Glacial Drumlin State Trail: Jefferson to Sullivan
The Jefferson trailhead for the Glacial Drumlin State Trail sits north of town in Jefferson Junction. 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 has a quaint downtown. Rotary Park is found in the downtown area on the east bank of the Rock River. It 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 4-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.
The bicycle route continues east from the travel plaza on W. Junction Road for 1.5 miles over several small hills. 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.
W. 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 surface of the Glacial Drumlin State Trail is in fair condition throughout this section. Holes alongside the trail may pose problems for inattentive bicyclists. The trail is fairly level with a slight rise in elevation for the 12.6 miles from Jefferson Junction to Sullivan.
The trail mainly ventures through rolling fertile farmland. The oval hills created by glaciers (Drumlins) occasionally rise up around the trail. While much of the path is shaded by a corridor of trees, in other places it traverses open marshes.
It is a little of 7 miles from the Jefferson Junction trailhead to Helenville. Nearly a mile apast the little community, the 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 2 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).
The trailhead in Sullivan is on Palmyra Street. It includes a large parking lot, restrooms, drinking fountain, information kiosk, self-registration station, park benches, and picnic tables. The trailhead may be reached by car from U.S. Highway 18 in Sullivan, by turning south on Palmyra Street and driving 0.2 mile.
The village of Sullivan took its name from the local township; the area was first called Winfield. The little community was laid out in 1881. A year later the railroad arrived, and a depot was built in 1884. With the advent of the railroad, Winfield began to prosper and changed its name to Sullivan in 1915.
Map of trailheads and addresses along this section of the trail.
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.
Caroline Quiner’s mother, Charlotte Tucker Quiner Holbrook, is buried in Hoffman Cemetery in the community of 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 historical marker indicates her grave in the cemetery in Rome.
Trail last ridden and documented in June, 2021.