Array of day hiking trails crisscross Wisconsin’s Iron River area

Bois Brule River in Brule River State Forest. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

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.

The western gateway to Bayfield County, Iron River is a popular destination for many who love the outdoors. It is located about halfway between the Brule River State Forest to the west and the Chequamegon National Forest to the east. The Tri-County Cooridor Trail runs through town between Superior and Ashland while the North County National Scenic Trail passes nearby.

North of Iron River on the Bayfield Peninsula along the Lake Superior shoreline is Port Wing and to the northeast Herbster. Both villages are unincorporated. Each relies on tourism and to a lesser extent fishing, lumbering and agriculture as their mainstays.

Popular day hiking trails in the Iron River-Port Wing-Herbster area include:
g Iron River National Fish Hatchery
g Roundup of Iron River area trails

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