Milwaukee River Hike

For our second FORGE Outdoors outing, we will be gathering at the Urban Ecology Center for a scenic hike along the Milwaukee River! We will stop at Culver’s for a refreshing ice cream break and end our hike back at the Urban Ecology Center. The entire hike is around 4.2 miles.
Start location: The Urban Ecology Center at Riverside Park (1500 E Park Pl, Milwaukee, WI 53211). We will meet outside of the Urban Ecology Center main building. Caleb will arrive 15 mins early to meet with anyone who gets there early, and we will wait 15 mins for the whole group to arrive before leaving. If you arrive and have difficulty finding the meeting location, please text or call Caleb at 414-249-6746.
Transportation: If you are driving to the Urban Ecology Center, there is a free parking lot located across from the UEC main building on E. Park Pl. If you are traveling by bus, the green line stops on the corner of Oakland & Park, which is the closest stop to the Urban Ecology Center. If you have additional transportation questions/needs, please contact Caleb ahead of time at caleb@forge-forward.org.
End location: After stopping at Culver’s halfway through our hike for ice cream, we will return to the Urban Ecology Center at the end of our hike. (Note: there are no gender inclusive restrooms at Culver’s or at the Urban Ecology Center.) If you are being picked up, please tell your ride that we will return to the UEC. We hope that you will join us for the entire hike, but if you prefer to leave earlier, feel free to leave from Culver’s (the halfway point).
When we stop for ice cream, we will talk as a group about options for our hike back to the UEC. We can either hike back on West side of the river (a more adventurous hike), or on the same trail we took to Culver’s on the East side for a shorter hike.
What to bring: Yourself, a water bottle, comfortable and weather-appropriate clothes, shoes with traction that you are okay with getting muddy, sunscreen, snacks (optional), and some pocket money for ice cream at Culver’s! It’s very important to stay hydrated and comfortable, so make sure that you can move freely in your clothing. If you are binding, please be especially careful not to overheat, and drink plenty of water! We will hike at a pace that is comfortable for everyone and take as many breaks as needed.
Weather: 57° and partly cloudy. If it rains, we can hang out in the Urban Ecology Center building (they have couches, musical instruments, and games). People may not feel the need to stay for three hours, so feel free to come and go at your convenience.
Additional info: We love having youth attend our events! Please be aware that we ask everyone to sign a waiver before participating, and youth under 18 will need a parent’s signature on their waiver to participate.
What’s next?: Next Sunday, June 9th, we will NOT be meeting for a FORGE Outdoors outing! Next week is PrideFest weekend, and FORGE staff will be working the FORGE booth at Pride. The next outdoors event will take place on Sunday, June 16th! We will be rock climbing at Adventure Rock from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Keep an eye out for details and future events this summer!