URBAN WATER TRAIL

Pattern Scale: Region

Description of the Pattern:

Water trails, like hiking trails, are established and well-loved routes of travel. Created for recreational use – often for a variety of vessels – water trails emphasize stewardship and are maintained by users. They can exist along ocean coasts, rivers, or marshes. Cities are bringing water trails to life by making accessing the water approachable and rooted in a sense of natural and cultural place. Milwaukee’s Urban Water Trail is open to canoes and kayaks and covers more than 60 miles along the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers, Cedar Creek, and access to Lake Michigan. The trail is a cooperative project based around providing access to the water and producing an online and mobile trail map, which highlights access points, amenities, and local attractions. Led by the Milwaukee Riverkeeper advocacy group, the trail is a partnership with state and local government and the National Park Service, and is funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Contact: Milwaukee Riverkeeper, info@milwaukeeriverkeeper.org, https://www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/

Web page: https://www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/connect/milwaukee-urban-water-trail/

Who Submitted this Pattern: Carolyn Heaps, Research Assistant, Biophilic Cities