Dodge County, WI
Home MenuGold Star Memorial Trail
15 Miles (Mayville to Beaver Dam)
Connecting Communities and Remembering
Phase 2 (Horicon to Wild Goose State Trail - Current Project Status
Phase 1 - Mayville to Horicon Marsh - Open
Phase 2 - City of Horicon to Wild Goose State Trail - Being Designed for Construction
Phase 3 - Wild Goose State to City of Beaver Dam - Feasibility Study in Process
Phase 4 - City of Horicon (Palmatory Point to Whitty Park/Utilizing City Street Route) - Open
Phase 5 - Horicon Marsh Education Center to Palmatory Point - Open for Hiking (No Biking)
The Gold Star Memorial Trail (GSMT) is a citizen initiated, public-private project progressing through Dodge County, Wisconsin providing an important recreational trail facility for the citizens of Dodge County and its visitors and serves as a memorial to fallen service members of Wisconsin. The trail will stretch from the City of Mayville to the City of Beaver Dam, traversing approximately 15 miles when complete. The trail is for non-motorized use, primarily biking and hiking, and provides opportunities for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter months. The trail connection between the Cities of Mayville and Beaver Dam also provides important trail links to the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area and its world class Education and Visitor Center, the City of Horicon, and the Wild Goose State Trail. Most of the trail is projected to be 10’ wide, asphalt paved and located within highway or railroad rights of ways separated from vehicle travel lanes.
The grass roots energy and support for this project has been the catalyst to jump start this long proposed trail development plan. Citizens, business leaders and Gold Star Families from Mayville to Beaver Dam and surrounding areas have formed a project committee and partnered with Dodge County and the Friends of Dodge County Parks, Inc. to lay the foundation for and carry out the funding, planning, development and future maintenance of the proposed trail.
The trail project is generally broken into five (5) phases. These phases can be accomplished in any order or concurrently with one another as funding is available and alignments are finalized. Each phase is locally important on their own. However, when combined, they create a significant regional connection between communities.
Benefits:
- About 40-50% of Dodge County residents and potentially hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Horicon Marsh area would have easy access to the trail.
- Improved and safer biking and hiking transportation connectivity between Dodge County communities - reducing automobile trips.
- Improved access to healthy lifestyle activities and recreational pursuits for current and future generations.
- Enhanced economic development as a regional tourism resource.
- Opportunity for partnerships, collaborations and cooperation across local, County, State and Federal governments and agencies, organizations, foundations, businesses, individuals, etc.
- Remembering and honoring those local (and statewide/national) heroes that made the ultimate sacrifice – since 1991, Dodge County has lost six service members from the communities which are linked by this trail.
These local service members serve as a special inspiration for this trail project. However, the trail is dedicated to the remembrance of all military service members that paid the ultimate price and their families they left behind.
For more information:
Gold Star Memorial Trail Website - [Make A Donation]