SHERWOOD — One of the Wisconsin state park system’s most popular trails, the Lime Kiln Trail at High Cliff State Park, is undergoing extensive improvements after years of deterioration.
The trail is used by hundreds of thousands of people annually, according to the Friends of High Cliff State Park, which spearheaded a major fundraising effort for the improvements.
Decades of wear and tear, a microclimate that causes wood stairs and boardwalks to deteriorate, very high visitor use, and the sloping landscape with seepage areas prone to erosion and flooding have degraded the trail.
To protect the trail and its unique ecosystem as well as enhancing the safety of visitor’s experiences, the capital campaign raised money to improve safety, address erosion, stabilize steep grade changes and replace rotting timbers with sustainable steps.
The fall 2024 trail construction in the waterfall area is part of a multi-year project sponsored by the Friends of High Cliff State Park that will eventually bring improvements to the full 1.7 mile trail.
CLOSURES
The trail parking lot is closed through Dec. 15 as is access to the trail at the kiosk.
The remainder of the trail south of the waterfall area will remain open to public access during construction, but most be accessed from other parking areas.
ALTERNATE PARKING AREAS FOR LIME KILN TRAIL ACCESS:
• Indian Mound Trail Parking Lot
• Overflow Parking Available Throughout the Family Campground
ALTERNATE LIME KILN TRAIL ACCESS POINT:
Via the Trailhead Stairway at Mile Marker 1.1 on the Red Bird Trail. It can be reached by hiking south on the Red Bird Trail from the Indian Mound Trail Parking Lot or from the Family Campground near Campsite #39.
From 1895 to 1956, a limestone quarry and kilns to extract the lime from the stone were operated here on the shores of Lake Winnebago.
Workers drilled holes in the stone and used dynamite to blast it loose.
The lime extracted in the kilns was sent throughout the Midwest for use in plaster and cement and to apply to soil to reduce acidity.
