Ice Age Trail – Parnell Segment

The Parnell segment of the Ice Age Trail does not disappoint. Each hill climb and twist of the trail reveals more beautiful scenery.

Trail Overview

This section of trail is 13.9 miles long. The trail extends from Mauthe Lake Recreation Area to state highway 67, where the Greenbush Segment starts. Mauthe Lake Recreation Area is historically significant to the Ice Age Trail. It was here that the original trail began! In 1926, land purchased in and around Mauthe Lake by the Izaak Walton League helped to protect the area. This initial purchase sparked the idea of the Ice Age Trail, which years late became a reality. While you run this section, you are running the 1st section of the Ice Age Trail!

Trail

The trail is hummocky or hilly. There are few flat sections, but mostly up and down the hills. There are many stunning glacial features throughout the entire length of the trail. The day that I ran the trail, it was a perfect crisp fall day. The leaves made the trail run perfect!

As you pass by Forrest Lake, there is a small trail down to the edge of the water. Stop and take in the views before you head up and down the trail again. You will be running along a small eskar. An eskar is a ridge of gravel and sand, which is a result of a glacial stream at the base of a glacier.

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The trail continues along running along the edge of the Crooked Lake Wetlands State Natural Area. As you continue on, you will pass three small Kellings Lakes. The lakes and the trail are breathtaking. Throughout the whole section of trail there are small kettle lakes. Kettles are caused by large chunks of glacial ice that was broken off and then melted causing a depression. The depressions then later fill with water.

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As you head down the trail, you run under a canopy of hardwoods. The trail at this point climbs the Parnell Esker, a 4 mile long esker that is anywhere from 5 to 30 feet in height. This eskar is world renowned because of its length. As you reach the peak of the eskar, stop and take in the views. You will have reached Butler Lake and Flynn’s Springs State Natural Area. There is a nice overlook area of the beautiful lake.

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End of a Great Trail

As you near the end of the trail, you will run through a beautiful open prairie and then into a section of woods full of evergreens. The scent was amazing. The whole trail was a continuous up and down of hills. Over the 13.9 miles of trail, I had 1,542 feet of elevation gain.

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I will definitely run the Ice Age Trail Parnell Segment again. Another section of the Ice Age Trail, that I would recommend when training for an ultra. It has everything that makes for a great trail run; hills, tree roots and in sections it is very rocky. Part of the appeal of this section is the many lakes. It’s easy to get lost in the scenery, and trip over a tree root or two. Fall is a great time to get out on the trail and explore! Another segment checked off and on my way to my goal of completing the entire trail! What sections have you run?