The Wiouwash State Trail is a

rail trail A rail trail is a shared-use path on railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed, but may also share the right of way with active railways, light rail, or streetcar ...

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 ...

. Its name is derived from the first two letters of the four counties it traverses: Winnebago, Outagamie, Waupaca, and Shawano. The trail's Tribal Heritage Crossing of

Lake Butte des Morts Big Lake Butte des Morts () is a shallow freshwater lake located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, in Winnebago County. It is part of the Winnebago Pool (also known as the ''Winnebago System'') of lakes in east central Wisconsin, along with Lake W ...

is a nationally designated recreation trail. The trail is used by walkers, hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and snowmobilers during the winter months. Two sections of the trail are complete: 24 miles from Aniwa south to Split Rock and 21 miles from Hortonville south to Oshkosh. The trail is maintained by local county governments in conjunction with the

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set policy ...

Northern leg

The northern leg of the Wiouwash State Trail is maintained by Shawano County. The northern trailhead is located in downtown Aniwa, Wisconsin. The trail then continues 24 miles to just south of the unincorporated community of Split Rock. The trail intersects the Mountain Bay Trail, which connects the cities of Wausau and Green Bay, in Eland. Communities along the route include: Aniwa, Birnamwood, Eland,

Wittenberg Wittenberg ( , ; Low Saxon language, Low Saxon: ''Wittenbarg''; meaning ''White Mountain''; officially Lutherstadt Wittenberg (''Luther City Wittenberg'')), is the fourth largest town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Wittenberg is situated on the Ri ...

, Tigerton, and Split Rock.

Southern leg

The southern leg of the Wiouwash State Trail is maintained by Outagamie and Winnebago Counties. The northern trailhead in located just south of Black Otter Lake on Lakeview Avenue in Hortonville. The trail continues 21 miles south to its terminus on Westwind Drive in Oshkosh, from which a local trail continues south to downtown Oshkosh.http://www.focol.org/greenways/ This section of the trail passes several native

tallgrass prairie The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroach ...

s, crosses numerous rivers and creeks and the Rat River Wildlife Area and runs parallel to the north shore of Lake Butte des Morts' Sunset Bay near Oshkosh. The trail connects to the

Friendship State Trail The Friendship Trail is a recreation trail in northeastern Wisconsin. The trail is used by walkers, hikers, bikers, horseback riders, and snowmobilers during the winter months. Two sections of the trail are complete: ~14 miles from Winchester eas ...

near U.S. Route 10 in Clayton, which provides a connection to trails in the Fox Cities Area. The Tribal Heritage Crossing is a trail that utilizes the

Interstate 41 Interstate 41 (I-41) is a north–south Interstate Highway connecting the interchange of I-94 and U.S. Route 41 (US 41), located south of the Wisconsin–Illinois border at the end of the Tri-State Tollway in metropolitan C ...

/ U.S. 41 bridge over Lake Butte des Morts in Winnebago County. The crossing opened in 2013. It has 13 kiosks featuring Native American history and two fishing spots. Communities along the route include: Hortonville,

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

, Larsen, and Oshkosh.

References

External links

Outagamie County portion of the Wiouwash State Trail
{{Wisconsin hiking trails Rail trails in Wisconsin Protected areas of Outagamie County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Waupaca County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Winnebago County, Wisconsin Protected areas of Shawano County, Wisconsin