A new trail will connect 3 state parks in the Driftless Area

You may have heard of the Ice Age Trail, the 1,200-mile long path winding across landscapes carved by glaciers in Wisconsin through the ages.

Now, there’s a trail in the works that will one day wind through the Driftless Area, that special part of southwestern Wisconsin where no glaciers roamed.  

The Driftless Area Land Conservancy has started the years-long process of constructing a trail that will eventually cover 50 miles of the Driftless Area and connect Tower Hill, Blue Mound and Governor Dodge State Parks. 

“Part of our organization’s mission as a land trust is to connect people with this landscape,” said Barb Barzen, community conservation specialist for the Driftless Area Land Conservancy.

Barzen spoke with WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” about the trail. 

The process for creating the trail is unique because over 97 percent of the Driftless Area in Wisconsin is privately owned. The conservancy’s plan is to find private landowners who want to convert parts of their property into conservation or trail easements.

“Even though it will connect state properties, it will cross primarily private lands. So finding enough landowners in alignment to make that happen is a bit of a leap of faith,” said Barzen. 

Interested property owners can apply for funding and technical support through the state Department of Natural Resource’s Landowner Incentive Program. 

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation is one notable private landowner that has converted parts of its property to trail land. Two sections of the trail will be located on the grounds of Taliesin, Wright’s home in Spring Green. 

“This land really inspired Frank Lloyd Wright. All of his ideas about architecture actually come from …  where this trail is,” said Emily Butler, vice president of partnerships for the foundation. 

The foundation wants Taliesin to be more integrated into the community and for people to have the opportunity to experience the land surrounding the property — as Wright himself was able to, Butler said. 

The creation of the trail has also had the side effect of getting more land protected. The conservancy has protected 470 acres solely through their conversations with landowners. 

The Driftless Trail is currently about 7 miles total, with various unconnected sections scattered around the region. 

The conservancy expects to take about 20 years to complete the trail.

“It’s just one step at a time,” Barzen said.