Don Fries Recreation Area 2026 03

Yesterday I decided to check out Don Fries Recreation Area in Little Chute WI. This park is part of the greater Fox Valley Trail System. Its a fairly big natural area hidden in between the housing developments along Hwy CE.

Key Features

• Extensive Trail Network: The park serves as a major trailhead for over 3 miles of scenic walking and hiking trails that meander through roughly 40 acres of preserved forest and ravines.
• Multi-Sport Athletic Fields: The area is a primary local destination for organized sports, featuring multiple soccer fields and a full-size basketball court.
• Winter Sledding Hill: A popular seasonal attraction, the park maintains a dedicated sledding hill that provides a designated area for winter recreation.
• Natural Amphitheater: The park’s unique terrain includes a natural amphitheater setting, which has been highlighted by village planning as an ideal space for hosting musical and theatrical events.
• Community Amenities: Situated on the eastern side of the Combined Locks Civic Center campus, the park provides convenient access to essential facilities including a shelter with kitchen capabilities and restrooms.

Review

I toyed with the idea of making this a tail of two hikes. Since the Friday, my wife and I took a hike in our neighborhood. With a high of 53 degrees and a sunny sky the hike was much nicer.

Yesterday the temp was 26 degrees, and thankfully this hike was mostly in a ravine. The stream running through the ravine was mostly frozen and because of the cold there were no puddles to dodge.

So when I arrived at the parking lot, put on my hat and slipped on my gloves. I then exited my car for my short hike.

The main path is a short .8 mile hike south to Hwy CE. The length of the trail follows Garner Creek as it winds through the ravine.

I took pictures as I hiked as I always do. But the cloudy day was not cooperating. Though I could hear birds all around me, I was having issues locating them.

So for the most part my pictures here were of the trail and the 4 bridges crossing the creek. Though a couple of birds cooperated.

In all it took me 45 minutes to walk from the parking lot to Hwy CE. However due to a time constraint I hastened my pace on the return trip, which I was able to trim down to 15 minutes.

This was a short hike and with the cold briefly I limited the range of this hike. I am hoping to return though to explore more of the trails that branch off of the main trail. We could also find ways of looping this trail in with the Hwy CE trail and other trails in Little Chute.

Thanks again for reading. Sorry about the limited content lately, my wife and I are hoping to do more hiking as the weather gets nicer. Also we have a trip coming up that will provide a lot of content soon.