Kettle Moraine Purple Loop

Located southwest of Plymouth, WI, the Parnell Observation Tower is located just west of the intersection of Cty Road A and Cty Road U. At the trail-head, the parking lot has a restroom facility, drinking water, and a picnic area.The start of the trail has well established wooden steps along the entire walk to the base of the tower. On your left, there is an alternative route to begin the Parne...

The Milwaukee River Trailhead for the Ice Age Trail (IAT) is located on WI-28, east of the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. Before the hike, make sure to pack water, or hike off-trail to the New Fane trailhead (1.1 mile round trip, we got caught doing this) for an early water source on the trail. The Kettle Moraine State Forest had been shaped and sculpted by glacier thousands of years ago, leaving...

This park is known for its sand dunes, which rise above the blue waters of Lake Michigan. In addition to the well-known dunes, the park features many forested areas with towering pines that makes for absolutely beautiful and fantastical scenery. There are 7 trails ranging from 0.25 miles up to 2.5 miles.You will need an admission ticket ($5) that last for the entire day. The park office takes c...

This state park is about a 30 minute drive north from Milwaukee on I-43. It has beach access along it's entire length, multiple hiking trails, and a great quarry lake that can be used for fishing, hiking, or general exploring. From the parking lot, go south toward the signs for Quarry lake. There is one paved path that will lead to the lake which is a quick 3-5 minute walk. You will be reward w...

This state park is about a 30 minute drive north from Milwaukee on I-43. It has beach access along it's entire length, multiple hiking trails, and a great quarry lake that can be used for fishing, hiking, or general exploring. From the parking lot, you can go and hike one two areas (of course they both meet up): The North BeachGo straight east and follow the path toward the water from the parki...

This is a longer hike than just simply appreciating the lake from the top. Follow the signs along the Gorge loop toward the "Stairs". This entire loop will take you approximately 1 hour from the parking lot to the lake roundtrip.  There are multiple routes to the bottom.  For those that want a straight shot to the staircase and to the lake, right off of the boardwalk will be a straight-shot tra...