Walk Or Ride Alongside Lake Michigan On The 6-Mile Mariners Trail In Wisconsin
By Ben Jones|Published January 17, 2023
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Ben Jones
Author
Ben Jones is at heart an adventurer who delights in inspiring others. A former reporter and photojournalist, he explored towns large and small as a Wisconsin correspondent for USA Today. He later became a lead photographer and senior copywriter for an award-winning destination marketing agency, before founding Boldland Creative, a company that produces photography, video, and other content for travel destinations. Jones has completed photography and content projects in more than 15 states and when he’s not looking through a camera or at his Macbook you’ll find him exploring the world’s lakes and forests.
Lake Michigan provides a dramatic backdrop for one of the most scenic recreation trails in Wisconsin. The Mariners Trail runs between Manitowoc and Two Rivers, right along the lakeshore. It’s a spectacular pedestrian trail with an interesting back story, and it’s worthy of a special trip to this charming area of the state. Here’s why you should make the trip.
You can thank some middle school kids for dreaming up this remarkable path. In the 1990s, a few Two Rivers students complained that there was no place to in-line skate. A teacher replied, “why don’t you do something about it?”
The girls proposed, planned, and pushed through a project to build a lakefront trail. Their energy and ideas caught fire, and the trail was formally dedicated on June 1, 2002.
You can access the trail virtually anywhere along the path, which is paved and smooth. There’s also a parking lot off of Lake Street, at the northeast end of the trail.
The trail is very well maintained, and it’s clearly treasured by many in the community – it has flower gardens, sculptures, picnic areas, and viewing telescopes.
There’s no fee to use the Mariner’s Trail. Learn more about the path on the Friends of Mariners Trail website. This area of Wisconsin is beautiful, and there’s a lot to see and do, but surprisingly, it also happens to be one of the most overlooked areas of the state.
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