National Take A Hike Day is Nov. 17
Hit the trails next week for National Take A Hike Day (Nov. 17). The national event is sponsored by the American Hiking Society.

All of Wisconsin's state parks, forests and recreation areas have hiking trails of all difficulty levels and our state trails offer linear trail hiking miles across the state. And don't forget to check out some real special gems, Wisconsin's two National Scenic Trails – the Ice Age Trail and the North Country Trail.

If you're new to hiking, it's easy to get started. Make sure you have water and a sturdy pair of shoes. Find a route, check the map, then lace up your boots and hit the path.

Bat Condos Welcome Visitors
Thanks to volunteer groups and community organizations, many state park properties are receiving "bat condos." Bats are important for agriculture and ecosystem balance. One bat can eat over 1,000 mosquitoes per hour. One condo can shelter hundreds of bats. We'll let you do the math on their benefit from there. 

Cave bat populations in Wisconsin have been in rapid decline since 2014 due to the discovery of a devastating fungal disease that causes extensive mortality in cave-dwelling bats. In Wisconsin, we have four cave bat species: big brown bat, little brown bat, northern long-eared bat and tricolored bat. All are in danger due to white-nose syndrome.

Bat condos act as a cave for bat habitat. They need warm protected areas to rest during the day and raise their pups. 

Many thanks to the volunteers and donors who make these condos possible including Friends of Hartman Creek State Park who worked to install one of four new bat condos by the beach on Hartman Lake and on the south shore of Mid-Lake. And we can't forget a local Girl Scout troop who installed one at the Southern Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest near the Ottawa Lake campground.

Learn more about what you can do to help bats.

_{Photo Credit: Friends of Hartman Creek State Park}

Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area

Situated along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area offers unspoiled beauty with kettle lakes and many glacial features with many activities available inside the David R. Obey Ice Age Interpretive Center and outside in nature.

Chippewa Moraine, in New Auburn, is 3,568 acres of state-owned land. The geology and landscape feature ice-walled-lake-plains, debris-filled ridges, hummocks and kettle lakes, scenic views and restored prairie.

Hiking, backpack camping, fishing and bird watching are popular activities. During winter, Chippewa Moraine's trails are open to snowshoeing, hiking and cross-country skiing, though please be aware, trails are not groomed. Area lakes provide ice fishing opportunities.

Facilities include boat landings, picnic areas and outpost camp sites. There are 23 miles of multi-use trails, including 6.5 miles of accessible trails and 8 miles of
Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

The David R. Obey Ice Age Interpretive Center houses first-class glacial, cultural and natural history displays. The center is named for former United States Congressman Obey, who was instrumental in ensuring that the reserve and its interpretive center would be a showplace of glacial history and in extending the Ice Age National Scenic Trail throughout the state.

In the interpretive center, hold a snake, pet a turtle, dig for fossils, borrow snowshoes, watch a nature video, do a scavenger hunt, feed the fish, discover how ice formed the Chippewa Moraine, try the voyageurs' paddle race or play voyageurs' tug-of-war.

Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area is located in Chippewa County. 

_{Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR}