Ice Age Trail Alliance - Portage/Waupaca County Chapter

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.

05/07/2026

Another New Hope Segment Reroute is complete and OPEN for Hiking

Come and hike Krogwold Preserve, just north of Krogwold Road on the New Hope Segment. The tread is brand new and the flowers are starting to bloom. The trail was moved to a more sustainable and picturesque route, which now avoids a steep muddy hill and a wall of buckthorn.
Many chapter volunteers as well as students from Central Sands Community High School in Amherst helped complete this 1000 foot reroute.

Thank you to our awesome trail community!

04/29/2026

04/28/2026

We had a great time at the 2026 Ice Age Trail Conference . We would like to extend a special thanks and congratulations to our volunteers who received awards. We couldn't do it without your passion and support.

"In the Mud" Award: Richard Blanchard and Steve Hall

NPS 100 hours: Jay Dorrlor, Tracy Dorrler, Wayne Krogwold, Randy Orlikowski, Anne Orlikowski, Susan Pichotta Berard, Gary Vaughn, Andy Wegner, Richard Wyman, Lynn Wyman

NPS 250 hours: Lynn Wyman, Lara Pagel

NPS 500 hours: Raymond Disterhaft, Mary Nennig

NPS 1000 hours: Teresa Aspeslet

Bedrock Volunteer- 30 years of service: Debbie Krogwold

Conference presenters: Mark “TieDye” Walker on the Master Naturalist Panel and Amanda Fischer on the Thousand Miler Panel

04/25/2026

Anne Orlikowski, Pat Sinnott and Steve Hall replaced the bench at the erratic north of Windfeldt Road, and the first bench south of Windfeldt, as both were rotted. Thank you Pat for making the benches, hauling the new ones in and hauling the old ones out.

04/21/2026

Thank you to Central Sands Community High School for their help during their service week - April 15 & 16 2026.

The students created 1000 ft of new trail tread including grubbing out buckthorn, shrubs, and small trees in the corridor

In addition, they cleaned up storm damage at Krogwold Preserve and Krogwold Easement

We are happy to host them again in future service weeks.