Recreation at the solid waste department
The Marathon County Solid Waste Department is lucky enough to call home to over 575 acres of beautiful, diverse land in Central Wisconsin. The Department has worked hard over the year to make the site available for public use and to share the many wonders of the land. You can enjoy astern bluebird nest boxes found along the trails and even harvest native plants that can be transplanted to make your own native landscapes around your home or school.
Mountain Bay Trail
Traveling the Mountain – Bay State Trail in autumn is a trip for the eyes as the season changes, and you’ll begin that journey at the trail head located at the entrance to the MCSWD. The Trail offers intimate views of the environment as it crosses the eastern half of Marathon County and into Shawano County in Wisconsin. Through the forests and tamarack swamps that the trail passes, as the season changes, so do the colors of the landscape.
Take a ride, get out, and enjoy the trail as it takes you from village to village away from the busy highways. The cool weather will comfort you. The sites, and the sounds of nature on the trail will excite you. Return to the trail head to charge your phone, pump your tires, or take it easy after a ride with the bike repair and charging stations available to users.
ice age trail
More than 12,000 years ago, an immense flow of glacial ice sculpted a landscape of remarkable beauty across Wisconsin. As the glacier retreated, it left behind a variety of unique landscape features. These glacial remnants are now considered among the world’s finest examples of how continental glaciation sculpts our planet.
The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a 1,000 mile footpath that highlights landscape features as it travels through some of the state’s most beautiful natural areas. The Trail is entirely within Wisconsin and is one of only 11 National Scenic Trails.
The Ice Age Trail is more than a path through the woods. It is a place for mental and physical rejuvenation, a place to unwind after a hard day and enjoy the landscape of Wisconsin. More than 1 million people use the Ice Age Trail each year to hike and snowshoe, to backpack, to disconnect and reconnect.
Behind the scenes, a vibrant community of volunteers across the state work to build and maintain the Trail, making it one of the country’s best hiking experiences.
