Hiking the Seven Bridges Trail in South Milwaukee

The Seven Bridges Hiking Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee is famous for the sign which you walk beneath at the trailhead reading: "Enter this wild wood and view the haunts of nature." Local teenagers have interpreted this phrase as a warning of paranormal activity; however, the word 'haunt' in this context means 'the place nature inhabits'.

Other than random bone chilling mysterious screams emanating from the deep woods and a praying mantus man - on the Seven Bridges Trail you will find serenity, meandering trails through a wooded ravine, and seven bridges which cross a babbling brook that spills out into Lake Michigan at a pristine natural beach.

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Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee

Trail Description

The historic seven bridges trail is the centerpiece of a proud Milwaukee County Park. It was constructed to its current splendor by a WPA crew in the Great Depression. The pathway is an assembly of limestone pavers quarried at the nearby Lannonstone Quarry, a local source for building stone since 1853. The retaining walls are of the same material.

An unnamed babbling brook has cut a deep ravine from the soft mud lake bluff, and the trail follows this cut as a convenient way down to a beach. There are staircases with robust handrails descending down into the verdurous ravine. In the ravine there are a number of hearty bridges which cross the stream - but you are able to hop across on river stones if you care to explore the park further.

Several offshoot trails make adjoining loops and connect the trail to nearby picnic areas and a playground. It would be easy to get temporarily lost in this woods. But the entire trail network is so short that you would not wander long before finding your way back to the parking lot.

Getting lost on this trail is precisely its purpose. It's design reminds me of The Ramble in NYC's Central Park. You can stroll along in this wild garden and discover the haunts of nature as well as find peace and meditation as one would in a zen garden. Both the dripping ravine and the Lake Michigan beach provide ample opportunity for peaceful reflection.

As to paranormal activity - I didn't encounter anything on a hot Saturday morning ... but I did have an uncharacteristic nightmare the evening after I walked this trail from which I woke up trembling and in a sweat. As I am a middle aged man and cannot remember in my lifetime ever having a nightmare with such an affect I have to wonder what might have caused it ... perhaps a spirit latched onto me while I walked at Grant Park.

Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee


Overview: Seven Bridges Trail

COUNTY
MILWAUKEE COUNTY
COMMUNITIES
SOUTH MILWAUKEE
TOTAL MILES
1-MILE DOUBLE LOOP
DIFFICULTY
EASY
POINTS OF INTEREST
Lake Michigan, Grant Park


Directions and Trail Map

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Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.

Address for your GPS: Grant Park 100 Hawthorne Ave South Milwaukee, WI 53172
| coordinates: 42.923108, -87.848585 |

From Milwaukee 15 Minutes
From Madison 1.5 Hours
From Green Bay 1.5 Hours
From Wausau 3 Hours
From Minneapolis 5 Hours
From Chicago 1.5 Hours


Photos

Trailhead of the Seven Bridges Trail in Grant Park South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee

Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee

Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee

Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee

Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee
Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park in South Milwaukee








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