Exploring the Fox River Trail with the Wisconsin Go Hiking Club
March 16, 2024 | Topics: Places
By Eddee Daniel
It was an enticing invitation: Would I like to hike the Riverwalk in Waukesha? I’d never done that before, which was good enough motivation for me. But as it turned out, the hike was far more intriguing than I anticipated. First of all, I discovered that the formal Riverwalk is just a small section of the much longer Fox River Trail, which follows the river from Frame Park near downtown to Fox River Park 7.2 miles downstream to the southwest.
The second unexpected attraction was joining nineteen members of the Wisconsin Go Hiking Club on the 100-year anniversary of the Club’s founding. Not being a member myself (yet!), I was not aware of the milestone.
We gathered in the Waukesha Library parking lot, near the middle of the Riverwalk. Before we reached the river we passed a mural informing us we were in the home of the “American legend” Les Paul (who, for the uninitiated, was a jazz, country, and blues guitarist, songwriter, inventor and maker of musical instruments, most notably the solid-body electric guitar). We continued to see reminders along the rest of our route in the form of inventively decorated guitar sculptures.
At the river we proceeded upstream along the east bank on the Riverwalk’s paved trail. At Frame Park the Fox River Trail divides into twin lanes: an asphalt lane for cyclists and a pedestrian lane made of concrete pavers. (This proved to be a less than ideal hiking surface when one of the Go-Hikers tripped on a buckled section of pavers and fell, leading her to abandon the rest of the hike.)
Frame Park is an elongated open green space surrounding an impounded section of the Fox River. The park features many amenities and active recreational options, including a baseball diamond, sand volleyball courts, boat ramp, picnic shelters, botanical garden, playgrounds, and the Schuetze Recreation Center and Rotary Building.
Several pavilions, gazebos, and ceremonial portals enliven the walk around both sides of the lake. I particularly enjoyed the tall, graceful trees that framed lovely views of the water. The west side of the park is mostly just wide enough to accommodate the twin trails. However, when we reached the southern end of the park at Barstow Plaza, we discovered several public sculptures and a map of Waukesha embedded in the concrete—which the Go-Hikers immediately walked all over.
Continuing downstream along the west bank, we came upon another sculpture. This one depicts an adult brown bear and two cubs. A bronze plaque identifies it as “Life Lessons” and explains that the ensemble is based on an “ancient Native American tale depicting a Grandmother bear teaching two orphaned cubs the skills for survival.” It neglects to identify the artist. Being an art teacher, I think that is an unfortunate omission.
The Go-Hikers ended the Riverwalk portion of their hike at Veteran’s Park. I for one didn’t notice any wayfinding signage that indicates the fact that the Fox River Trail continues past that point. I had to discover it when I was researching this blog post at home, which was a bit late to take advantage of the opportunity to check it out! A web page devoted to the Fox River Trail has this to say about continuing south along the trail: “Cyclists must then cross busy Wisconsin Avenue. The route across the street is not clearly marked, and caution is advised.”
In any case, the Go-Hikers turned away from the river at this point and continued to hike through city streets. At which point we parted ways. City streets hold less interest for me, as regular readers of this blog might expect! (Have I ever mentioned my favorite song lyrics of all time? It’s just two lines from Paul Simon’s “El Condor Pasa”:
“I’d rather be a forest than a street
I’d rather feel the earth beneath my feet.”
For more information about the Wisconsin Go Hiking Club, including a calendar of upcoming hikes, go to their website.
More information about the Fox River Trail is here.
The Fox River is also known as the Fabulous Fox Water Trail. Check that out here.
Note: The Fox River in Waukesha County, which flows south into Illinois, should not be confused with the more well-known Fox River that flows northward through the Fox Valley cities into Green Bay.
Related (Fox River) stories:
Kayaking the Fox River in Waukesha County
Bonus photo (for those who read all the way to the end!). Another mural seen along the way. My title for the image: “What’s wrong with this picture?” I’d love to hear your answers to that question in the comments.
Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, but is not affiliated with the Wisconsin Go Hiking Club.