Washburn County towns offer great hikes

Trego Nature Trail.

Several great hiking trails crisscross Wisconsin’s Washburn County, with many of them centered on five major communities. Adding to the county’s charm is that no community has a population of more than 3000, and only one town even comes close to that.

The village of Birchwood sits tucked in the county’s southeast corner on Wis. Hwy. 48. The self-proclaimed Bluegill Capital of Wisconsin, it’s a former 1800s logging camp that became a town in its own right. The Tuscobia State Trail runs through it.

Washburn’s county seat, Shell Lake, is in the opposite corner along U.S. Hwy. 63. The town is centered on its namesake, popular Shell Lake, so named because shells of freshwater bivalves were common on its lakeshore. Several hiking trails can be found in or near town, including the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Just north of Shell Lake where U.S. Hwys. 63 and 53 join and split, is Spooner, the county’s largest city. Nicknamed “Crossroads of the North,” at one time it was a hub of the Omaha Railroad Line. A former rail line, the Wild Rivers Trail, is now a hiking/bicycling path running south to Sarona and Rice Lake and north to Trego and Superior.

Unincorporated Trego can be found at the county’s center on the Namekagon River in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Hwy. 63 goes east here to Hayward while Hwy. 53 goes north to Superior. The former heads to the scenic riverway’s visitor center and the picturesque Trego Nature Trail.

The village of Minong is in the northcentral portion of the county along Hwy. 53 at the edge of Wisconsin’s northern highlands. The Wild Rivers Trail runs through town while the Totagatic Ski Trail loops are nearby.

Learn more about these and nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.

Tuscobia Trail offers great lake, farm scenes

Tuscobia State Trail trailhead east of Birchwood, Wis.

Wisconsin has nicely converted a number of abandoned railroad grades to hiking and multi-use trails. Among the more popular is the 74-mile Tuscobia Trail running from Rice Lake to Park Falls.

In the southeast corner of Washburn County, the trail passes through the village of Birchwood, the self-proclaimed Bluegill Capital of Wisconsin. A pleasant segment of the trail to day hike goes northeast from downtown Birchwood for a 4-mile round trip to County Road F and back.

Birchwood east segment
Hiking the trail anytime in summer and autumn will prove enjoyable. Note that the trail closes from Nov. 15-Dec. 15 for deer hunting season.

To reach the trail segment, park downtown, picking up the Tuscobia on County Road D/Euclid Avenue just north of the Wis. Hwy. 48 intersection.

After walking just a tenth of a mile, hikers will come to the south end of Birchwood Lake. The popular fishing lake covers 364 acres and is home to largemouth and smallmouth bass, Northern pike, walleye and panfish.

Passing the lake, the trail swerves to the south side of Hwy. 48; be careful when crossing the highway, especially of vehicles turning off La Pointe Drive onto Hwy. 48 a few feet to the east. ATVs also can use the trail, and while it’s plenty wide for both vehicle and hiker, always exercise caution.

A project since 1968
Construction of the Omaha rail line that is now the Tuscobia begin in 1899 and lasted for some 15 years. By the 1940s when logging was no longer viable in the region, the rail line saw much less usage, which eventually ended altogether. Wooden bridges over some waterways were torn out in 1967, and the following year locals across the region began a long, concerted effort to convert it to a hiking trail.

Upon leaving town, the trail passes scenic farmland. Trees line the walking path, offering some shade.

Amid the scenery, you’ll cross an unmarked boundary into Sawyer County then enter a bucolic woods of mixed hardwoods.

Upon reaching County Road F, you’ve gone 2 miles one way. This marks a good spot to turn around, though the trail does continue for several more miles on its way to Couderay.

Learn about nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.

Great trails await hikers in Birchwood WI

Tuscobia Trail east of Birchwood, Wis.

Cabin-goers to the Birchwood, Wis., area will find that a couple of the state’s best hiking trails run in or near the village. Among them:
g Ice Age National Scenic Trail segment – Directly south of town, the Ice Age Trail cuts roughly north-south through the Cedar Lake Area County Forest. Take the forest’s eastern most jeep trail off Lemler Lane and pick up the Ice Age Trail for a 3.5-mile one way to Pigeon Creek.
g Red Oak East and West trails – Located northwest of town at the Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary, combine the two looping trails for a 1.8-mile hike. Despite the trails’ name, the highlight is a grove of large white pines that have been growing since the 1800s.
g Tuscobia Trail – Running on a former rail line, the trail runs through Birchwood on its way from Rice Lake to Park Falls. Heading northeast from downtown, the trail heads past Birchwood Lake, scenic farmland, and a bucolic woods for a 4-mile round trip to County Road F and back.

Learn more about these and nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.