Array of day hiking trails crisscross Bayfield area in Wisconsin

Lake Superior from Dalrymple Park in Bayfield.
Photo courtesy City of Bayfield.

Imagine a place where you can hike sandy beaches and enjoy fantastic vistas of the world’s largest freshwater lake, a place of towering pines that bald eagles fly over and black bears scamper beneath, a place where you can explore sea caves or hike across billion-year-old red rock. The place is real – it’s called Bayfield County, Wisconsin.

If Wisconsin were a mitten, Bayfield County would be the peak of the four fingers. With much of it a peninsula, it boasts more shoreline on Lake Superior than any other Wisconsin county. It also offers dozens of miles of trails for those who love hiking.

When most people visit Bayfield County, the picturesque village of Bayfield is their destination.

Given the number of attractions surrounding the village, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Located on scenic Lake Superior, it’s the main port for reaching Madeline Island and the Apostle Islands National Seashore. The Chequamegon National Forest, Bayfield County Forest, and Nourse Sugarbush State Natural Area all are only a few miles away.

Because of this, more than a dozen day hiking trails can be found in or near the village.

Popular day hiking trails in the Bayfield area include:
g Brownstone Trail
g Jerry Jolly Hiking Trail
g Madeline Island – Big Bay State Park
g Mawikwe Bay Sea Caves
g Roundup of area trails, Part I
g Roundup of area trails, Part II

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