Seven Bridges Trail, Milwaukee, WI

This 2-mile nature trail is the crown jewel of Grant Park, one of the oldest parks in Milwaukee County.The Seven Bridges Trail is a quiet spot of inspiring beauty within the large urban area of Milwaukee County. It wanders over a series of bridges and walkways through deeply carved, dramatic ravines that bisect Grant Park. It’s a product of the grand vision of the Milwaukee County Park Commission of the early 20th century: to create a well designed natural oasis amid the industrial expansion of Milwaukee.

The Seven Bridges Trail offers intimate access to many fantastic natural features found within this larger public green space. Its ravines are heavily wooded with old stands of native trees, including American beech, maple, white ash, and yellow birch trees. In the spring, the forest floor teems with ephemerals, such as trout lilies, Jack-in-the-pulpits, mayapples, trilliums, and other native flora. Along the bluffs adjacent to the trail, there is a rare and fragile wet fen (not accessible to the public) which supports a unique population of plants.

This trail is also part of a prime migratory route along Lake Michigan, and a prime birding spot.

Summary

• An easy 1 1/2 hour drive from Chicago is a Milwaukee County park with an opportunity for a short but breathtaking hike. No lakefront park in the immediate Chicago area offers anything rivaling the rugged terrain and spectacular lake views.

• Located in South Milwaukee, Seven Bridges consists of about 2 miles of officially designated trail, plus a network of footpaths through dramatic ravines and skirting the edge of a precipitous bluff along Lake Michigan.

• The trail actually has a total of 10 bridges over a meandering creek at the bottom of the ravine, and takes hikers to a secluded beach area at the mouth of the creek.

• The trail in located inside the larger Grant Park, which —in warmer weather— offers additional options for picnicking and biking along the mammoth 100 mile Oak Leaf Trail that encircles the city of Milwaukee.

Milwaukee County Parks website.