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The Trade River Segment of the Ice Age Trail is a 4.2-mile linear and easy footpath in northwestern WI. Its miles traverse mild terrain along the swampy Trade River which is part of a chain of tunnel channel lakes. Some of the miles of this segment pass through Straight Lake State Park, Wisconsin's newest state park established in 2002.
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
The easy and scenic miles of the Trade River Segment are welcome after the monotony of the Gandy Dancer Segment which is a long and straight rail trail connecting to the St. Croix Falls Segment. The Trade River is an easy, well developed and maintained introduction to hiking on the Ice Age Trail.
Almost the entire length of the Trade River Segment is squishy or swampy, but there are number of plank walks and elevated board walks to help keep this segment from degrading into a mud trough. This trail is well maintained and easy to follow. It gets my approval for family friendliness and will be a joy for anyone of any age or athletic ability.
The tail end of the Trade River Segment is located in Wisconsin's newest state park: Straight Lake State Park. The land for this park was first acquired in 2002 and it has remained undeveloped until recently. In fall of 2016 a number of rustic self-registration campsites with vault toilets will be established on the south shore of Straight Lake. At the same time, disperse camping areas will be added along the IAT on the north shore of Straight Lake and on the Trade River Segment. These wilderness campsites will have great views and lake and river access and will be a boon to long distance hikers who have been clamoring for more camping options on the trail.
The Trade River Segment begins less than 1/4 of mile down the road (150th St) from the end of the Gandy Dancer Segment. It also connects directly to the Straight Lake Segment.
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
Overview: Ice Age National Scenic Trail - Trade River Segment
COUNTYPOLK COUNTY
COMMUNITIES
LUCK
TOTAL MILES
4.22-MILE POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
1183 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1333
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
700 FT
TOTAL ELEVATION LOST
-650 FT
CAMPING
DISPERSE CAMPING AREAS
POINTS OF INTEREST
Straight Lake State Park, Trade River, Big Basalt Rock
NEXT IAT SEGMENT EASTBOUND
STRAIGHT LAKE SEGMENT
NEXT IAT SEGMENT WESTBOUND
GANDY DANCER SEGMENT
Directions and Trail Map
DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF USGS TOPOGRAPHIC MAPLUCK QUADRANGLE
FREDERICK QUADRANGLE
Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.
If viewing on a mobile device, open the trail map above to load into Google Maps App by touching the expand rectangle in the upper right corner.
Address for your GPS: 2811 280th Avenue, Luck, WI 54853
| coordinates: 45.612186, -92.428978 |
| From Milwaukee | 5 Hours |
| From Madison | 4 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 4 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 1 Hour |
| From Chicago | 6 Hours |
Photos
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Trade River Segment |
Links
Ice Age National Trail Alliance
Ice Age National Trail - National Parks Service
Straight Lake State Park