Lake Geneva Shore Path

Lake Geneva Shore Path runs along the entire lake. On the 26 mile path you’ll pass historic estates with beautifully sculptured gardens and landscapes. History serves that 2500 BC to 1836 AD Chief Big Foot and his Potawatomi tribe walked this path between their villages. The path has been preserved nicely by all the estate owners that live on the lake. The path is rugged in places made up of brick, wood, stones, boulders and slate. It’s an enjoyable walk with plenty of breathtaking views and colorful inlets that change in the seasons!

Lake Geneva Shore Path – A Scenic and Serene Walk Through History Walking the Lake Geneva Shore Path was one of the most peaceful and inspiring experiences I've had. The trail wraps around the lake and gives you an up-close view of beautiful historic estates, charming gardens, and the crystal-clear water of Lake Geneva. Each section of the path has its own personality, from wooded stretches to lakefront mansions, and it’s amazing how every homeowner maintains their portion of the trail uniquely. There’s a real sense of history here—you can almost feel the stories behind each estate as you pass by. It’s a long walk if you want to do the full loop (over 20 miles!), but even walking a portion is well worth it. Wear comfortable shoes and bring water—there are a few uneven spots, but nothing too difficult. Highly recommend this for nature lovers, history buffs, and anyone looking for a relaxing, picturesque day outdoors.

Beautiful path and great for a family walk. Wear good shoes because not all paths are smooth. Bring a camera to capture ideas for gardens and for butterflies and bumble bees.

We walked the path from the library and again from Williams Bay So much fun to see all the houses - Some parts of the trail are maintained better than others- but the worst we ran into were some mud puddles the day after a rain Thoroughly enjoyed the path

Love it! I feel so grateful that this trail exists. The views of the water, gorgeous homes, and beautifully landscaped areas are amazing. This is definitely more of a hiking trail, so it may not be a good option for those with limited mobility or anyone using a stroller. Access points are limited. We parked one car at our starting point and another at our end destination, and the stretch we walked was about six miles. There were no bathrooms and no easy ways to exit once on the trail, so plan ahead. Definitely worth the trip!

It's a wonderful lake with an amazing view. You could park your car in front of the shore for 2$/hr and enjoy the beauty of the lake view.

Lake geneva was definitely a beautiful place to explore. Loved the time we spent at the lake.

Easy trail and a nice view, you’ll pass beautiful homes and mostly have the lake view.

Such a beautiful view. First time here, and I'm. I love it . Will be back soon, with the family.

My husband was looking at hikes and noticed this one in Lake Geneva. As a kid, I came to Lake Geneva every summer, but was too young to remember going along parts of this path. As an adult, I love this path, it is right along Lake Geneva and in the backyards of multi-million estates. I love looking at estates and observing the activity on the water at the same time. The path is a bit narrow and there isn't anywhere to break off to use the restroom, so be sure to make a stop to the bathroom before you start the path. Weekends tend to get pretty busy, so try going on a weekday and there won't be any crowds on the path. We plan to hike this whole path (about 23 miles) by the end of spring or summer 2020. So far, we've made 2 trips and covered 7 miles of the lake (14 miles total back and forth) and plan to make more stops in order to go around the whole lake. By the end, we will cover the lake twice. Haha. So far so good, but I'll update this review after I hike the whole path.

My absolute favorite, low-key activity as a local! You get to admire both the lake front estates and the gorgeous lake as you get your steps in for the day! You should plan your path ahead of time, though, because there are only a few towns on the walk with bathrooms and food. Also, be sure to pay attention to any signage as the path does stray from the lake a bit through neighborhoods in some parts. Fontana to Williams Bay is super short but scenic if you are looking for a short afternoon walk, but I've also tackled the whole thing a few times which is always as beautiful as it is exhausting!

If you want to see the scenery of Lake Geneva, "up close and personal" and also literally pass through the backyards of several lakefront estates - there's no better way to do it... Realize that if you are hiking it, it'll take all day. As a long distance runner with a few others of my ilk, we covered in 4 hours... I registered 20.6 miles on my GPS - and that's a "slow" run - yet it's a long way and in places it is narrow, there are steps, and sometimes one just wants to see the scenery. I carried 2 water bottles - since I didn't plan to leave the trail.

This is a great way to see the lake and the beautiful scenery and homes. It's around 25 miles around so start early if you're ready to try going all the way around. My recommendation is to do the south shore first...starting at the park near the LG library is a good place to begin. There are more places to eat / get drinks on the second half of the walk...Fontana to Lake Geneva. One thing to remember, whether you're going for a short stroll or a walk all the way around...the shore path crosses private property...keep to the path, don't litter, clean up after your dog and keep Fido on a leash, and don't pick the flowers. This is people's front yards! Enjoy!

So many listings for the Lake Geneva Shore Path under Walk, Talk & Gawk. Why? That appears to be a private entity that publishes and sells a guidebook for the path; it is not and address to the path nor an owner of the path. Anyhow, I first read about the Geneva Lake Shore Path in the Chicago Tribune travel section and knew immediately that it was a road I needed to take. I have no regrets. We started out from the Abbey in Fontana, WI at about 7:30 am. It was a nice day for a long hike, sunny but not blazing, mid 70s. We made it to our halfway point at lunchtime as planned. Halfway was Potbelly in Lake Geneva. We finished at about 4 pm. It was still summer, albeit close to the end, so we were not in danger of running out of daylight. We two ten minute breaks, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Path can be a misnomer. It implies that there is a place to walk all 21 miles around the lakeshore. Some homeowners are very generous and have paved path, some mulch, some stepping stone walkways, and others, well, they maybe do not want anyone walking by. The path may be really just walking through someone's backyard grass. Others have gone with passive aggressive landscaping. What defines passive aggressive landscaping? Planting a bramble patch where the path could be, despite having acres of fine bramble land available. Some have rose bushes, or bushes planted along the path trimmed so low that even someone 5'4 is in danger of getting whacked with thorns. But the nice ones might have a bench, or a fountain or a nice message. The Lake Houses of Lake Geneva are best viewed from the Lake, and the Lake Shore Path is really a great way to see them in full detail. There is not much else along the way. You need to pack snacks and water accordingly. Not many restrooms either. Waterproof hikers or at a minimum very sturdy gym shoes are required for the longer hikes. Lots of branches to trip over or roll an ankle on. And there really isn't any place to go if you do. Some signage is great, some not so great. And it is not always consistent. Just remember to stay close to the Lake Shore and you won't get lost. If the full hike is not your cup of tea, you can do the 10.5 halfway walk and take a lake shuttle back.

This is also known as "Walk Talk & Gawk" but I see someone else added this listing on Yelp with a name that makes it easier to find so I'm posting my previous review from the other name here as well. This is a great perk to visiting Lake Geneva! It's a 21-ish-mile path around the lake & we walked about 10 miles of it over 4 days. You get wonderful views of the lake & those lovely homes along the lake. A few things to know to prepare yourself: -Bring bug spray -Use the restroom beforehand because there won't be a place to go unless you walk a VERY long distance to get to the next public beach area with restrooms (and I do mean a VERY long distance). -We were told the residents with lakefront property are to maintain a 3-foot path of some sort, but sometimes it's only like a foot or wide or so and it can be quite uneven and filled with tree roots, so this is not a path for someone who has difficulty walking. Also, they don't have to keep a paved path, just a path, so in some areas it's simply grass and/or dirt (mud, if it's rained recently). -There are next to NO benches available either so keep that in mind & wear comfortable walking shoes.

This is such a nice, peaceful walk. There used to be a terrific home on the waterfront that had a white gate with tons of quotes painted onto it and a guestbook nearby. I was super disappointed to see it gone. Still, it's a free attraction and good exercise--just slightly annoying when the narrow path gets crowded.

I joined a group of 10 friends recently on a very warm Saturday to walk the 8 miles from the library in downtown Lake Geneva to Williams Bay. You will never have any problem following this path, even though it changes from sidewalk to street to dirt along the way. It hugs the shore of Lake Geneva, providing beautiful views of the lake. We were out on a hot day. I especially appreciated the cool breezes wafting off the lake surface. You also get plenty of views of multi-million dollar mansions. If that's your thing, you'll love this walk. On one part of this walk, you go past a planned development that was built before World War I. That's a lot more interesting to me than McMansions. There are a few problems with this walk. There is absolutely no access to toilets. None whatsoever. You go through a few private parks and clubs, but the facilities are not open to the casual traveler. Along our 8 miles, there was only one park where we could sit down on benches. There is no other formal seating along the way. Oh, you can sit down on the road, on a high curb, but that's it. You need to be prepared to keep going. Absolutely wear good shoes, and have plenty of fluids and snacks. There is no place to get off the path, where you might call for help, if you need it, even though this is an urban area. You're on the front lawns of multi-millionaires. If someone in your group is struggling, you're screwed. It would really be helpful if there were a few spots to exit this path onto a public thoroughfare, because not everybody can walk as far as they think they can. We had three people in our group who were not dressed appropriately for a long walk on a hot day. I am sure they would've cut their losses and called an Uber or taxi to go back to the library, if they could have, but that just wasn't a possibility. Luckily, no one suffered from heat stroke. I don't know what we would've done, if someone was in serious distress. Bottom line: although this is an easy path with very little elevation change, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who is less than an experienced walker or hiker, or to anyone who is not prepared to go the distance without any possibility of help, rest, or toilet facilities. I have felt safer, and better, on a long woods walk. At least there, I could pee or find a convenient fallen tree to rest on. No such luck on this walk.

This path is a 21 mile loop around Geneva Lake. We hiked from downtown Lake Geneva to Williams Bay which was about 7 miles and the took an Uber back ($17). The views of the homes were awesome but there isn't much nature to observe. This is a moderate to easy hike. The ground is uneven and wouldn't be easy with small kids and impossible with a stroller. No bikes allowed. It is a totally unique experience for a public trail to be in the backyard of million dollar homes.

Love walking the shore path! Great way to see all of the houses close up. Make sure to wear good shoes, there is a variety of surfaces to walk over from stones to sand to grass.