Did you know that 30 years ago before Wisconsin Highway 441 opened to vehicles, it was first opened to pedestrians? As thousands of people turned out to show their enthusiasm, the next year the CE Trail was built, and the Fox Cities Greenways was formed. The trail movement had begun! 

As part of this movement, in 2020, Trails Summit 1.0 was held just before COVID began. The pandemic brought a silver lining in the ways people re-discovered the joy of being in nature, and how instrumental our trails are to helping us access and enjoy nature.  

Curt Detjen, President & CEO of the Community Foundation

“One of the dream ideas from Trails Summit 1.0 was to provide a safe, off-road connection to and from High Cliff State Park. The Menasha segment of Loop the Little Lake Trail is a primary point of origin/destination. Trails in the right places are a special interest, and our donors shared this interest.” said Curt Detjen, President/CEO of the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. “The Nelson Crossing pedestrian bridge connecting Little Chute with Kaukauna over the Fox River was in the first set of grants made to support this effort. It has been a huge hit!” 

The Nelson Family Fund for Trail to High Cliff State Park and other charitable funds within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region have supported a recreation trail tying the Fox Valley to High Cliff State Park. This trail helps provide residents and visitors safe access to retail, job centers, local trails, parks, and other community facilities by linking communities, neighborhoods, and nature.  

“Through continued collaboration and strategic planning, we are bringing this vision to life,” said Detjen. “We have been able to hire a Trail Coordinator with expertise to lead and position projects for grant successes and be a liaison with consultants and others. We are keeping the momentum going through public and private funding allowing us to pay for local shares of matching grants from the Department of Transportation, accelerating progress without local governmental budget approvals. They have been great partners to lead the planning.”  

Trails Summit 2.0

While 30 miles of trails were completed in the last 5 years, planning is underway for the next 5 years and beyond. Our communities are embracing our local trail systems and the need for quality trails continues to increase. Trails Summit 2.0 was held in February where leaders from both public and private sectors came together once again to dream, collaborate, and to plan for future trail expansions.  

Recreation trails improve the quality of life for residents and attract new people to work and live in the Fox Cities. If you would like to create a fund to support our local trails, contact Michelle Lippart Hardwick, Director of Gift Planning at mlippart@cffoxvalley.org or call 920.702.7622. 

To learn more about our trails, visit: Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning | ECWRPC, Fox Cities Greenways, High Cliff Connection, and Friends of High Cliff State Park. 

Listen to our podcast Trails: Connecting Communities – Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region and Focus Fox Valley | WHBY