WI Kenosha
Kenosha Area Trails:
Hiking Trails, Bicycle Paths, Mountain Bike Trails, Cross-Country Ski Trails, as well as places to paddle a canoe or kayak in and around Kenosha, Wisconsin, including nearby trails in Racine County and Northern Lake County, Illinois.
I don’t think I’m going out on a limb in saying that it’s highly unlikely that Kenosha will ever make the list of top vacation spots for adventure travelers. Even if you limited the list to places in Wisconsin, it still wouldn’t make it. But, if you look hard enough (as I have over the years) and show a little flexibility in your activities you may be surprised as to just how much there is to do in the Kenosha area. Sure I’d rather be paddling in the Boundary Waters, cross-country skiing in the U.P., Mountain Biking the CAMBA trails, or hiking somewhere in Canada. But those are places I am fortunate enough to be able to occasionally visit for short periods of time. Kenosha, on the other hand, is where I live and subsequently spend most of my time.
Fortunately, there are places to paddle, ski, mountain bike, hike, bike, skate, run, and swim in the Kenosha area or nearby. Sure, they are mostly smaller trails in county and city parks, but as a whole, all these little outdoor opportunities add up to some pretty good outdoor recreation.
Fun Fact: Eastern Kenosha County kind of has its own little continental divide thing going. Waters flowing down the Pike River or any of the small creeks on the far east portion of the county will work their way into Lake Michigan, then through the St Lawrence Seaway along the Canadian Border, and finally to the Atlantic Ocean. Meanwhile, waters flowing down the Des Plaines River or Fox River will work their way towards the Illinois River, then the Mississippi river, and on to the Gulf of Mexico. So theoretically, you could calculate and draw an imaginary line on the map of eastern Kenosha county where any rain falling to one side of the line would eventually end up in the Atlantic Ocean, while rain falling only inches away would eventually end up in the Gulf of Mexico. And Yes, I realize the Gulf of Mexico is technically part of the Atlantic ocean, but that doesn't make this little fun fact any less interesting.
Overview Map
This map is intended to show the general locations of trails in the Kenosha area that are documented on Trailville.com. It does not represent all parks or all trails in the area. In addition, the underlying map is a 40-year-old map from the USGS (I'm using it because it is in the public domain) and is not intended for navigation.
Google Maps
I've created a Google Maps page that includes trailheads and access points to trails in the Kenosha Area. Click the link below to view.
- Google Maps Link to Kenosha Area Trails
- Google Maps of Trailheads in Kettle Moraine State Forest Southern Unit
The Trails
Kenosha area trails
- Kenosha Area Bike Paths - Bike (and multi-use) paths in Kenosha, Racine, and northeastern Lake County (IL).
- Kenosha Lakefront - Bike paths, Beaches, Parks along the Lake Michigan shorline.
- Petrifying Springs County Park - Scenic county park with a significant number of trails suitable for hiking, mountain biking, and cross country skiing.
- Parkside Cross Country Ski Trails - Local groomed cross country ski trail system on land owned by the University of Wisconsin - Parkside.
- Bristol Woods County Park Hiking and Ski Trails - County park with trails suitable for hiking and cross country skiing.
- Silver Lake County Park Trails - County park with trails suitable for hiking, cross-country skiing, and mountain biking.
- Fox River Park Hiking and Ski Trails - County park with trails suitable for hiking and cross country skiing. Also put-in point for canoe or kayak on the Fox River
- New Munster Marsh Wildlife Area - State Wildlife area with trails suitable for hiking and cross-country skiing.
- Prairie Springs Park - Mostly man-made newer park with an asphalt trail around a lake and some short trails in the woods.
- Richard Bong State Recreation Area Trails - State recreation area with many miles of trails suitable for hiking, cross country skiing, and easy mountain biking.
- Peorio Park Nature Trails - Small scenic trail system in city park.
- Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area - Prairie and wetlands area with a few trails.
- Kenosha Dunes - Very small dunes area with short walking trails running through it.
- Des Plaines River - Kenosha - Great place for some interesting quiet water paddling.
- Pike River - Kenosha - Scenic stream with rather limited paddling opportunities.
- New Unnamed Kenosha County Park - informational page on the proposed county park in Randall. They are currently calling this park KD park.
Racine area:
- Cliffside Park - A little bit of everything at this county park including "cliffs", Lake Michigan shoreline, prairie, woods, and a ravine along a small creek.
- Root River - Racine - Diverse paddling ranging from quiet water to rapids.
- Kenosha Area Bike Paths - Bike (and multi-use) paths in Kenosha, Racine, and northeastern Lake County (IL).
Just south of the border:
- Illinois Beach State Park - Illinois State Park with trails for hiking and biking as will as coastline for paddling and hiking.
- Beulah Park Trails - City Park in Zion with some nice hiking and mountain bike trails.
- Des Plaines River Trail - Scenic meandering bike (multi-use) trail running 28 miles south along the Des Plaines River.
- Des Plaines River - Lake County Illinois - Great place for some interesting quiet water paddling.
- Van Patten Woods - Lake County Forest Preserve, Illinois - Forest Preserve just Southwest of Kenosha has bicycling and hiking trails and access to the Des Plaines River and the Des Plaines River Trail.
- Nippersink Creek Canoe - Lake County and McHenry County Illinios - Scenic prairie stream offering some nice paddling.
- Gander Mountain Forest Preserve - Scenic, rugged hiking trails and the highest point in Lake County.
- Glacial Park Scenic County park with interesting glacial features and hiking/ski trails.
Worth a drive:
- Kettle Moraine State Forest Trails The nearby Kettle Moraine State Forest (Southern unit is about a one-hour drive) offers an incredible amount of challenging and scenic trails for cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and hiking.
- The Alpha Trail in Whitnall Park plus The Rock Bike Park Milwaukee County's first legal mountain bike trail plus a lift-assisted gravity mountain bike park at The Rock.
- There are also trails for mountain biking at Lake Geneva Canopy Tours and Alpine Valley and an indoor bike park at Rays in Milwaukee, I don't have pages set up for these, they are commercial trail systems.
Recommendations by activity
Hiking
Almost every trail listed has some hiking opportunities. For scenery I think Petrifying Springs County Park ,Illinois Beach State Park in Zion , Gander Mountain Forest Preserve just south of Wilmot, and Cliffside Park in Racine would top my list of nearby trails to see. But Bristol Woods County Park , Silver Lake County Park Trails , Fox River Park , Prairie Springs Park , Peorio Park Nature Trails , Kenosha Dunes, and Van Patten Woods Forest Preserve all provide some nice trails.
For miles of prairie trails, Richard Bong State Recreation Area Trails is the place to go. For scenery and many miles of rugged hiking trails as well as some easier nature trails, traveling to the southern unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest Trails can't be beat. Also, *Glacial Park in Mchenry County Illinois has some nice trails and scenery.
Biking
For biking, the scenic meandering Des Plaines River Trail is the clear leader. More off-road biking (not mountain biking) is available at Kenosha Area Bike Paths , Kenosha Lakefront Trails , and Illinois Beach State Park.
Mountain Biking
For serious mountain bikers wanting to ride locally, there is some nice singletrack at Petrifying Springs County Park and Silver Lake County Park in Kenosha or Beulah Park in Zion, Illinois. There are some easy trails at Richard Bong State Recreation Area that may interest more casual mountain bikers. Or, you can travel to Kettle Moraine State Forest John Muir and Emma Carlin Trails for a popular mountain bike trail system with over 30 miles of trails or to The Alpha Trail in Whitnall Park southwest of Milwaukee which is adjacent to The Rock Bike Park a lift-assisted downhill mountain bike park.
There are also trails at Lake Geneva Canopy Tours and at Alpine Valley and an indoor bike park at Rays in Milwaukee, I don't have pages set up for these, they are commercial trail systems.
With all these mountain biking options I rarely travel outside of SE WI anymore for mountain biking.
Cross-Country Skiing
For local groomed trails we have the Parkside Cross Country Ski Trails. For ungroomed skiing you can check out Richard Bong State Recreation Area, Petrifying Springs County Park, Bristol Woods County Park, Silver Lake County Park Trails , Peorio Park Nature Trails, or Fox River Park. There is also some nice ungroomed skiing at Glacial Park in Mchenry County, IL.
For really good skiing you need to travel to Kettle Moraine State Forest and check out the Nordic Trails, McMiller Trails, Scuppernong, or the Lapham Peak Unit (each is about an hour drive from Kenosha). Or go even further to the northern unit and the Greenbush Trails.
Paddling
The Des Plaines River offers the most paddling opportunities in the area, but the first section of Nippersink Creek in Illinois would have to be my "if you could only paddle one place" pick. The Root River in Racine provides some diverse paddling opportunities. For some rather limited local paddling you may want to try the Pike River.
Lake Michigan also provides some nice paddling, my preference is putting in at Illinois Beach State Park, but there are also plenty of places to put in at the Kenosha Lakefront.
Links
Related Pages
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This page is authored and maintained by Dave Piasecki