There's a lot of future trail development required before the Cedar Lakes Segment will connect between the Slinger and West Bend Segments. For now the Cedar Lakes Segment is a 2 mile long linear easy footpath that cuts through valleys between the Polk Kames outside Slinger. You'll find a large parking lot off County Highway NN. The trail area includes two other trails so you can make this hike into a 4 mile lollipop.
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Photos
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment
The sound of traffic and speeding cars roars through the forest at Polk Kames State Ice Age Trail Area. The trail area butts up against the busy I41 and is just across the freeway from the Slinger Speedway - an active racetrack. In spite of the distant noise the parking lot off NN was full and there were plenty of dog walkers and hikers out for a Sunday morning stroll before the big Packers game.
The trail starts out cutting through a few corn fields but then dashes into a deep forest. The forest is old growth and typical of the native forests which once shaded this region: birch, oak, maple. The trail does not catch too much elevation, preferring to stay between the kames rather than climb them. But, a few gentle rollers twist through this ancient feeling forest.
This is a great easy weekend walk for locals who seem to know it well. It offers easier hiking and a bit more privacy than the nearby Pike Lake State Park. While short on long scenic views, this remains a gem of a hike in Washington County.
Ice Age National Scenic Trail - Cedar Lakes Segment
COUNTYWASHINGTON COUNTY
COMMUNITIES
SLINGER
TOTAL MILES
2-MILE POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
1100 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1210 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
280 FT
TOTAL ELEVATION LOST
-270 FT
POINTS OF INTEREST
Polk Kames
NEXT IAT SEGMENT EASTBOUND
WEST BEND SEGMENT
NEXT IAT SEGMENT WESTBOUND
SLINGER SEGMENT
Directions and Trail Map
Address for your GPS: 4704-4898 Arthur Rd, Slinger, WI 53086
| coordinates: 43.353114, -88.271140 |
| From Milwaukee | 1/2 Hour |
| From Madison | 1.5 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 1.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 2.5 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 2 Hours |
Sugar maple
Acer saccharum
Sugar maple has opposite leaves with three to five pointed lobes separated by rounded notches.
Image: Captain-tucker — Acer saccharum 02.JPG; CC BY-SA 3.0. No changes by this project.
Mayapple
Podophyllum peltatum
Mayapple bears broad umbrella-like leaves with deep lobes and a nodding white flower beneath the paired leaves of flowering stems.
Image: Willthomas — Podophyllum peltatum flower.jpg; CC BY 4.0. No changes by this project.
American hazelnut
Corylus americana
American hazelnut is a thicket-forming shrub with alternate double-toothed oval leaves and nuts enclosed by ragged leafy bracts.
Image: Rob Routledge, Sault College, Bugwood.org — Corylus americana 5474404.jpg; CC BY-SA 3.0. No changes by this project.
Gravel
Unconsolidated coarse clastic sediment
Gravel consists of separate pebble-sized or larger fragments whose shapes, colors and textures can be distinguished individually.
Image: Martin Olsson — Gravel small stones.jpg; CC BY-SA 2.5. No changes by this project.
Sand
Unconsolidated granular sediment
Sand consists of separate small grains that look finer than pebbles and form a visibly gritty surface.
Image: Sean O’Flaherty (Seano1) — Sand Grains.jpg; CC BY-SA 2.5. No changes by this project.
Glacial till
Poorly sorted sediment deposited directly by glacier ice
Till mixes fine sediment with scattered larger stones rather than separating them into uniform grain-size layers.
Image: Óðinn — Clarington, Ontario till 1.jpg; CC BY-SA 2.5 Canada. No changes by this project.
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
The Wood Thrush has warm brown upperparts, a white eye-ring and bold dark spots across its white breast and belly.
Image: Nate Rathbun / USFWS — Wood Thrush (34846591886).jpg; Public domain (U.S. federal government work). No changes by this project. Audio: G. McGrane — Wood Thrush.ogg; Public domain (released by creator). Unedited original.
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
A breeding male Scarlet Tanager has a vivid red body, solid black wings and tail, and a stout pale bill.
Image: leppyone — Piranga olivacea.jpg; CC BY 2.0. No changes by this project. Audio: Jonathon Jongsma — Piranga olivacea - Scarlet Tanager XC241113.mp3; CC BY-SA 4.0. Unedited original.
Pileated Woodpecker
Dryocopus pileatus
The Pileated Woodpecker has a large black body, white facial stripes, a long chisel-shaped bill and a swept-back red crest.
Image: Amy — Pileated Woodpecker.jpg; CC BY 2.0. No changes by this project. Audio: G. McGrane — Pileated Woodpecker.ogg; Public domain — released by creator. Unedited original.
Links
VERIFIED RESOURCES & EDUCATIONAL LINKS
Deepen your exploration of the Ice Age Trail Cedar Lakes Segment, the unique glaciofluvial formations of the Polk Kames, and the conservation legacy of the Cedar Lakes watershed through these authoritative resources:
1. TRAIL MANAGEMENT, LAND TRUST STEWARDSHIP & REGIONAL PRESERVES
Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation — Polk Kames Preserve: Official preserve profile detailing the 108-acre sanctuary, trail access points, preserve trail map, and ongoing ecological restoration initiatives in the Town of Polk.
Ice Age Trail Alliance — Cedar Lakes Segment Guide: Authoritative statewide trail guide providing route updates, volunteer stewardship contacts, segment descriptions, and trailhead coordinates for the Cedar Lakes Segment.
A Wealth of Nature — Polk Kames / Cedar Lakes Segment Profile: Detailed regional park guide outlining hiking logistics, seasonal highlights, parking directions on County Highway NN, and preserve highlights.
2. GLACIAL GEOLOGY & TOPOGRAPHIC MAPPING
Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS): Comprehensive scientific research, educational bulletins, and Quaternary geological maps explaining the formation of kames, kettles, and interlobate moraines across Washington County.
U.S. Geological Survey — The National Map Topographic Viewer: High-resolution 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles (Slinger and West Bend Quadrangles) illustrating contour elevations, kame summits, and kettle hollows along the trail corridor.
3. LOCAL HISTORY, CULTURE & SPEEDWAY HERITAGE
Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation — Mission & Watershed History: Learn about the founding of CLCF in 1974, over five decades of citizen-led watershed protection, and the permanent conservation of over 2,500 acres around Big and Little Cedar Lakes.
Village of Slinger — Community History & Parks: Municipal history detailing the 1843 founding of Schleisingerville by Baruch Schleisinger Weil, early German settlement, and local recreational amenities.
4. AVIAN LIFE, BOTANY & FIELD ECOLOGY
Wisconsin Society for Ornithology (WSO) — Washington County Birding Haunts: Field guide to regional birdwatching hotspots, migration corridors, and breeding songbird populations throughout the Kettle Moraine moraine belt.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds: Wood Thrush: In-depth species account covering identification field marks, flute-like vocalizations, habitat requirements, and conservation initiatives for this forest-interior thrush.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology — All About Birds: Scarlet Tanager: Comprehensive guide to the plumage, high-canopy foraging behaviors, and breeding biology of the Neotropical Scarlet Tanager.