Circling Geneva Lake on foot is perfect way to enjoy the color explosion
FONTANA, Wis. -- People who own multimillion-dollar homes often go to great lengths to prevent strangers from traipsing through their yards.
On Geneva Lake, that's a no-no. Waterfront property owners must allow the public to walk along the 21-mile shore -- even when that shore cuts right through their manicured lawns.
(Lori Rackl/For the Sun-Times)
WHERE TO STAY: Fontana, Wis., on the west edge of Geneva Lake, is about 85 miles from Chicago. It's easy to access the shore path from the Abbey Resort, 269 Fontana Blvd. The resort has 334 guest rooms, indoor and outdoor pools, several restaurants, a marina and the 35,000-square-foot Avani Spa, where you can soak in the hot tub and treat yourself to a well-earned massage. Nightly rates start at $99, plus tax and a $12 resort fee. Check Web site for specials; www.theabbeyre sort.com, (800) 709-1323. Don't want to drive? Take the Chicago Metra to Harvard, Ill., and the resort will pick you up at the train station and provide local shuttle service during your stay. (Lake Geneva, on the opposite side of the lake, also is a good base to explore the path.)
SHORE PATH: The entire foot path is 21 miles long, but you can walk shorter segments. Some of the best scenery stretches for eight miles along the north shore between the towns of Lake Geneva and Williams Bay. From May until November, Lake Geneva Cruise Line runs boat tours on the lake; you can arrange to be dropped off at Williams Bay and walk the path back to Lake Geneva or vice versa; (800) 558-5911, www.cruise lakegeneva.com. Abbey Resort guests also can arrange free pickup or drop off in Lake Geneva. Sturdy but comfortable shoes are a must. Sections of the path can be muddy. Dress in layers and bring water, a cell phone and Band-Aids for blisters. Food and bathroom facilities are a bit spread out, so this isn't a great walk for people who need frequent pit stops. Allow eight to 10 hours to walk the entire path.
MUST HAVE: "Touring the Geneva Lake Shore Path" is an indispensable pocket guidebook detailing the entire route and pointing out interesting estates and landmarks along the way. Call Nei-Turner Media Group at (800) 386-3228 to have a copy mailed to you for $6.50, or pick up the $5 booklet at stores around Geneva Lake.
This rule is good news for me and anyone else who likes a hike and lacks a trust fund.
"If Wrigley's having a wedding in his yard and you want to walk right through it, you can. And people do," said Grace Eckland, a longtime Lake Geneva resident. "A lot of people have joined a lot of parties that way."
Twenty-one miles of gorgeous homes and vibrant foliage sound like the perfect way to spend an autumn day. Operating under the go-big-or-go-home theory, I decided to tackle the entire 21-mile shore path in one fell swoop.
Emergency help in the form of a hot tub and massage therapist would be waiting for me back at the Abbey Resort. This recently renovated property in the tiny town of Fontana makes a convenient home base on the western edge of Geneva Lake (often mistakenly referred to as Lake Geneva, the city on the eastern shore).
Bundled up to guard against strong winds and chilly autumn air, I left the Abbey at 8 a.m. and was on the path a few minutes later.
Heading east, it didn't take long before I felt like I was walking through the pages of Architectural Digest.
Gently sloshing water proved to be the perfect soundtrack as elaborately painted Victorians and Queen Annes gave way to clapboard cottages, cozy boat houses, modern mansions, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired homes (including a poor man's Fallingwater) and jaw-dropping estates dating to the late 19th century, when megarich Chicagoans started turning this spring-fed lake into their summer playground.
These deep-pocketed city slickers spared no expense when it came to their homes -- or the grounds. They hired big-name landscape architects to plant "a plethora of different types of trees that would give them a variety of [fall] color for as long as possible," Eckland said.
It worked. Everything from ginkgoes to sugar maples and oaks screamed autumn. I felt like a bobblehead doll as my gaze bounced from one colorful tree to the next, then back to the mansions on my right and the lake on my left.
Boat tours are a popular way to see Geneva Lake's impressive real estate portfolio. But they're no substitute for standing right in front of Chicago financier Richard Driehaus' red brick, white- columned Georgian mansion or getting a voyeuristic gawk at the 18,000-square-foot Italianate palace converted into luxury condos -- one of which was owned by convicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko, whose houseguests included Barack and Michelle Obama.
Homeowners are responsible for maintaining the section of the shore path that slices through their property. Some do a better job than others, building flagstone or brick walkways flanked by flowers and shrubs.
In other spots, the path is pretty much invisible, but you'll have no problem spotting the "private property" and "no trespassing" signs. Don't be put off: You have the legal right to walk the shore, just like the Potawatomi tribe did. And most homeowners respect that. Some downright encourage it, like the folks who painted Joan Baez quotes along their white fence and set up a guest book for passersby to sign, as well as a brass bell you're supposed to ring to "make miracles happen."
In eight-plus hours of walking, I passed fewer than 30 people. A couple of scuba divers and kite surfers had Wisconsin's fourth-deepest lake to themselves, except for workers hauling in piers for the winter.
It seemed like a waste to have such an extensive buffet of gorgeous scenery and so few people to eat it up.
My guess is the cold temperatures kept the crowds inside. I'll find out when the weather gets warmer, because I'm coming back for seconds.