The Two Rivers Segment of the Ice Age Trail is a 2.8-mile route along sidewalks and paved multi-use trails through the City of Two Rivers – an official Ice Age trail town. This route is as easy to hike as a walk around the block. Just because the trail is out of the woods and along city roads doesn’t mean it lacks scenic highlights. This small city is a picturesque Great Lakes harbor at the mouth and confluence of the East and West Twin Rivers. There are long views of Lake Michigan that you’ll want to relax and savor, and museums, restaurants, and day-at-the-beach activities along the trail route make a visit to Two Rivers an enriched full-day trip.
The trail connects directly to the Dunes Segment at its southwest trailhead and directly to the Point Beach Segment at its Northeast trailhead. Parking on streets and city park lots is easy to find throughout this segment. Neshotah Park is a large park and beach area on Lake Michigan. Hikers can find potable water, flush toilets, and parking at Neshotah Park.
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Trail Images
The beach and Rotary Pavilion at Neshotah Park on the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
The Two Rivers Historical Farm Museum along the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
A white water tower rises above house roofs and overhead wires.
Drawbridge Crossing on the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
View of the harbor and breakwater from the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
Bridge over the West Twin River
A key intersection on the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
Looking back at the drawbridge from the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
Buoys at the Coast Guard Station in Two Rivers from the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
Park pavilion and restrooms along the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
The main changing room and concession building at Neshotah Park in Two Rivers from the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
A side street connecting Neshotah Park to Point Beach State Forest on the Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
The East Trailhead for the Two Rivers Segment / Westbound trailhead for the Point Beach Segment
The beach culture here in Two Rivers is thriving. I came to hike the segments in Manitowoc County on one of those rare early spring days when the temperatures rose to 70 degrees. Even though the beach at Neshotah Park was still wearing its winter fencing, the park was alive with bikers, walkers, rollerbladers, skaters, and people who just wanted to feel the sand on their feet at the end of a long winter indoors.
I started the trail where the Dunes Segment ends and walked down a long but pleasant residential drive. Sights along 12th Avenue include the water tower and a farm history museum, which appeared to be closed. I reached the confluence of the Twin Rivers and enjoyed views of the quaint harbor that Two Rivers has crafted. The Rogers Street Fishing Village is another museum and attraction I chose not to visit this time.
Like most others this summery afternoon, I was looking forward to reaching Neshotah Park and strolling barefoot along the beach. The Neshotah Park beach is one of the best in Wisconsin. I get strong vacationland vibes from this beach, which is usually vibrant with activity.
There is a short walk down a residential street from the beach to the Point Beach trailhead. This is where I doubled back and took a slightly different return route through Two Rivers – more commonly known as Trivers. Lunch at the Lighthouse Inn was the perfect end cap to this afternoon hike.
Ice Age Trail Two Rivers Segment
COUNTY
MANITOWOC
COMMUNITIES
TWO RIVERS
TOTAL MILES
2.8-MILES POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
575AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
615 AMSL
TOTAL CUMMULATIVE ELEVATION GAIN
200 FT
NEXT IAT SEGMENT EASTBOUND
IAT POINT BEACH SEGMENT
NEXT IAT SEGMENT WESTBOUND
IAT MANITOWOC SEGMENT
Directions and Trail Map
Open the full-size map in CalTopo using the link above.
Address for your GPS: 2111 Pierce St, Two Rivers, WI 54241
| coordinates: 46.34055115571312, -91.23820071838573 |
| From Milwaukee | 1.5 Hours |
| From Madison | 2.5 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 1 Hours |
| From Wausau | 2.25 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 3 Hours |
Plants
Eastern hemlock
Tsuga canadensis
Eastern hemlock has short,flat,blunt needles with two pale bands beneath them and small hanging cones.
Image: Joseph O’Brien, Northeastern Area Archive, USDA Forest Service · Tsuga canadensis foliage cones.jpg · CC BY 3.0 US · resized JPEG
Bloodroot
Sanguinaria canadensis
Bloodroot bears a white flower with numerous yellow stamens above a rounded leaf divided into broad lobes.
Image: Derek Ramsey (Ram-Man), © 2007 · Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis Plant Flower 2448px.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.5 · resized JPEG
Common bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Common bearberry forms low evergreen mats with small leathery oval leaves and pale pink,urn-shaped flowers.
Image: Jörg Hempel · Arctostaphylos uva-ursi LC0146.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 Germany · resized JPEG
Geology
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 · resized JPEG
Peat
Organic sediment of partially decomposed plant remains
Peat is dark brown organic material in which fibers or small woody fragments can remain visible.
Image: Hugh Venables · Close-up of peat - geograph.org.uk - 944928.jpg · CC BY-SA 2.0 · resized JPEG
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 · resized JPEG
Birds
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.
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
An adult male American Redstart is mostly black with orange patches on its wings,sides and tail,contrasting with a white belly.
Image: Tim Lenz / USFWS Headquarters · American Redstart (male) (13886927989).jpg · CC BY 2.0 · resized JPEG
Audio: Jonathon Jongsma · Setophaga ruticilla - American Redstart XC133902.ogg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · recordist removed chatter and filtered low frequencies
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
The Black-capped Chickadee has a black cap and throat,white cheeks,a gray back and pale underparts with buff-colored sides.
Image: Rhododendrites · Black-capped chickadee (41417).jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · resized JPEG
Audio: Jonathon Jongsma · Poecile atricapillus - Black-capped Chickadee XC123506.ogg · CC BY-SA 3.0
Links
- Ice Age Trail Alliance — Official portal for the statewide non-profit organization dedicated to creating, maintaining, protecting, and promoting the 1,200-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail across Wisconsin.
- Ice Age Trail Alliance — Lakeshore Chapter — Local volunteer chapter leading trail stewardship, workdays, and public hikes across Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties, including the Two Rivers and Point Beach segments.
- City of Two Rivers: Parks & Recreation Department — Official guide to municipal parks, beachfront amenities, bathhouse facilities, and the Rotary Pavilion at Neshotah Beach.
- Rogers Street Fishing Village & Museum — Historic maritime museum along the trail preserving the 1886 Two Rivers North Pierhead Lighthouse, antique wooden commercial fishing tugs, net sheds, and shipwreck artifacts.
- Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum — World-renowned typography museum celebrating J.E. Hamilton's 1880 invention of mass-produced wood type in Two Rivers, housing over 1.5 million wood letterforms and operating historic letterpress equipment.
- City of Two Rivers: Community History & Sundae Invention — Official municipal narrative detailing pioneer lumbering, French-Canadian commercial fishing, and Edward C. Berners' historic 1881 invention of the ice cream sundae on Central Avenue.
- Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey (WGNHS) — Bulletin 108: Geology of Manitowoc County — Comprehensive geological survey examining the Two Rivers moraine glacial till, coastal sand deposits, and coastal lowland peat accumulation.
- Woodland Dunes Nature Center & Preserve — Non-profit coastal nature center safeguarding over 1,500 acres of ancient forested sand ridges, wetland swales, and peat bogs immediately west of Two Rivers.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Wood Thrush Life History & Sounds — Detailed species guide illustrating identification, breeding behavior, conservation alerts, and high-fidelity audio recordings of the Wood Thrush's renowned flute-like song.
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology: American Redstart Guide — Comprehensive guide to the migratory wood-warbler, illustrating plumage variations, tail-fanning insect-flushing behaviors, and riparian habitat requirements.