Grab your hiking shoes, because you're going to want to check out this magnificent hiking trail just a few miles north of Rockford in Janesville.

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Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail is a massive trail system that begins in the northwest portion of the state in St. Croix falls and them meanders all the way through Wisconsin before ending in Door County on the eastern border of the state. There are 600 miles of "yellow-blazed" Ice Age Trail segments that are connected with more than 500 miles of unmarked trails. The entire system comprises of trails more than 1,200 miles long.

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The trail began back in the 1950s when a man from Milwaukee, Ray Zillmer, had a vision of a path that wound through a section of Wisconsin that was carved out by a glacier millions of years ago.

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The trail winds through forests, communities, and bike paths with special points of interest along the way.

One of those points of interest is the Devil's Staircase, just over the Wisconsin border in Jansesville, Wisconsin.

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The Devil's staircase is split into two parts, with the second half traveling up the bluffs along the Rock River using natural and human made staircases along the way.

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The trail itself is labeled as an "easy" hike on AllTrails.com, but be warned, there are A LOT of stairs to climb.

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The trail is very well maintained and busy, but there will be hundreds of stairs you'll have to climb. It's "family friendly" as long as that family is friendly with walking up stairs.

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The climb might be a little exhausting but the view you'll get at the top is always worth it.

It's almost like the Devil's Staircase is a metaphor for life.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

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