Glacial Drumlin State Trail
The Glacial Drumlin State Trail was created in 1986 and rates as one of Wisconsin’s best trails. The 52-mile trail runs between Cottage Grove and Waukesha. The route originally was part of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway’s line from Chicago to Minneapolis.
Much of the landscape is low and marshy, which posed challenges during railway construction in the early 1880s. Bridges over wetlands often warped or sagged when wooden pilings sank in the muck. Work continued, though, and the route was used for decades. By 1983, the line had become inactive. Work then began to create a recreational trail using the railway route between Cottage Grove and Waukesha.
While biking on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail, the evidence of ancient glaciers on the land is clear. Massive sheets of ice that crept southwest created wetlands, ponds, and rivers. Another distinguishing glacial feature is the many oval-shaped hills called drumlins. They are composed of glacial drift, which includes clay, silt, sand, gravel, and boulders. The hills are aligned in the direction that the ice flowed.
Running through farmland, forests, and wetlands, a variety of wildlife may be spotted from the trail. Sandhill cranes have bright red caps on their heads, and a distinctive call. Ducks and geese frequent ponds and marshes, while spring peeper frogs and songbirds are heard. Deer, wild turkeys, foxes, and other wildlife are commonly seen.
The trail traverses Dane, Jefferson, and Waukesha Counties. Along the way, it passes through the communities of Cottage Grove, Deerfield, London, Lake Mills, Jefferson, Helenville, Sullivan, Dousman, Wales, and Waukesha.
The Glacial Drumlin State Trail heads head east from Cottage Grove for 39 miles on crushed limestone. After crossing Wisconsin State Highway 26 in Jefferson County, it follows along a town road and county highway for nearly 2 miles. In the village of Dousman, the surface becomes paved asphalt and continues that way to Waukesha. Many of the small towns along the trail offer places to eat and relax. Trailheads are located in many of these towns.
Situated between Madison and Milwaukee, the trail is well-known and well-used. The more popular trailhead parking areas may be congested on weekends, especially mid-day. The western trailhead is located off County Highway N in Cottage Grove. The eastern trailhead is in the Fox River Sanctuary at the E.B. Shurts Building at the corner of College and Prairie Avenues in Waukesha. From there, cyclists may connect on Waukesha’s Fox River Trail. It is a short distance on city street bike routes to the New Berlin Trail.
Parking is also available in many towns along the trail. State campgrounds are found in Lake Mills, Dousman, and Delafield. These include campgrounds in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, Lake Kegonsa State Park, Capital Springs State Recreation Area, and at the Sandhill Station State Campground.
A state trail pass is required for use on the Glacial Drumlin State Trail by bicyclists and in-line skaters aged 16 and older. The cost is $5 for daily use, or a $25 annual pass may be purchased. Exercise caution while biking on the trail, and obey all posted rules.