Walking Lake Geneva, WI

In less than a month, Will and I have logged a LOT of miles in driving and flying.  Between professional travel, family visits, and social engagements, we've had--sometimes together, and sometimes separately--three driving trips to central and southern Illinois, and two round-trip flights out west.  Yes, all within the last 4 weeks!

Needless to say, by the time this week came along, we sort of needed to veg out and relax.  But we also wanted to get outside and enjoy some fresh air after being inside cars and airplanes for so long.  (On our way back from LA, our flight was grounded, after boarding, for over 3 hours while we waited out O'Hare's embargo on all flights in the aftereffects of Tropical Storm Alberto!)

So, in the middle of the week, we took off for a day trip to one of our favorite nearby destinations: Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.  Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the main road heading into Lake Geneva is impossible to endure on weekends, so we like visiting during the off-season or on a week-day during the summer high season.  If you plan properly, you can have the beauty and serenity of the harbor shore almost all to yourself, even during the summer months.

There is a limited window of time to make this a day-trip from the Chicago area without hitting the major traffic slow-downs during the workweek, but we have made this trek enough times to have finessed that "sweet spot."  Lake Geneva is only about 70 miles away from us, so it's entirely possible to start off after morning traffic has died down, enjoy a brief mid-day jaunt, and return home before the horrendous afternoon rush-hour traffic bogs down commuters on I-94 headed south.  It's a tight schedule, but entirely manageable, with practice and discipline.  If you succeed, you are awarded with a tranquil lake shore, relatively free of summer resort crowds, which also means light local traffic and easy parking.

Around the lake shore, there is a contiguous path--quite well maintained--that amounts to 26 miles of gently undulating (or just plain flat) hiking.  The most we ever had time for was 14 miles of walking in a day-trip, so it was 7 miles in and 7 miles back.  However, one of these days, we plan to take two days--with a stopover at one of the many inns and hotels right on the lake--to walk around the entire lake. 

We have seen people walking hurriedly to complete the entire loop in one day, but that doesn't look terribly relaxing.  Even at 4 miles per hour of brisk walking with no breaks, the 26 miles would take at least 6 1/2 hours of non-stop walking.  Yes, it might be more relaxing if we gave it 8-10 hours, but that makes for a very long day, especially if you plan on getting back in a car to return home.  So, if you're staying in Lake Geneva overnight anyway, why not stop and smell the peonies?

Taken at a leisurely pace, it should take about 11-12 hours total, including breaks and an un-rushed lunch, and we can be motivated with the thought of nice meals awaiting us at the ends of both days of 5-6 hours of hiking.  The dining scene, even right on the lake, offers a lot more choices than we had on most days of our long camino walk in Spain.  (As a side note, Will and I have decided that when we next hike one of the many other paths of the Camino de Santiago, we would be in less of a hurry.  Having already completed it once, we would now like to enjoy the journey more than to be so fixated on reaching our destination.)

Until that time comes--probably in the next couple of years!--we usually spend only a day there.  Over the years, Will and I have perfected a routine for our "Lake Geneva Day Trip": a 5-9 mile hike around the lake (depending on what season it is, how much time we have, whether it's a weekday or weekend), snack at a mid-way point (on cheeses, fruits, energy bars, etc.), and then return to stretch out on the lawn in the cute downtown area within view of the lake, and enjoy a sandwich picnic lunch from nearby Potbelly's.  Katie, who takes many opportunities to take a swim in the lake (photo at the top of the post), is quite ravenous by this point, and she also gets her lunch too, of course.

On the drive back, we make two quick stops on Wisconsin Highway 50 before hitting the Interstate.  We visit Lake Geneva Country Meats, the local butcher shop with great Wisconsin sausages like Cherry Brats or Mushroom Swiss Cheese Brats, etc.  Then, we hop in to River Valley Ranch to get some of the best looking mushrooms we have ever seen.  We get the Mushroom Medley--1 lb. crimini, 1/4 lb. shiitake, and 1/4 lb. oyster mushrooms.

Then, we get home and grill out our brats, sautee our mushroom, and savor the taste of Lake Geneva!