Great day hiking trails surround Cable, Wis.

Forest Road 1919B, route to site of Wisconsin's first Thanksgiving.

Bayfield County ranks among Wisconsin’s most popular tourism destinations, attracting skiers, boaters, campers and sightseers. It also offers dozens of miles of trails for those who love hiking.

Consisting mainly of forestland and lakeshore, each Bayfield County village feels like a quaint throwback to years past. Only one of them boasts a population close to 3000 people.

Ten villages can be found there, with the majority of them hugging the lakeshore or a county line. Among them is Cable.

In southern Bayfield County sits this village of some 800-plus people, which the American Hiking Society named a charter “Trail Town USA” and for good reason: To Cable’s north and east is the Chequamegon National Forest while to the south and east is the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway along the Namekagon River tributary, making the community a major gateway to outdoors activities in Bayfield County.

Among those activities is the American Birkebeiner cross-country skiing race, which starts here and ends in nearby Hayward. Cable also is the finish line for the annual Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival mountain bike race.

Popular day hiking trails in the Cable area include:
g Forest Lodge Nature Trail
g Morgan Falls St. Peter’s Dome Trail
g Namekagon Dam Landing Trail
g Roundup of Cable area rails
g Site of Wisconsin’s first Thanksgiving
g West Torch Trail

Read more about day hiking Bayfield County in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Bayfield County, Wisconsin guidebook.