| Ahnapee State Trail | |
|---|---|
 Ahnapee State trail bridge over the frozen Kewaunee River | |
| Length | 48 miles |
| Established | 1974 [1] |
| Use | Hiking, Biking, Horseback Riding, Snowmobiling |
| Website | Ahnapee State Trail, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources |
The Ahnapee State Trail (also known as the Ahnapee Trail) is a multi-use trail along the Ahnapee River and the Kewaunee River in northeastern Wisconsin. [2]
Beginning in downtown Sturgeon Bay, the trail winds south along the Ahnapee and Kewaunee rivers to Algoma, Casco, Luxemburg, and Kewaunee. Near Casco, the trail branches off in three directions, west to Luxemburg, northeast towards Algoma and southeast towards the city of Kewaunee. [3]
The Ice Age Trail 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. [4]
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. [5]
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. [6]
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. [7]
The Ahnapee and Western Railway right of way was purchased by the state in 1970 at a cost of $25,000 for 200 acres of land. [8] 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 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.
WIS 42 ( 44°28′08″N87°30′03″W / 44.46889°N 87.50083°W ).
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 archaic name for a species of duck. Kewaunee County is part of the Green Bay, WI Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Green Bay-Shawano, WI Combined Statistical Area.
The Town of Ahnapee is a town located in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States, on the Ahnapee River. The population was 940 as of the 2010 census. The unincorporated communities of Bruemmerville, Kodan, and Rankin are located in the town. The Ahnapee State Trail passes through the town of Ahnapee.
Algoma is a city in Kewaunee County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,167 at the 2010 census. Algoma is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,837 at the 2020 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County. Its Menominee name is Kewāneh, an archaic name for a species of duck.
Casco is a village in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 583 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is located within the Town of Casco. Casco is named after Casco Bay on the coast of Maine, the previous home of Edward Decker, an early logger in Kewaunee County.
Luxemburg is a village in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,515 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is located within the town of Luxemburg.
Sturgeon Bay is a city in and the county seat of Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 9,646 at the 2020 Census. The city is well-known regionally for being the largest city of the Door Peninsula, after which the county is named.
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 operated 255 miles of road on 322 miles of track; that year it reported 317 million ton-miles of revenue freight.
The Door Peninsula is a peninsula in eastern Wisconsin, separating the southern part of the Green Bay from Lake Michigan. The peninsula includes northern Kewaunee County, northeastern Brown County, and the mainland portion of Door County. It is on the western side of the Niagara Escarpment. Well known for its cherry and apple orchards, the Door Peninsula is a popular tourism destination. With the 1881 completion of the Sturgeon Bay Ship Canal, the northern half of the peninsula became an island.
The Ahnapee River is a 14.7-mile-long (23.7 km) river on the Door Peninsula in eastern Wisconsin in the United States. It rises in Door County, Wisconsin, and flows through Kewaunee County into Lake Michigan at the city of Algoma. Its name has been ascribed as coming from the Ojibwe word aanapii meaning "when?".
The Algoma School District is a school district serving the area around the city of Algoma in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. It covers approximately 68 square miles in the northeasternmost section of the county.
State Trunk Highway 42 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs for 135 miles (217 km) north–south in northeast Wisconsin from Sheboygan to the ferry dock in Northport. Much of the highway is part of the Lake Michigan Circle Tour from the eastern junction with U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) in Manitowoc to its junction with WIS 57 in Sister Bay. WIS 42 parallels I-43 from Sheboygan to Manitowoc, and parallels WIS 57 throughout much of the route, particularly from Manitowoc to Sturgeon Bay, meeting the northern terminus of WIS 57 in Sister Bay.
Wisconsin Highway 57 is a 191.82-mile-long (308.70 km) state highway in Wisconsin, United States. It runs from its southern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 59 in Milwaukee to its northern terminus at Wisconsin Highway 42 in Sister Bay. Much of WIS 57 parallels Interstate 43 (I-43) and WIS 42, particularly from Saukville to its northern terminus in Sister Bay. The highway is concurrent with I-43 for 12 miles (19 km) in Ozaukee County. Like most Wisconsin state highways, WIS 57 is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT).
Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It is currently represented by Mike Gallagher, a Republican. Gallagher won the open seat vacated by Reid Ribble who retired in 2016. It is also one of two Congressional Districts to ever elect a Catholic priest, Robert John Cornell.
The Ahnapee and Western Railway (A&W) was a common carrier short line railroad located in northeastern Wisconsin.
The Green Bay metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is a metropolitan area in northeastern Wisconsin anchored by the City of Green Bay. It is Wisconsin's fourth largest metropolitan statistical area by population. As of the 2010 Census, the MSA had a combined population of 306,241.
The Kewaunee River is a 27.9-mile-long (44.9 km) river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It begins near Frog Station in northwest Kewaunee County and flows southeast to empty into Lake Michigan at the city of Kewaunee.
The Kewaunee, Green Bay and Western Railroad, constructed with Lackawanna Trust and W. W. Cargill backing, was incorporated on May 19, 1890, for the purpose of moving cargo between the port cities of Green Bay and Kewaunee in Wisconsin. At first, cargo was transferred between freight cars and steamships manually, but before long carferries equipped with rails on their decks began transporting the railroad cars themselves across the lake between Kewaunee in Wisconsin and Frankfort and Ludington in Michigan.
Casco Junction is an unincorporated community located in the town of Luxemburg in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin. The community was an important railroad outpost for the Ahnapee and Western Railway where Casco Junction acted as the southern terminus of the railroad. Today the now defunct railroad's track has been converted to a walking trail that connects the village of Luxemburg to Algoma and Sturgeon Bay via the Ahnapee State Trail.
Edward Decker was an American businessman, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He is known as the founder of Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate during the 1860 and 1861 sessions.
