Kettle Moraine State Forest, Wisconsin

Two sweeping tracts of state parkland--the North section west of Sheboygan, the South near Whitewater--featuring hills and depressions ("kettles") left by the Ice Age create a landscape very much atypical of the flatlands and gentle rolling terrain found over much of the upper Midwest. Woodlands and lakes yield habitat for a variety of wildlife and add to the recreational possibilities.

• How to get there • How's the weather? • Top attractions • Recommended resources • Stories

Alan Solomon's 5 reasons to go

1. Hiking the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
Only part of the thousand-mile trail traverses the state forests (31 miles in the North, 33 miles in the South), but few of those miles better illustrate what took place here 20,000 years or so ago.
2. Driving the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive
Tickling six Wisconsin counties, the 115-mile route links the two Kettle Moraines and provides access to much of what makes them special.
3. Old World Wisconsin
Set entirely within Kettle Moraine South, this collection of farm and small-town buildings gathered from throughout the state provides a re-creation of Wisconsin life before things (even here) got so complicated.
4. Road America and Elkhart Lake One of the nation's great motor sports venues is a short drive--even in a non-racing vehicle--from Elkhart Lake, a pleasant village that's home to several resorts. (Siebkens has been welcoming guests for almost a century.) Near Kettle Moraine North.
5. Whitewater
Indian mounds, Cravath Lake and, of course, home of the UW-Whitewater Warhawks, among other things an NCAA Division III power in several women's and men's sports. Just west of the South section.

• What did we miss? Share your tips for Kettle Moraine.

Top attractions
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail
• Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive
Eagle
• Old World Wisconsin
Elkhart Lake
• Road America

Recommended resources
• Kettle Moraine State Forest: Northern Unit
• Kettle Moraine State Forest: Southern Unit
• Elkhart Lake

Related stories

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The complications of simple pleasures

Elkhart Lake is in Wisconsin, about 150 miles from Chicago. The distance is just right for a weekend getaway, and the "Summer Pleasures Package," good through September 2 at The Osthoff Resort, sounds like a nice way to spend a weekend there. Is it a good way to spend your getaway dollars as well? Let's find out.

August 17, 2003

Fall's the time to hit Wisconsin bike trails

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September 15, 2002

Pedal power needed here

If your plan to sweat off pounds this summer left you with little more than an empty bag of chips poolside, don't despair. Rather than digging out that gently used "Buns of Steel" tape, remember you purchased that SUV for a reason. Was it style-savvy? No. It was so you'd be king of the road, mountain bike in tow.

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