Butler Lake to Crooked Lake - Ice Age Trail, WI

From the Butler Lake TH, the Ice Age Trail climbs a short set of stairs. Don’t head out the south end of the parking lot: That is the horse / snowmobile trail, which parallels, and occasionally crosses, the Ice Age Trail. It is not illegal to walk on the snowmobile trail, but is illegal for anything other than hikers on the Ice Age Trail.


Other the prairie at Buter Lake’s north end, there were a few more open areas south of Butler Lake, and they tended to be larger than the ones north of it. In each open area, the mosquitoes magically disappear.1.4 miles south of Butler Lake, the Ice Age Trail crosses County F. At the 2.0 mile mark, at the south end of a clearing, there is a branch trail to the Shelter #3, the “Dundee Shelter”.

Just past the split, the trail begins following the west shore of Kellings Lakes, at the south end of which is a “dog training area”. I was under the impression that meant simply there might be some hunters training their dogs there, not actually firing off shots. So imagine my concerned surprise when I heard a quite close, very loud, shot.Conveniently, south of that point, there is a small rise between the lake and the trail, so I had some cover.

At 3.3 miles, the Ice Age Trail crosses dirt Division Rd. Just past that, the trail begins following the west shore of Crooked Lake. The segment ends a mile later at County SS. I turned up the dirt road, towards the boat ramp, where there is a decent size parking area.

2017-08-08 kingsnake