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Other stories in "Hiking"

• Devil's heaven
  In the Baraboo Hills, a splendid park makes people come running.
• Five ways to walk the Superior Hiking Trail
  On a guided trip, you can pay a lot or a little.
• Bird walks
  In spring, a symphony of trills and chirps draws hikers into the woods.
• Hiking the North Shore
  For most, it's the preferred way to soak up the scenery.
• Hiking in Duluth
  The city sections of the Superior Hiking Trail are spectacular.
• Peak hiking
  For Highpointers, nothing but a summit will do.
• Isle Royale reverie
  Whichever face it shows, the Lake Superior wilderness is beguiling.
• Duluth walks
  Trails along creeks, ravines and bays provide stellar hiking in the heart of town.
• 12 great fall hikes
  For a perfect day, hit the trail and do some sightseeing, too.
• Walk 'n' roll
  Thanks to a bike trail, backtracking on the Superior Hiking Trail is a thing of the past.
• Trek to Timm's Hill
  The highest point in Wisconsin is the gateway to a forest full of trails.
• Quiet time on the North Shore
  Late fall is marked by stark beauty, cheaper stays and the gales of November.
• King of the hill
  With a huff and a puff, hikers earn a view of fall colors.
• Goin' on a treasure hunt
  We jump on the geocaching bandwagon and get hooked.
• Tracing the Ice Age Trail
  In Wisconsin, a slow-moving monolith left a playground for weekend wanderers.
• Hikes with benefits
  For exercise as well as edification, tag along with an expert.
• Preventing Lyme disease
  Bite of a deer tick can cause major headache.

Along for the walk

In fall, join a group hike through the glowing forest.

In fall, everyone wants to be in the woods. The Superior Hiking Trail Association organizes hikes on Minnesota's North Shore. The Nature Conservancy and Sierra Club host forays to their favorite places. State-park naturalists lead walks. Volunteers on the growing Ice Age National Scenic Trail show off their latest handiwork.

The rest of us get to come along for the ride. One year, I joined the annual Parade of Colors Fall Hike from the Chippewa Moraine Ice Age Interpretive Center, between Bloomer and Cornell in western Wisconsin.

Here, the Chippewa lobe of the vast Wisconsin Glacier began to recede, dumping debris and chunks of ice that became pristine kettle lakes, and the trails are among the loveliest of the Ice Age Trail's zigzagging, 1,000-mile route across Wisconsin.

To start the hike, a volunteer drove a carload of us six miles east to Plummer Lake Road. From there, we followed the Ice Age Trail west, crossing golden meadows and passing under red pines as we skirted 21 glacial lakes, their serene waters reflecting the branches of maple and birch.

It was a walk in the park for anyone used to the rocky, root-choked paths of the north woods. The volunteer trail builders had worked hard, placing boardwalks over soggy spots, benches in the shade alongside lakes, yellow blazes on trees and signs at junctions.

Back at the center, there was a free picnic of sandwiches, apples, carrots, cookies and granola bars; a brass quintet played for the tired hikers. Many of us couldn't resist hiking a little more, through a shady bowl sprinkled with kettle lakes on the Woolly Mammoth Nature Trail.

It was a lovely gift for a lovely fall day.

As nice as it can be to hike in solitude, organized group hikes allow participants to travel one way, seeing as much terrain as possible. And it's fun to have everything organized by someone else, see new places and meet new people.

Here are some of the guided fall hikes planned for 2008. All are free and open to the public.

Sept. 20, Minnesota's North Shore. The Superior Hiking Trail Association will hold a seven-mile hike between Lutsen and Oberg Mountain, starting at 10 a.m. Hikers will be organized into a shuttle.

Sept. 27, Governor Thompson State Park in northeast Wisconsin. There's a Fall Color Hike and Geocache Hunt from noon to 4 p.m. Refreshments provided.

Oct. 4, Chippewa Moraine Interpretive Center near New Auburn, Wis. Registration for the annual Parade of Colors Fall Hike, six miles or any shorter distance, is from 9-11 a.m. There's a free shuttle and picnic. The center is seven miles east of New Auburn on County Road M. 715-967-2800.

Other chapters of the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation also will lead fall-color hikes: Sept. 27 in Waushara County; Sept. 28 near Merrill and near Cross Plains; Oct. 4 from Hartmann Creek State Park in Waupaca County, in Langlade County and from Dells of the Eau Claire County Park near Wausau; and Oct. 10-12 across Washington County.

Oct. 4, Nature Conservancy Fall Field Days. The conservancy will lead hikes from 9 a.m. to noon at Catherine Wolter Wilderness Area near Boulder Junction in northeast Wisconsin, Lulu Lake Preserve near East Troy in southeast Wisconsin and Mink River Estuary near Ellison Bay in Door County. Register by Sept. 26.

Oct. 4, Minnesota's North Shore. The Superior Hiking Trail Association will hold a eight-mile hike from Crosby Manitou State Park to the Caribou River Wayside, starting at 10 a.m. Hikers will be organized into a shuttle.

Oct. 4, Sibley State Park near New London, Minn.  There's a Fall Color Walk at 2-3 p.m.

Oct. 4, Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee. There's a Fall Leaf family hike 10:30 a.m. to noon. No admission.

Oct. 10, Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area near Barneveld, Wis. The Nature Conservancy will lead a Fall Field Days hike from 1 to 3 p.m. Register by Sept. 26.

Oct. 11, Effigy Mound National Monument near Marquette, Iowa. A Moonlight Hike includes walks along the Yellow River Bridge Boardwalk Trail and along the Fire Point Trail to the top of the bluff above the Mississippi River Valley. Reservations are required and will be taken beginning Oct. 6, 563-873-3491, www.nps.gov/efmo.

Oct. 11, Blue Hills Canyon near Weyerhaeuser, Wis. The John Muir chapter of the Sierra Club will lead hikes of two to five miles in this part of western Wisconsin's Blue Hills, along the Ice Age Trail.

Oct. 11, Maiden Rock Bluff State Natural Area near Maiden Rock, Wis. The River Alliance of Wisconsin and Western Wisconsin Land Trust will lead a family hike in the bluffs above Lake Pepin, with a stop afterward at Maiden Rock Apples. Call 608-257-2424, Ext. 121 to sign up.

Oct. 19, Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area. A fall-color hike along the shore of this "Everglades of the North" will begin at 11 a.m. from the DNR Field Office, on the north end of Palmatory Street in the east-central Wisconsin city of Horicon.

Oct. 25, Guided Walk in Frontenac State Park near Red Wing, Minn. The NorthStar Trail Travelers are hosting a Folkssport event at the Lake Pepin park from 8 a.m. to  3 p.m.

Trip Tips: Hiking clubs

Hiking clubs hold walks throughout the year, often as part of overnight trips. Generally, participants on day hikes needn't be members.

Minnesota Rovers Outdoors Club: It's based in the Twin Cities and holds weekend and Wednesday-evening hikes as well as backpacking trips; check www.mnrovers.org.

North Stars Ski Touring Club: It's based in the Twin Cities and often holds day hikes as well as weekend hiking trips around the region; check www.north-stars.org.

Wisconsin Go Hiking Club: It's based in Milwaukee and plans four hikes a week in southeast Wisconsin and beyond; check wisconsingohiking.homestead.com.

Forest Trails Hiking Club: This club, founded in 1942, is based in the Chicago area and holds weekend day hikes in northeast Illinois and beyond, typically of 10 to 12 miles; check www.foresttrailshc.com.

St. Paul Hiking Club: It was founded in 1921 and holds many hikes around the Twin Cities; 651-793-4412, www.stpaulhike.org.

Minneapolis Hiking Club: It was founded in 1920 and hosts frequent hikes in the Twin Cities; 612-230-6475, www.minneapolisparks.org (look under Adult Sports).

NorthStar Trail Travelers: Part of the American Volkssport Association, it holds hikes in Minnesota state parks, www.nstt.org.

Sierra Club, John Muir chapter: It's based in Madison, Wis., 608-256-0565, wisconsin.sierraclub.org.

Sierra Club, North Star chapter: It's based in Minneapolis, 612-659-9124, www.northstar.sierraclub.org.

Ice Age National Scenic Trail: The foundation, based in Cross Plains, Wis., coordinates the many local chapters, 800-227-0046, www.iceagetrail.org.

Last updated on October 11, 2008