Old Plank Road Trail (Wisconsin)

For other uses, see Old Plank Road Trail.
Old Plank Road Trail
Length37.6 mi (60.5 km)
LocationFond du Lac County, Wisconsin
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Establishedlate 1970s[1]
UseShared-use path
Maintained byFond du Lac County, Wisconsin
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
WebsiteOld Plank Road Trail (Sheboygan County)
Trail map
Map

The Old Plank Road Trail is a 37.6-mile (60.5 km) shared-use path in Fond du Lac County and Sheboygan County in Wisconsin.[2] It runs for approximately 21 miles (34 km) in Sheboygan County before entering Fond du Lac County, bordering Wisconsin Highway 23 (WIS 23) the entire way.[1][2]

History

The route of the trail (and the bordering WIS 23) had been used as a footpath by Native Americans; later, the route was occupied by a plank road. The original approximately 17-mile (27 km) section from the city of Sheboygan to Greenbush was constructed over the course of 1977 to the early 1990s.[3]

Between 2019 and 2022, an approximately 17-mile (27 km) westward expansion of the trail into Fond du Lac County was constructed as part of a project to widen Highway 23;[4] 4.4 miles (7.1 km) of this length brought the trail to the Sheboygan County border.[1]

Route

The trail begins at the interchange between WIS 23 and Interstate 43 in Kohler (43°44′58″N 87°45′48″W / 43.7494°N 87.7634°W / 43.7494; -87.7634 (Old Plank Road Trail, eastern trailhead)). It runs west along the southern edge of WIS 23, detouring briefly near the intersection with WIS 67. At the intersection with County Trunk Highway UU in Fond du Lac County, the trail switches to running along the northern side of WIS 23 before terminating where it meets the Loop in the city of Fond du Lac (43°47′02″N 88°24′06″W / 43.7838°N 88.4018°W / 43.7838; -88.4018 (Old Plank Road Trail, western trailhead)).[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Old Plank Road Trail". Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  2. ^ Crawford, Bob (1997). Walking Trails of Eastern and Central Wisconsin. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 123. ISBN 9780299155742.
  3. ^ "Gov. Evers, WisDOT, Community Leaders Celebrate WIS 23 Improvements in Fond du Lac, Sheboygan Counties" (Press release). Governor of Wisconsin. October 4, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  4. ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (November 16, 2023). "Old Plank Road Trail" (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved November 16, 2023.