Kohler-Andrae State Park: The Cordwalk (Blog Hike #1023)

Trail: The Cordwalk
Hike Location: Kohler-Andrae State Park
Geographic Location: south of Sheboygan, WI (43.66733, -87.71630)
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: September 2024
Overview: A double out-and-back atop sand dunes along Lake Michigan.
Park Information: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/kohlerandrae
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=972356
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming July 18)

Directions to the trailhead: Just south of Sheboygan, take I-43 to CR V (exit 120).  Exit, go east, then quickly turn right to stay on CR V.  Where CR V ends in 1.9 miles, continue straight to enter the park.  Pay the entrance fee, then follow signs for the Sanderling Nature Center, where this hike begins.

The hike: Consisting of 988 acres on the shore of Lake Michigan, Kohler-Andrae State Park's hyphenated name stems from its 2 separate histories.  The park's southern 122 acres were originally known as Terry Andrae State Park, which was established in 1928.  Terry Andrae was the President of the Julius Andrae and Sons' Electric Supply Company in Milwaukee, and he built a second house on this property to take advantage of the scenic dunes overlooking Lake Michigan.  After Andrae died in 1927, his family donated the land to the State of Wisconsin to form the park that bore his name.

            In an unrelated event, in 1966 the Kohler Company donated 280 acres of land located immediately north of the existing park.  Rather than adding the land to Terry Andrae State Park as would be customary, the Kohler donation was formed into a new park called John Michael Kohler State Park to honor the company's founder.  Additional adjacent land acquisitions bring the area's size to the current total.  While the "park" is still officially 2 separate state parks, they are managed, maintained, and marketed as a single entity: Kohler-Andrae State Park.

            In 2023, the park was the 7th most visited state park in Wisconsin, and it offers some fantastic amenities including a 135-site developed campground, some picnic areas, and a nature center.  Yet the park's main attraction remains the same as it was in Andrae's day: the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan.  Several hiking trails explore the dunes, and this hike describes possibly the most famous trail in Wisconsin: the Kohler Cordwalk.  The Cordwalk features fantastic dune-top Lake Michigan scenery, but the Cordwalk's unusual construction makes the hiking much easier than walking in soft sand.  I came here on a warm sunny morning in mid-September, and I had a splendid, scenic, and memorable hike.

Trailhead for southern Cordwalk

            The Cordwalk can be accessed at 3 distinct points; I chose to start at the Sanderling Nature Center near the Cordwalk's midpoint because it is easy to find and has a large parking lot.  Pick up the Cordwalk as it heads southeast from the parking lot.  A large sign that says "Kohler Dunes State Natural Area" marks this trailhead.

Hiking the Cordwalk

            Immediately the wonder of the dunes becomes apparent.  The soft sand dunes are mostly covered by green grass and shrubs with an occasional cluster of trees, while azure blue Lake Michigan can be seen and heard to your left.  The wind is your near constant companion.  Plenty of benches encourage you to rest and take in the scenery, but there is minimal shade on this hike.  Be prepared for the sun and warmth of the sand dunes.

Sunny Cordwalk bench

            The Cordwalk heads the general direction of south, but it meanders and undulates in seemingly random and endless twists and turns and ups and downs.  In some places you can see the construction of this unique trail surface.  Boards laid perpendicular to your route are strung together by 2 cables or cords that pass through holes drilled in the boards.  Some of the boards are loose and uneven, so you have to step a little carefully.  Nonetheless, hiking this trail surface is many times easier than hiking in soft sand as required at other Lake Michigan dunes hikes such as Warren Dunes or Indiana Dunes.

The Cordwalk's trail surface

            Several "spur Cordwalks" exit right or left from the main Cordwalk.  The spurs going left lead down to the beach beside Lake Michigan, while the spurs going right lead to inland wetland overlooks or the group camp.  You may not want to take each of these spur trails, but you should take a couple of them to see the dunes, lake, and surrounding areas from a different perspective.  Large numbers of gulls were sitting on the beach when I hiked down to the lake.

Gulls along Lake Michigan

            At 0.85 miles, you reach the south end of the Cordwalk and Parking Lot #5.  The main campground lies south of here, but there are no other trails that lead to this parking lot.  Thus, you want to turn around and hike the Cordwalk back north to the Sanderling Nature Center.  If you want to add a little variety to your return route, you can take a short spur of the Cordwalk called the Creeping Juniper Nature Trail.  This spur goes further inland than the trail you hiked southbound, and it takes you through one of the largest clusters of white pines among the sand dunes.

Hiking the Cordwalk northbound

            2.1 miles into the hike, you arrive back at the Sanderling Nature Center parking lot to complete the southern part of the Cordwalk.  If you are getting tired you can head home now, but why not see the northern part of the Cordwalk too?  Make it so by heading north out of the parking lot at another large sign for the Kohler Dunes State Natural Area.

North trailhead at Sanderling Nature Center

White pine cluster

            The northern part of the Cordwalk offers more of the same hiking and more of the same scenery, and thus the experience remains sublime.  A large cluster of white pines offers welcome shade and coolness just before you reach the Cordwalk's northern terminus at Parking Lot #2.  A spur trail leads right to the pet beach area along Lake Michigan, but no other trails depart this parking lot.  Thus, retracing your steps south returns you to the Sanderling Nature Center for a second time at 3 miles to complete the hike.