Five great county day hikes and maps for them include:
Bay View Trail, Boardwalk, nature trail
Incredible views of Lake Superior await hikers traveling to Big Bay State Park. Taking the Bay View Trail along with a boardwalk and a self-guided interpretive trail affords hikers a 5-mile round trip, though this can be cut in half if turning around at the boardwalk.
Though known primarily for the annual ski race held on it, Wisconsin’s massive Birkebeiner Trail system also makes a great hiking route in summer. With more than 66 miles of trails, all maintained by the nonprofit American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, “The Birkie Trail,” as its fans affectionately call it, offers multiple trailheads, loops and variations between Cable and Hayward. One segment that’s easy to locate and hike is the Birkie’s opening section, a 2.6-mile round trip when treated as an out-and-back trail.
Forest Lodge Nature Trail
Among the best hikes to learn about the Wisconsin Northwoods is the Forest Lodge Nature Trail, east of Cable. Located in the Chequamegon National Forest, the 1.5-mile loop is maintained in cooperation with the Cable Natural History Museum. Any dry summer day is excellent for hiking the trail, and fall colors are spectacular with trees usually remaining golden until the third week in October.
North Country National Scenic Trail, Erick Lake segment
The Erick Lake segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail heads along a ridgeline through a new growth forest. About 61 miles of the North Country Trail crosses Bayfield County. The Erick Lake segment of it runs four miles one-way.
Drummond Woods Interpretive Trail
Massive trees from an old growth forest and vibrant autumn colors await day hikers on the Drummond Woods Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest. The 0.75-mile trail runs through the Drummond Woods, where a number of trees survived the 1800s logging of the Wisconsin Northwoods. The route sometimes is referred to on maps and in literature as the “Drummond Woods Trail.”
Read more about these and nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Bayfield County.
