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The Ahnapee State Trail (also known as the Ahnapee Trail) is a multi-use trail along the Ahnapee River and the
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.
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.
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.
The Railbed trail, park projects are approved
''Door County Advocate'', Volume 109, Number 9, April 21, 1970, page 1 The Ahnapee State Trail was constructed over the rail bed, traveling from the railway's original connection with the former
Friends of the Ahnapee State Trail
Rail trails in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin {{Wisconsin hiking trails
Kewaunee River The Kewaunee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed December 19, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It begins near Frog Station, Wisconsin, Frog Station in no ...
in northeastern Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
.
Route
Beginning in downtownSturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay is an arm of Green Bay extending southeastward approximately 10 miles into the Door Peninsula at the city of Sturgeon Bay, located approximately halfway up the Door Peninsula. The bay is connected to Lake Michigan by the Sturge ...
, the trail winds south along the Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers to Algoma, Casco Casco may refer to: Places in the United States
*Casco, Maine, a town
** Casco (CDP), Maine, a census-designated place within the town
*Casco Bay, a bay on the coast of Maine
* Casco, Missouri, a ghost town
* Casco, Wisconsin, a village
*Casco (town ...
, Luxemburg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small land ...
, and Kewaunee. Near Casco, the trail branches off in three directions, west to Luxemburg, northeast towards Algoma and southeast towards the city of Kewaunee.
The Ice Age Trail
The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail stretching in the state of Wisconsin in the United States. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by private and public agencies including the Ice ...
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
Kewaunee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,563. Its county seat is Kewaunee. The county was created in 1852 and organized in 1859. Its Menominee name is ''Kewāneh'', an arc ...
.
Access
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.
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.
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.
History
The Ahnapee and Western Railway
The Ahnapee and Western Railway (A&W) was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.
The railroad ran from a connection with the Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad at Casco Junction to the lakeshore terminals ...
right of way was purchased by the state in 1970 at a cost of $25,000 for 200 acres of land.''Door County Advocate'', Volume 109, Number 9, April 21, 1970, page 1 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
The Green Bay and Western Railroad served central Wisconsin for almost 100 years before it was absorbed into the Wisconsin Central in 1993. For much of its history the railroad was also known as the Green Bay Route. At the end of 1970 it operat ...
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
* Northern terminus on S. Neenah Av. just south of Sturgeon Bay (). * Algoma trailhead on 6th St. in Algoma (). * Three-way intersection along Sunset Rd. southeast of Casco, including parking (). * Western terminus on County Highway AB in Luxemburg (). * Southeastern terminus (north) north of Kewaunee along (). * Southeastern terminus (south) near downtown Kewaunee on Beardsly St. just north of County Highway E ().References
External links
Friends of the Ahnapee State Trail
Rail trails in Wisconsin Tourist attractions in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin {{Wisconsin hiking trails