Lake Geneva Shore Path... not for the faint of ankles

I've lived in the area surrounding Lake Geneva in 3 different towns for a total of 15 years now. Ah, Lake Geneva, the playground of the rich and famous...and everyone else in between on a summer weekend! Most common folk in town for a day or two lounge around the lakeshore in downtown, take a lake cruise, walk around to all the shops and stop somewhere nice to eat, but Lake Geneva has a few more things to offer if you take the time to look for them.

Last fall I took my first peek at the Lake Geneva Shore Path which I didn't even know existed before then! I picked up the path on the north side for about 2 miles and then turned around and headed back to my car for a leisurely afternoon of mansion gawking. The south side of the lake is where the bigger mansions are mostly located, but on Sunday I was itching for a long walk after being cooped up in the office all week and decided to park at Big Foot Beach and pick up the path across the street near the Geneva Inn on the north side of the lake. It was a perfect day for a stroll around the lake, temperatures having dropped down to the 70's and staying there the night before and the sky was sunny with just the right amount of fluffy clouds. What more could a girl ask for? I wasn't on the path a few minutes before a challenge presented itself.

Now, most people would see this sign and say to themselves, I don't think so! I saw this sign and said, I was going to do 6-7 miles round trip anyway, why not walk all the way to Fontana! I have a 20 year old son at home I can call to pick me up, right? I figured I'd wait another hour and then call him to come meet me in Fontana later.

The full length of the path is around 21 miles from start to finish. The 20 feet closest to the lake are deemed public access according to a law passed in 1975, the decision being made formal after many years of casual agreement.  The Geneva Lake Association has posted about two dozen signs along the lake path laying out the rules for co-existence between the path hikers and the property owners. If you go, be prepared with good hiking shoes and water at the very least, and if you bring your dog, be prepared with bags for its waste. The section I took has no access to services of any kind.

So the path itself...is not easily described. In many places it's old flagstones set into lawns, in others it's an actual dirt path. Sometimes there are stairways going down to piers to navigate as part of the travel plan, or a beach, or someone's patio, and sometimes it disappears completely and you just wander across people's lawns hoping you're on the right track and not intruding on accident.



 

The section from Lake Geneva as far as Black Point was very visually stimulating, but also most of it was canted towards the lake, so after some time I developed a sore left ankle and started having to put my weight down on my forefoot on the angled sections.

 

 In general I'm not overly impressed with the exterior of mansions, but I do enjoy creativity and a few homes provided some surprises that made me smile, like the one shaped like a boat!

I liked the big clock on this one...didn't notice the sunbather until later!

Not quite sure what this was about...but it was definitely different!

The path got a little confusing in the town of Linn. At one of their Lake Geneva boat access points the path turned onto a paved road and meandered through the subdivision for awhile before going through the woods and emerging onto the golf course! There was no sign telling you which way to go, so I turned right and hoped for the best. I don't know what the flowers were that were blooming here, but they smelled great!

 If things weren't confusing enough, the path led right to the corner of the Lake Geneva Country Club, and you pass underneath the building itself. At least at that point the path once again became recognizable.

 After an hour on the path I started trying to call Cory, figuring if I found out he wasn't home I could always turn around and head back. He didn't answer...and didn't answer...and still didn't answer. But I kept going because I knew that meant he was asleep and therefore home as opposed to being on his way to work or somewhere else.

The section from Black Point to Fontana was flatter and wider and I got there just as the Lake Geneva Cruise Line was letting off a tour group.  If I ever walk this section again with a buddy I'd start in Fontana, go to Black Point and return back. The first half had its charms, but it was hillier and just harder to navigate in general. More people started emerging as I got closer to Fontana, both on the path and on the lake, and most everyone was friendly.



By the time I made it as far as the Lake Geneva Yacht Club I was starting to get a bad feeling about not being able to reach Cory because I knew he had to work and I was afraid I was going to have to turn around and just walk all the way back on my own. Finally I got Wayne to call a neighbor and have him go to the house and wake up Cory, and luckily there was just enough time for him to come get me at the Yacht Club entrance. I was exhausted, hungry, my knees and ankle were throbbing, and I had some explaining to do about my impulsive decision to walk at least 7 miles without planning ahead. But, it all worked out in the end. I plan to do the segment from Fontana to Williams Bay as a shorter round-trip excursion someday soon, and at some point I'll go from Lake Geneva to Williams Bay and arrange for a water taxi back if it doesn't turn out to be too expensive.

I also work in Lake Geneva, and earlier this week I went on a few walks on my lunch breaks to check out some of the historic residential architecture...but more about that another day!

Update: check out the Fontana to Williams Bay section on my second post about the Shore Path!

Don't want to walk? Take a cruise instead!

Many homeowners had beautiful landscaping along the path