portage/Waupaca County Chapter

08/14/2026

TRAIL ALERT! The yellow-blazed Ice Age Trail from Stratton Lake Rd south to 2nd Ave in the Emmons Creek Segment will be closed from Mon Aug 17 to Fri Aug 21 due to work to replace the boardwalk. Hikers are to use the white-blazed Faraway Valley Loop trail as the temporary bypass.

08/01/2026

Iola Ski Hill Segment - New Sign Installed

Our chapter installed a segment sign for the trail entrance of the Iola Ski Hill Segment on County Hwy T. It is now easy to see where the New Hope Segment and Iola Ski Hill Segment meet.

Parking for these two trail entrances is 0.1 miles north on County Hwy T.

We are grateful to this landowner who made a parking area and this section of trail possible, our chapter sign-maker extraordinaire, the trail stewards who maintain this section, and the folks who helped prepare the land and install the sign.

07/26/2026

Effective Monday July 27 through the end of October, the Ice Age Trail from Windfeldt Ln in Hartman Creek State Park south to Emmons Creek Rd will be closed due to logging operations. Signs have been posted including a map showing the Trail Bypass road walk. The map can be viewed on the Ice Age Trail 'Trail Alert' page: https://iceagetrail.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/5cb8ca63f0e447dea9dc29afb5ed12e6 # Refer to this webpage for updates.

07/06/2026

Saturday June 27th a group of active learners and hikers joined UW-Stevens Point Emeritus Professor of Biology Bob Freckman and Wisconsin Master Naturalist Mark Walker for a two- mile tour of ferns along the New Hope segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail

The hikers, aged three to eighty-seven, identified eight different ferns and celebrated the diversity of habitat along this section of trail.

06/19/2026

Ice Age Trail Alliance Staff and our partners are putting on a workshop at Muir County Park to learn about how to control invasive species and do some control work on Spotted Knapweed as well as Sweet Clover along the Trail corridor.

See flyer for details

06/10/2026

Blazing Basics Training

There is more to signage than just painting a 2X6” yellow rectangle on a tree!
That’s what 2 new volunteers learned at our blazing training this week.

They learned about drafting, blazing, maintaining good sightlines, trail basics, and new vocabulary. (DCA, TSP, Carsonite, pull-ya blazes, camo paint….). They spent the morning honing their blazing skills on our newly drafted trail reroute on the New Hope Segment. Most importantly, we all had fun training and learning!

Well-placed blazes and clear, accurate signage keep hikers safe and on the designated trail, while allowing them to enjoy their journey with confidence.

06/09/2026

Hartman Creek Segment Reroute - Complete

At the southern end of Hartman Creek State Park, 15 volunteers completed a 500’ reroute to abandon a severely gullied section of the trail. The new trail is now on a more sustainable landscape.
In addition to our dedicated chapter volunteers, we welcomed a couple of first timers who are new chapter volunteers, and a volunteer from the Marquette Chapter. We are grateful to everyone who supports the Ice Age Trail.

05/26/2026

The Waupaca Area Hiking Group will be leading a hike along the northern section of the Ice Age Trail in Hartman Creek State Park June 2 at 9 am. All are welcome! A State Park permit is required. Park at the east end of Windfeldt Lane at the entrance of the Group Campsite. (Google maps 44.32322, -89.22865) For additional information about this hike and future hikes offered by this group, visit:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/1532355197746839

Send a message to learn more

05/13/2026

The Ice Age Trail Alliance welcomed Iola and Scandinavia as its newest Trail Community on Saturday. Our local Portage/Waupaca Chapter is excited to work alongside the local community and host events. The celebration featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Iola Winter Sports Club and guided hikes along the Iola and Skunk & Foster Lakes segments.

Special thank you to the following financial sponsors:
• Iola Revitalization Committee/ Village of Iola
• Scandinavia Booster Club / Adam Blohm
• Village of Scandinavia
• Iola Winter Sports Club
• Iola-Scandinavia Chamber of Commerce
• Iola Lions

***The Ice Age Trail Alliance’s Trail Communities program is designed as a symbiotic relationship between the Ice Age Trail Alliance (IATA) and communities near the Trail which enhances awareness of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IANST) and improves the quality of life in communities throughout Wisconsin.

05/08/2026

Don't forget the celebration this Saturday bringing Iola & Scandinavia into the fold of Trail Communities!

Located in central Wisconsin, the neighboring villages of Iola and Scandinavia serve as a hub between multiple Ice Age Trail Segments (New Hope, Iola Ski Hill, Skunk and Foster Lake) - closing the Trail Community gap that once existed in the central part of the Trail. Positioned between the New Hope, Iola Ski Hill, Skunk and Foster Lake segments, Iola-Scandinavia is a convenient stop for hikers exploring the heart of the state.

Join us Saturday, May 9th, 10 am, at the Iola Winter Sports Club to partake in the designation ceremony!

Cake, cookiesand door prizes! And best of all -- MONTY will be there for photo ops! Some Ice Age Trail merchandise will be available for purchase.

Two hikes will be offered - moderate terrain:

11 am: Iola Ski Hill Segment (Chalet to Stoltenberg - approx 3 miles roundtrip)
1 pm: Skunk Foster Lakes SNA (approx 2 mile loop). Travel to site is on your own. Chapter members will be there to lead hike.