SHEBOYGAN COUNTY – There’s still time for outdoor enthusiasts to get their fill of nature.
As fall begins Monday, milder weather may call for donning a few extra layers when you’re lacing up your hiking boots.
Hiking and biking opportunities are sprinkled across the county’s natural landscape, from popular tourist destinations like Kohler-Andrae State Park to hidden gems like Sheboygan’s Evergreen Park.
Walk through Kohler-Andrae State Park on sand dune boardwalk
Visitors to Kohler-Andrae State Park (1020 Beach Park Lane) can explore rolling sand dunes and pine forests.
In addition to camping, fishing and boating, bikers and hikers can check out the 2.5-mile Black River and 1-mile Woodland Dunes trails. Hikers have additional trail options, including walks through the sand dunes and the Creeping Juniper Nature Trail that begins and ends at the Sanderling Nature Center.
A vehicle admission pass is required. A daily pass for a Wisconsin license plate is $13.
Explore glacial history through Ice Age Trail and Kettle Moraine State Forest
A handful of segments of the Ice Age Trail, a roughly 1,200-mile trail network spanning the state, cross through Sheboygan County. In addition to connecting routes off road, there are trail segments near Elkhart Lake, Greenbush and south of Plymouth.
The trail spreads 31 miles of the northern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, too.
Greenbush also has separate hiking and mountain biking trail loops, amounting to 9 miles and 13.5 miles, respectively. They can be found at the recreation area on Kettle Moraine Drive, 2.5 miles north of State 67.
A similar setup can be found at the New Fane area in Fond du Lac County, which offers four loops of 5.5 miles worth of moderately difficult mountain biking trails and four loops of 7.7 miles of hiking trails. While the trails are interwoven, bikers and hikers have separate trails.
Mountain bikers can also travel the 6.5-mile trail from the Mauthe and Long Lake recreational areas.
The Ice Age Trail’s Parnell segment, which intersects with the Parnell Tower, a 60-foot observation tower, and several trail loops, is another popular hiking spot. The Ice Age Trail’s segment is 13.9 miles here. The Parnell trail loop is 3.5 miles.
Parking areas require a vehicle admission pass. Learn more at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/admission.
Ride intermediate-level trails at Rocky Knoll
Hikers and bikers can explore about 5 miles worth of trails on the Rocky Knoll Health Care Center campus, N7135 Rocky Knoll Parkway, Plymouth. The site has three loops from about 1-2 miles long. The single-track and multiuse trails are suitable for intermediate bikers. Sheboygan County Cycling has helped fund and partnered with Dynamic Trailworx to build two new flow trails.
No trail pass is required.
Escape the city at Evergreen and Maywood parks
For bikers and hikers looking for a closer, natural escape within the city, Evergreen Park and neighboring Maywood Environmental Park may be a good fit.
Hikers can explore forests, wetlands and prairies through relatively short winding trails and loops at Maywood.
Bringing dogs or cats and camping are not allowed at Maywood. Biking can only be done on paved parking lots, driveways or blacktops. The park and trails are open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
Bikes are allowed in Evergreen Park, which has at least 6 miles worth of multiuse trails.
Traverse the county on the paved Old Plank Road and Interurban trails
Those looking for a paved surface should check out the Old Plank Road Trail, which offers 21 miles of trail.
Going west, hikers and bikers can hop onto the trail at trailheads in Sheboygan (west end of Erie Avenue past Taylor Drive); Sheboygan Falls (Meadowlark Road off State 23); Plymouth (where County Road C and State 57 meet); and Greenbush (off Plank Road and State 23). The trail continues into Fond du Lac County, where it runs to the city.
The Sheboygan Interurban Trail is an on-road paved trail going south, following the former route of the railway that connected Sheboygan to Milwaukee.
The 14-mile trail stretches through Ozaukee County, but it can be accessed in Sheboygan (starts near Washington Avenue and South 12th Street), Oostburg (parking lot off De Master Road) and Cedar Grove (parking lot off Commerce Street and State 32).
About 5.5 miles of the trail is off road in Oostburg, and about 1.5 miles of the on-road section goes through the Kohler-Andrae State Park main road.
Contact Alex Garner at 224-374-2332 or agarner@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: This fall, head out to the best hiking and biking destinations in the Sheboygan area
Reporting by Alex Garner, Sheboygan Press / Sheboygan Press
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