Glacial Drumlin State Trail: Jefferson to Sullivan

The section of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail from Jefferson to Sullian sees the least use. It passes through open farmland, as well as meadows, hardwood forests, and some wetlands. The route is 12.7 miles long, but it does travel for 1.5 miles on country roads. In this section, the trail gently rises in elevation. The surface of the path is compacted limestone, in good condition. Holes on the side of the trail may pose problems for inattentive bicyclists.

The trailhead for the Glacial Drumlin State Trail is in Jefferson Junction, once intersection of two rail lines. The trailhead has a parking lot, park bench, information kiosk, and self-registration station. It is located on Schreiber Road. By car, exit Wisconsin State Highway 26 at the by-pass north of Jefferson, to Business Highway 26 (Indianhead Drive) and turn left (west). Drive 0.4 miles to the intersection with Schreiber Road/Valero Way. Turn left (east) onto Schreiber Road and drive 0.2 mile to the trailhead entrance.

Jefferson is the county seat of Jefferson County and has a quaint downtown area. Rotary Park is located in the downtown area on the east bank of the Rock River. It works well as a trtailhead. The park has restrooms, a band shelter, park benches, and picnic tables.

Stable Rock Winery and Distillery is close to the park, serving wines and spirits in a historic converted livery and stable. The “Jefferson,” a rum barrel-aged Cabernet Sauvignon, is a standout option. A few blocks away, Wedl’s Hamburger Stand and Ice Cream Parlor is a great place for a quick bite to eat. In operation since 1916, this local favorite serves slider-style hamburgers, cheese curds, and other comfort food.

Jefferson developed due to the waterpower made possible by the Rock River, and this location was the furthest up the river that steamboats could travel in 1839. New England settlers arrived in the area beginning in the 1830s. A century later during World War II, a prison camp named Camp Jefferson was built at the County Fairgrounds to house German POWs. Today, Jefferson is the county seat for Jefferson County.

In addition to the Jefferson Junction trailhead, there is another parking option. From Wisconsin State Highway 26, go south on Business Highway 26 to the Jefferson Travel Plaza. This complex has a hotel, fast food restaurant, and gas station. The trail departs the trailhead on Schreiber road and goes east under Indianhead Drive. It then passes over the four-lane state highway, and turns south to W. Junction Road, where the plaza is located. It is one mile from Jefferson Junction trailhead to the travel plaza.

Returning to Glacial Drumlin State Trail, the route goes east from the travel plaza on Junction Road for 1.5 miles. To the north, a massive Valero Renewables plant dominates the skyline. Today, it produces ethanol, distiller’s grains, livestock feed, and carbon dioxide for carbonated beverages. The site is the largest single consumer of corn in Wisconsin.

Junction Road ends at County Highway Y. Posted signs direct bicyclists left (north) on the county road for 0.4 miles. The route then goes east, resuming on a trail. After 0.5 mile, it crosses Johnson Creek and goes southeast. One mile further, it crosses the creek again.

The trail ventures through rolling fertile farmland. The oblong hills created by glaciers during anciet times are called Drumlins and rise up around the trail in certain places. While much of the path is shaded by a corridor of trees, in other places it traverses open marshes.

It is a little more than seven miles from Jefferson Junction to Helenville. Nearly a mile past the little community, Glacial Drumlin State Trail crosses Duck Creek Road. A posted sign informs trail-goers of nearby Pohlmann County Park.

The county park is a short distance to the right (south) on Duck Creek Road. An old silo sits by the parking lot, and a monument commemorates the Pohlmann family who farmed here. The park has a covered picnic shelter, restrooms, hand pump, grills, and playground. By car, it is reached by turning north on Duck Creek Road from U.S. Highway 18.

From Duck Creek Road, it is 1.9 miles to the trail’s junction with U.S. Highway 18. Cyclists should exercise caution at this busy intersection. Hunting grounds are located north of the trail (near its junction with the highway), so gunshot noises are not uncommon in this area.

For the next two miles the trail parallels the highway. It moves away from the road in its last mile. A view of Sullivan is seen at the trail’s junction with County Highway F (Main Street).

Sullivan’s trrailhead is on Palmyra Street, and has a self-registration station, parking lot, restrooms, water fountain, information kiosk, park benches, and picnic tables. It is reached by turning south on Palmyra Street from U.S. Highway 18 in Sullivan and driving 0.2 mile.

Sullivan took its name from the local township. It was first called Winfield. The community was laid out in 1881. A year later, the railroad arrived. A depot was built in 1884. With the advent of the railroad, Winfield prospered and changed its name to Sullivan in 1915.

Near Sullivan are the communities of Concord and Rome. In the 1850s, Charles Ingalls and Caroline Quiner lived near each other in Concord on the banks of the Oconomowoc River. In 1850, they married in Concord and later moved to Pepin, Wisconsin. Charles and Caroline are the parents of the famous children’s author Laura Ingalls Wilder.

^{Map of trailheads and addresses along this section of the trail.}

Caroline Quiner’s mother, Charlotte Tucker Quiner Holbrook, is buried in Hoffman Cemetery in Rome. Charlotte was born in 1809 in Massachusetts and died in 1884. Her first husband, Henry Newcomb Quiner, perished in a shipwreck on Lake Michigan in 1844. In 1849, she married Frederick Holbrook. Today, a marker indicates her grave in the cemetery in Rome.

Glacier Drumlin State Trail journeys for 12.7 miles from Jefferson Junction to Sullivan. The path advances east in Jefferson County through beautiful countryside. Prehisotric glaciers left a rolling landscape, filled with moraines and drumlins. In lower area, the trail passes through marshes and wetlands. This section sees little traffic, so a ride here is very tranquil.

Trail last ridden and documented in June, 2021.