Trail Sections — McDill Trail

  • Length:

    1.4 miles

  • Surface:

    Crushed granite and paved roads

  • Activities:

    Hiking, jogging, biking, pets

  • Parking:

    Patch St. (north), Whiting Park (south)

The McDill Trail spans from Patch Street (north), crosses McDill Pond and follows its shore, enters into quiet residential neighborhoods, and ends at the County HH intersection (south). Excellent waterfowl viewing opportunities on McDill Pond are provided along this section of the trail, especially on and near the Patch Street bridge. When the trail enters the wooded Plover River Park, it climbs steeply to a ridge that provides stunning overlooks of the pond below. Most of the trail runs through a narrow right-of-way corridor of trees surrounded by a pleasant residential area.

McDill Trail

Features

The Story of McDill Pond

McDill Flour Mill
The McDill Flour Mill

McDill Pond is a 260-acre impoundment of the Plover River created by a dam in the Village of Whiting. The pond has a long history, dating back to 1852 when the original dam was built for a sawmill. In 1864, Thomas and Alexander McDill bought the sawmill, and became the namesake of the pond. In 1885, Thomas’ son, George McDill, constructed a grist mill on the site to grind grain. The dam later was used as a graphite mill and a pulp mill (also known as the “stink mill” by local residents). In 1954, the Village of Whiting purchased the land and mills and created a public park called Lower Whiting Park.

Plover River Park

The McDill Trail travels through Plover River Park (Stevens Point city park), a 15.5 acre nature reserve which offers a nature trail and water access.

Photo Gallery