Welcome to Wolf Run Trail

Wolf Run Trail Map

For the first time in more than 150 years, Black Earth Creek once again flows freely from its headwaters in the City of Middleton through the rich agricultural lands and prairie remnants of Northwest Dane County to Blue Mounds Creek near its confluence with the Wisconsin River. Wolf Run Trail, part of a multi-use regional recreational trail planned through the beautiful Black Earth Creek valley, is now open at Mazomanie for walkers, bikers, and seasonal snowmobilers, as well as anglers seeking access to the creek and its nationally renowned trout waters.

Wolf Run Association, a volunteer- and member-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the preservation, protection, and improvement of Lake Marion, lower Black Earth Creek, and its watershed, operates Wolf Run Trail and also this website. Here you can find news and information about the trail project, guidelines for trail users, and ways for you to join our community of trail users and supporters. 

Construction of Wolf Run Trail, which runs two miles through the Black Earth Creek corridor from downtown Mazomanie to Wisconsin Heights High School, was finished in November 2014. Our trail project partners include Dane County Parks, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wolf Family, Natural Heritage Land Trust, Wisconsin Heights School District, Southern Wisconsin Trout Unlimited, Madison Community Foundation, John and Helen Wick, and the Town of Mazomanie.


 Watch the story of Wolf Run Trail from Natural Heritage Land Trust.


Wolf Run Trail is the first constructed link of the regional trail being planned in the Black Earth Creek corridor from Mazomanie to Middleton, connecting to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail at Cross Plains, and envisioned to link to the Great Sauk Trail to Devil's Lake State Park in the future.

We hope you will find this website helpful to your enjoyment of Wolf Run Trail. We invite you to become part of our community of supporters and sponsors to help us maintain the trail and preserve the trail corridor in its pristine state. Your support as a new member, volunteer, or sponsor is always most welcome.


Watch Drone Flight Videos of the Trail


What's Happening On The Trail

12/5/2024

Come join us for our annual Winter Solstice Bonfire. The outdoor celebration will be held on Saturday December 21 2024 at the Two Bridges trailhead on Crescent Street in Mazomanie.  The fire will be glowing from about 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm or so.

12/5/2024

The 2025 Wolf Run Annual meeting will be held on January 23, 2025 at the Town of Mazomanie hall - 711 W Hudson St, starting at 6:30 pm.

1/12/2024

Due to a conflict with a Dane County Parks meeting, the 2024 Wolf Run Annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 16 2024 at the Town of Mazomanie hall - 711 W Hudson St, starting at 6:30 pm.

11/28/2023

The 2024 Wolf Run Annual meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 17 2024 at the Town of Mazomanie hall - 711 W Hudson St, starting at 6:30 pm.

11/9/2023

Wolf Run Winter Solstice Bonfire at Two Bridges Trailhead, December 21 2023, 6 to 8 pm

4/22/2023

EARTH DAY 2023
HELP CLEAN UP AND SEED ON WOLF RUN TRAIL
9 am – Noon, Saturday, April 22
Two Bridges Trail head, Crescent Street, Mazomanie

4/6/2023

Control Burn of the Wolf Run Prairie today. Please give the crew lots of room and stay a large safe distance away.

2/26/2023

The Emerald Ash Borer has attacked all of the ash trees along the trail.  Today a crew started to remove the dead trees.  Many more trees will be removed over the spring and summer season.  On the brighter side, we can now place more prairie plants and open more areas for grasses.

1/2/2023

The Wolf Run Association Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday January 25th 2023 at 6:30 pm.  The meeting will be held at the Township of Mazomanie Hall on 711 West Husdson Road.

6/9/2022

With the help of Quercus and David Swimm, we now have 14 new swamp oak trees planted in the prairie and 6 new shade trees along the main trail.  David is watering the trees to help them establish themselves in their new location.  These trees will enhance the shade along the trail and in the prairie in future years.

5/5/2022

Both rope swings now have new ropes (stronger, weather/rot/abrasion resistant, low-stretch) and attachment points (safer, and more tree-friendly). Thank you Jason!

1/16/2022

The 2022 Wolf Run Annual meeting was held on Thursday, January 13. At the meeting we elected a new board member – Janet Balster. We would like to thank Mike Lohre and Gary Damaschke for their service on the board over the past years. Their help and guidance contributed to the wonderful trail we all enjoy.

01/12/2022

The Wolf Run Association Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday January 13th 2022 at 6:30 pm.  The meeting will be held at the Town of Mazomanie Hall on West Husdson Road.

11/27/2021

Come join us for our annual Winter Solstice Bonfire. The event will be held on Tuesday December 21 at the Two Bridges trailhead on Crescent Street.  The fire will be glowing from 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm.

7/23/2021

The construction on the trail behind the Wisconsin Heights High School was completed Thursday 7/22 as scheduled.

The construction crew repaired the trail, and seeded along the sides so please stay on the trail while the new grass starts to grow.

The trail is open from end-to-end.
Enjoy the outdoors!

7/15/2021

Construction continues at the Wisconsin Heights High School. The construction company needs to close a small portion of the trail near the school starting Tuesday 7/20/2021 through Thursday 7/22/2021. The closed portion starts at the school parking lot and runs along the back side to the school property. The remaining portion of the trail is open and available.  If you are new to the trail, start your enjoyment at the Two Bridges parking lot at the end of Crescent Street in Mazomanie.

05/04/2021

The spring flowers are blooming, leaves are sprouting on the trees and song birds return to the area.  A good time to walk the trail to see nature in full motion.

04/07/2021

The Wolf Run Trail is famous (again)! The trail is the featured background of a music video. Click Here to go to the On The Trail page for this and other media.

03/12/2021

The snow is mostly gone and the trail is clear. It might be soft in a few spots. Nice weather is here so take a walk on the trail and look for the early spring plants peaking out of the ground and buds on the trees. It will soon be time for our annual Spring Clean-Up. Look for information and sign-up coming soon.

2/1/2021

With an abundance of snow, people are out on the trail enjoying the wonders of this Wisconsin winter. Grab you skis, snowshoes or boots and join them on trail.

12/23/2020

The Wolf Run Association Annual Meeting will be held on Wednesday January 6th 2021 at 7:00 pm. This year we will hold the meeting virtually. If you want to attend the meeting, please send us a note using the Contact Us link above.

11/28/2020

The Wolf Run Association will not sponsor the Winter Soltice party this year. The current COVID-19 retritctions in Dane County put strict limits on outdoor gatherings. 

10/09/2020

The WolfRun Trail is now open.  All construction under the bridge has been completed. The trail near Two Bridges is open and the creek is open to paddlers.  Thank you for being patient.

8/26/2020

More construction near the trail. Wolf Run Trail is closed until September 30 at the Highway 14 bridge and the Black Earth Creek will be closed to paddlers at the Highway 14 bridge from August 31 until September 30. MGE construction crews are working to repair the gas line crossing the creek at this area. The gas line was exposed during the August 2018 flood. The trail and creek are closed in this area for safety reasons as heavy equipment will be working at the site and the creek will be coffer dammed. Two Bridges Trail head and the rest of the trail and creek are open. Be careful and stay away from the construction. There is still plenty of the trail available for your enjoyment with many benches to stop and relax.

08/04/2020

Please be cautious on the trail over the next month.  MG&E will be doing some digging near Two Bridges that will cause that portion of the trail to be temporarily closed. Also, the area around the spur to Hellen's Bridge will be under construction to improve flood drainage.  Look for signs and please stay clear of the construction sites. Enjoy the outdoors and be safe.

06/20/2020

If you can't get to the trail right now, take a look at this awesome video recorded by Jason Sromovsky. 

06/01/2020

The first set of five picnic tables were placed out and about the trail.  A big Thank You for all the donations we received.  The donations show you all care and use the trail. The remaining tables and benches will be built and disbursed in July.

05/13/2020

Do you enjoy walking the trail but want a place to sit for awhile? How about having a nice place to sit for lunch while watching the water flow by? We want to build some picnic tables to place along the trail. For a donation of $100, we will build a table and put your name on it.  Go to our website to place a donation https://www.wolfruntrail.net/donate or send a check to 106 Brodhead St Mazomanie WI 53560.  Keep walking the trail and enjoying the nature. Thank you

 

12/04/2019

Join us for our annual Winter Solstice Bonfire. The event will be held on Saturday December 21 at the Two Bridges trailhead on Crescent Street.  The fire will be roaring from 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm.  

6/13/2019

RESTORE WOLF RUN CRESCENT STREET TRAILHEAD
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
10 AM TO 3 PM
LUNCH PROVIDED AT NOON

PICK ROCKS, BRUSH, RAKE, SEED - Clearing in the morning. Raking and seeding starts in the afternoon-bring a rake (if you have one) and wear gloves. We appreciate any help you can give - an hour or all day.
More information or RSVP -message through Facebook or Wolfruntrail.net

Thank you to OLSON-TOON LANDSCAPING for partnering with us on this project.

4/22/2019

HELP DIG TEASEL ON WOLF RUN PRAIRIE AT HELEN'S BRIDGE 10 A.M. SATURDAY, APRIL 27
Enter off Hwy 14 on Wolf Road, drive down to the trail. Bring a spade if you have one.

RSVP or questions using our Facebook page.

03/29/2019 Wolf Run Trail is Open. Please be careful as you enjoy the trail. There are some rough spots, some soft spots and areas  we are still working to clean up. Please stay out of muddy areas for your safety and to reduce damage to the trail.  Enjoy - Spring has arrived. 
03/15/2019 WOLF RUN TRAIL IS CLOSED. The rapid spring thaw the past few days caused the Black Earth Creek to again rise outside the normal banks. Please stay off the trail and corridor. Foot prints from people and pets, along with bikes cause ruts and damage that is difficult to repair. The trail surface is very soft and the trail corridor is full of debris. After the water recedes, the trail needs to dry, be resurfaced in spots, and compacted. We need your help to bring it back again. We will let you know when it is safe to use the trail. 
11/18/2018

Wolf Run Trail is again fully open to the public. Heavy damage from historic flooding in August forced closing of the lower mile of the trail at Mazomanie pending repairs.

The bridge at Two Bridges Trailhead has been returned to its foundation and the trail resurfaced. Rubble and debris have been removed from the conservancy and replaced by black dirt. Wolf Run Association has accomplished this with donations and help of volunteers.

Under a $683,050 emergency contract, Wisconsin Department of Transportation contractors added protection to both viaduct piers and restored the sloped embankment under the USH 14 underpass at Mazomanie, along with the retaining wall and the stretch of trail washed away in the flood. Wolf Run Association and Gateway to The Driftless teamed up to work with WisDOT, WDNR, Dane County Land & Water Resources, Groundswell Conservancy and other partners on the trail restoration project.

A reopening celebration is planned as part of the WRA’s annual Winter Solstice Bonfire Party scheduled Friday Dec. 21 at the Mazomanie trailhead.

9/11/2018 Wolf Run Association and Gateway to the Driftless have teamed up to coordinate major flood repairs and reopen the lower mile of Wolf Run Trail by Spring 2019. The two community nonprofits have brought together stakeholders in recent lower Black Earth Creek (BEC) stream restoration and trail construction projects to assess flood damage and participate in the recovery effort. Partners include Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Dane County Land & Water Resources Department, U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Groundswell Conservancy, and Southern Wisconsin Chapter of Trout Unlimited. WDOT is considering options for repair work at the USH14 viaduct, where the trail was totally washed out. Wolf Run Association and Gateway to The Driftless have submitted a design concept to WDOT for restoration of the trail in conjunction with state work at the underpass. Plans for repairing the twin bridges at the Mazomanie trailhead also are being developed. WDNR, DCLWRD, and NRCS continue to study the flood's impact on the creek and both the extent of repairs needed in the 2011-2014 lower BEC restoration area and the potential for coordinating that work with the trail reconstruction. Watch GatewaytoTheDriftless.com, WolfRunTrail.net and our Facebook pages for project updates.
9/09/2018 Posted a new video of the flood damage.  Click on the above link to view it.
9/01/2018 Upstream portion of the trail is open! Repair work on the section of the trail from Wisconsin Heights School Campus to the old dam is complete. Access to the trail is available from the parking lot at Wisconsin Heights School Campus and the parking area at the end of Wolf road. Helen’s bridge is open and provides access to the prairie.
8/21/2018 The trail is closed. The trail experienced considerable damage in the August 21, 2018 flash flood. Most severe damage is near and under the Highway 14 bridge and at Two Bridges Trailhead at Crescent Street in Mazomanie. Please stay off the trail for now. We hope to repair the section from the Wisconsin Heights School Campus to Helen’s Bridge soon. Flood waters reach an all time high level of 15.32 ft. The previous record water level was 11.91 ft on 06/09/2008. The flood of 2017 reached a high level of 9.62 ft. More information soon here and on our Facebook page.