Richard Bong State Recreation Area: Blue Trail (Blog Hike #1020)

Trails: Visitor Center Nature and Blue Trails
Hike Location: Richard Bong State Recreation Area
Geographic Location: west of Kenosha, WI (42.63344, -88.12711)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2024
Overview: A loop around Wolf Lake through the largest prairie in southeast Wisconsin.
Park Information: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/richardbong
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=972106
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming August 29, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: In southeast Wisconsin, take I-94 to SR 142 (exit 340).  Exit and go west on SR 142.  Drive SR 142 west 9.1 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and park in the large blacktop parking lot near the park's Visitor Center.

The hike: Consisting of 4515 acres of old farm land, Richard Bong State Recreation Area has an interesting history as public land.  The United States Air Force began buying the farm land in 1955 with the intention of establishing a Strategic Air Command Base that would house B-52 bombers.  The base project was cancelled in 1959, and in 1967 the land was transferred to the State of Wisconsin to form the state's first and still largest recreation area.  True to its air force roots, the park is named for Major Richard Bong, a World War II "Ace of Aces" pilot from Wisconsin who won 40 aerial victories.

            Visitors today are thankful local and state leaders had the foresight to create the park, as Richard Bong State Recreation Area preserves one of the largest remnant prairies in Wisconsin.  The prairie comes alive with wildflowers in August and September, so I highly recommend a late summer or fall visit.  This area's vast wetlands cause the trails here to get very boggy and buggy in the spring and early summer, making for unpleasant hiking.

            The park features 6 picnic shelters, a 214-site developed campground, and boating and fishing on Wolf Lake, this park's largest lake.  Yet the trail system takes center stage here.  Richard Bong State Recreation Area offers 9 trails totaling 41.5 miles, some of which are open to horses or mountain bikes.  Hikers have many options to choose from, but the park's most popular hiking trail is the Blue Trail described here.  Though not the park's longest trail, the Blue Trail forms a complete loop around Wolf Lake, and it explores both the prairie and woodland areas, thereby sampling all the park has to offer.

Trailhead behind Visitor Center

            There are several places from which you could start the Blue Trail, but this description starts at the Visitor Center because it is near the gatehouse and has a large parking lot.  From the rear of the Visitor Center, head down the gravel Visitor Center Nature Trail that heads south toward Wolf Lake.  A native garden and a butterfly garden are planted near the trailhead, and interpretive signs describe the plants in these gardens.

Visitor Center Nature Trail

            Where the gravel trail splits, angle right to keep heading due south.  At 0.25 miles, you reach an intersection with the Blue Trail.  Turn right to begin a counterclockwise journey around the Blue Trail.

Starting the Blue Trail

            Marked with wooden posts bearing blue paint blazes, the Blue Trail heads west through a nice prairie area.  The prairie wildflowers including black-eyed Susan and goldenrod were in full bloom on my mid-September visit, and I did some nice bird watching that included cardinals, blue jays, and chickadees.  A small snake also slithered across my path in this area.  Next you cross 2 paved roads that lead to parking lot C, which serves some picnic shelters and a playground, as you head around the west end of Wolf Lake.

Blue Trail in the forest

            The less-maintained horse trail crosses the hiking trail several times, but you want to stay with the well-maintained Blue Trail.  Just past 1.5 miles, a signed spur trail exits left, heading for a waterfowl blind.  While this trail does lead to a wooden blind along Wolf Lake, the blind itself is hard to access and very overgrown.  A nice lake view can be had from the main trail only 0.25 miles further.  The serene waters provide a tranquil setting, and a bench invites you to sit, rest, and enjoy the aquatic scenery just short of this hike's midway point.

Wolf Lake

            Now the trail heads through a small wooded area.  Black walnut trees grow in the low areas, while oak and hickory make appearances in the higher areas.  After passing through the forest, you climb slightly to reach my favorite prairie vista on this hike.  The relatively high ground on which you stand makes the view long and wide, and the wildflowers in bloom turned the prairie into a sea of yellow on my visit.

My favorite prairie view

            Continuing around the loop, some moderate undulations bring you alongside SR 75 and to Wolf Lake's dam at 2.4 miles.  More undulations come next, with the trail going more up than down.  2.75 miles into the hike, you reach the first of 2 intersections with the Green Trail.  You could turn left here to begin the Green Trail if you want to take a short cut, but I turned right to hike the full Blue Trail.

Hiking the Blue Trail

            The trail passes near the park's Sunrise Campground and the campground access road as it passes a small pond.  At 3.6 miles, you reach the other intersection with the Green Trail.  A nice more distant view of Wolf Lake appears to the left here.  Angle right to stay on the Blue Trail, and quickly get back to the gravel Visitor Center Nature Trail.  Turn right to return to the Visitor Center and complete the hike.