Old Plank Road Trail (Wisconsin) Explained

Old Plank Road Trail
Length Mi:37.6
Location:Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Use:Shared-use path
Established:late 1970s[1]
Maintainer:Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin
Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Website:Old Plank Road Trail (Sheboygan County)

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

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 17miles 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 17miles westward expansion of the trail into Fond du Lac County was constructed as part of a project to widen Highway 23;[4] 4.4miles of this length brought the trail to the Sheboygan County border.

Route

The trail begins at the interchange between WIS 23 and Interstate 43 in Kohler . 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 .[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Old Plank Road Trail . November 16, 2023 . Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
  2. Web site: Old Plank Road Trail (WI) . November 16, 2023 . TrailLink.
  3. Book: Crawford, Bob . Walking Trails of Eastern and Central Wisconsin . . 1997 . 9780299155742 . Madison . 123 . en.
  4. October 4, 2022 . Gov. Evers, WisDOT, Community Leaders Celebrate WIS 23 Improvements in Fond du Lac, Sheboygan Counties . . November 16, 2023.
  5. ((OpenStreetMap contributors)) . November 16, 2023 . Old Plank Road Trail . . November 16, 2023.