Mascoutin Valley State Trail
The Mascoutin Valley State Trail is actually two separate trails that were created in the “Rails to Trails” program. Together, the two trails travel 21 miles. The Mascoutin Valley State Trail is maintained by the counties of Fond du Lac, Winnebago, and Green Lake in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The trails honor the Mascoutin Native American tribe. Known as the “Fire Nation,” and “Little Prairie People,” they lived near Green Lake and the upper Fox River in the mid to late 1600s. The Algonquin-speaking tribe had moved west to Wisconsin to escape attacks from the Iroquois and other warring tribes. By the time of the Fox Wars during the early 1700s, they had entwined with the Kickapoo, Mesquaki (Fox), and Sauk nations. They eventually moved south and west. The last mention of them living in the state was in the 1780s.
On the former lands where the Mascouten tribe resided, the two trails traverse rolling hills of farmland, meadows, and wetlands. They frequently border state wildlife areas. Trail surfaces are crushed limestone, and occasionally grass and gravel.
The eastern route journeys 10 miles from Rosendale to Fond du Lac. It follows the route of an abandoned Chicago and Northwestern Railroad line. Fond du Lac County maintains the trail. The trailhead in Rosendale is located on Wisconsin State Highway 26 on the north side of the village. In Fond du Lac, the terminus is at Rolling Meadows Drive.
The western section of the trail follows the old line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad. This railroad company was also known as “The Milwaukee Road.” The trail begins on County Road E (Eureka Street) on the north side of Ripon. It ends in Berlin at Wisconsin State Highway 49 (S. Church Street), near the highway’s intersection with South Street. In all, the trail runs 11 miles through Fond du Lac, Winnebago, and Green Lake Counties. These counties maintain their own portion of the trail. Horseback riders use the trail too, but no damage to the surface is noticeable. There is no fee to use the trail. Cyclists should obey all posted rules, and yield to horseback riders.
Route Descriptions