Ledgeview Park 2025 05

This week I wanted to go to the Fox River Trail in De Pere and Green Bay. However due to the Memorial Day Parade in De Pere we could not get to the park where I wanted to park our vehicle. So instead we found another park called Ledgeview Park.

Key Features

• Multi-purpose Athletic Fields: Includes turf baseball diamonds, softball fields, and multi-purpose fields for football, soccer, and rugby.
• Playground Area: Offers a dedicated space for children’s play.
• Open-Air Shelter: Provides a shaded area for gatherings and picnics.
• 1.8 Miles of Paved Trails: Ideal for walking, running, biking, and inline skating.
• East River Trail Access: Connects to the larger 6-mile East River Trail system.
• Winter Trails: Features dedicated trails for fat tire biking and cross-country skiing in winter (at the adjacent Ledgeview Golf Course).
• Connection to “The Ledge”: Provides access to the natural beauty and geological features of the Niagara Escarpment.
• Part of Extensive Greenspace: Integrated within Ledgeview’s over 70 acres of conservancy and greenspace.
• Wheelchair Accessible Trails: Ensures accessibility for individuals with disabilities on key trail sections.
• Community-Focused Recreation: Designed to offer diverse recreational opportunities for a growing community.

Review

Today was kind of an adventure. Starting out from our house we decided to take the scenic route to De Pere. Trying to get through Appleton we ran into the parade route in down town Appleton. College Ave was blocked off. Backtracking we found our way around the area.

Next we got to De Pere and found that the entire downtown area west of the bridge crossing the Fox River was closed as well. Backtracking again we took Highway 172 across the river and started toward Voyager Park by traveling south on Broadway. However we found that the east side of De Pere was completely closed off as well.

Frustrated we decided on a back up plan. Ledgeview Park is technically in a small town or suburb of Green Bay called Ledgeview. Its park system includes bike trails, golf courses, and FonFerek’s Glen which I reviewed earlier this year.

Parking at the park’s parking lot off Dickinson we looked at the map of the park and decided which way to go. Our options were to head south and loop back or cross the East River. Crossing the river we could again go south along the Feeder Trail or go north on the East River Trail proper.

We decided to cross the river first and walk down the Feeder Trail. Heading south we quickly crossed a second bridge going over a semi dry creek bed. We stopped to photograph a Killdeer running through the mud.

Continuing through a small stand of trees, I could hear a hawk calling out above us. Unfortunately we never saw the hawk. Instead we noticed that the trail was busy. Several bikers passed us on the trail, politely ringing bells and letting us know they were passing on the left.

This brings up the first problem with this trail. The park and East River Trail are in the middle of a residential area. Because of this and the fact that Ledgeview has an extensive bike trail system there were a lot of people biking.

We stopped briefly to take a picture of some turtles in a pond and continued to the end of the Feeder Trail. This area of the trail we started to see some paintings on the trail itself. The parks and rec commissioned paintings to decorate the trail. I took some pictures of the trail as we hiked.

We reached the end of the trail and started back. Here we saw another trail map of the park. So I decided to take a picture. However there were some marks on the metal sign. With a quick investigation of the sign I could tell someone had decided it was a good idea to shoot the sign. The marks were indents in the metal of the sign.

We continued north and returned to the East River Trail. We crossed under Dickinson Rd as we followed the trail. A little while later the trail crossed the east river again. As we walked we passed the back yards of duplexes abutting the trail.

We continued north for another 5 minutes before turning back to the park. The East River Trail can be followed North into Green Bay. Signs in the park indicated that the East River trail is about 6 Miles long. We decided however to limit our day to the park area trails.

Blue Jays called out trying to pull our attention away from a next in the trees above us. After trying to catch a photo of him for a few minutes without success, we walked back to the park. More Cyclists passed us on our way back to the park.

Crossing the first bridge a second time we started south on the East River Loop Trail. We saw more paintings as we walked south.

Where most of the trail so far had trees and/or buildings very near, the park area of the trail had a few open fields. A man sitting on a bench at the edge of the trail looked at something. Then we heard the noise of an adult Killdeer trying to draw us away from its babies. Little puffy balls of feathers running through the grass. I took some pictures and we continued south.

We passed a gazebo and a playground as we finished this last leg of our hike. Though the East River Trail follows the East River the trail spends little time near the river. At the gazebo we found a gravel trail that led to the river. We walked down trail to see more of the river. A Yellow Finch flitted near the river as we stopped.

As we returned to our car we saw the baby Killdeer again. Took a few more pictures of the art on the trail. We got in our car satisfied with a nice Memorial Day Hike in the books.

As our youngest daughter was with us on this hike we visited FonFerek’s Glen before returning home. The parking lot was packed with visitors looking to see the water fall.

Ledgeview Park and the East River Trail is a typical urban trail. Visitors are more interested in riding their bikes or talking on their phones than enjoying the nature hidden in their midst. The trail is designed more to be used for biking than hiking though.

The traffic has frightened off the more rare birds. Black Birds and Robins are the most common feature. Though if you keep your eyes open you can find a few oddities.

I would not suggest this trail for seeing nature. There are better places in north east Wisconsin to enjoy nature. But if you like riding your bike you will be in good company here.

Let me know if you’ve been to Ledgeview Park or the East River Trail in the comments bellow. And thanks again for reading my blog.