Top fall trails of northwest Wisconsin, Part I

Copper Falls State Park

There’s no better way

to experience autumn colors around Northwest Wisconsin than a hike.

The brilliant yellows, oranges and red of maples to the scarlet

and russets of oaks

...the crisp, fresh

autumn air and the last warm rays of sunlight before winter arrives...

the crunch of fallen leaves and acorns beneath your boots...stopping to enjoy a warm mug of apple cider or a caramel apple pulled from your backpack – it all calls for an afternoon on the trail.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails around Northwest Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Ashland County
A river rapids over billion-year-old red-tinged rock, surrounded by a variety of autumn colors, awaits day hikers on the Red Granite Falls Trail in Copper Falls State Park. The set of two loops, loosely shaped in a figure 8, runs 2.5-miles round trip in the park’s southern corner. During autumn, you’ll find the brilliant yellows of ironwood, paper birch and aspen, the blazing orange of sugar maple, and the scarlet of red oak mixed with the evergreen of hemlock and white pine. From Mellen, take Wis. Hwy. 169 north. Enter the park by turning left onto Copper Falls Road, and park in the Loon Lake Beach lot. Head south to the beach and pick up the trailhead heading west.

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Amber-leaved trees and evergreen conifers await hikers at Prentice Park in Ashland. A 1.25-mile round trip paved trail wends through a boreal forest and wetlands as well as crosses, via a bridge, Fish Creek Slough before ending at the Lake Superior beach in Maslowski Park. In all, Prentice Park is nearly 100 acres in size. From downtown Ashland, head west on U.S. Hwy. 2. Turn left/south onto Turner Road then right/southwest onto Park Road, which ends at a parking lot. The trail leaves from the lot’s west side.

Bayfield County
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 lumberjacking of the Wisconsin Northwoods. Heading through a northern hardwood forest, the trail marks an excellent spot to enjoy fall colors: the yellows of basswood and birch; the oranges of sugar maples; and the scarlet of black ash and red maple. Evergreens dominate the canopy with towering white and red pines and hemlocks. From Drummond, take U.S. Hwy. 63 north. In one mile, turn left/west onto Old 63 N (aka Forest Road 235). About 150 feet from that intersection on the right is a small pull-off for parking.

Burnett County
Day hikers can walk across an old railroad bridge over the St. Croix River at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and St. Croix State Forest on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. The Gandy Dancer Trail, which starts dozens of miles south of the state forest in Polk County, at Danbury crosses the border into Minnesota. The trestle bridge segment is about two miles round trip. You’ll head through a forested area. The mix of trees near the riverfront yields a fantastic multi-colored leaf display in autumn. An added bonus for autumn hikers: You’ll probably spot a number of migrating waterfowl, including sandhill cranes. Also watch for bald eagles, osprey, northern harriers and hawks, all of which reside year-round in the area. In Danbury, parking for trail access is next to the walking route north of Hwy. 77 between and Hwy. 35 and North Glass Street. From the lot, take the trail north.

Douglas County
A walk along a pristine sand beach awaits day hikers of the Lake Superior shoreline in the Bear Beach State Natural Area. The unmarked trail runs for up to 3.4-miles round trip along narrow Bear Beach. Hiking the beach, you’ll get a good sense of what this area of the world looked like before Euro-Americans settled it. A thick woods hugs the sand’s southern side while the lake stretches wide beyond to the north. Though the forest this far north is heavy on the evergreens – especially balsam fir, white pine and white spruce – in autumn the yellowed-colored leaves of paper birch and trembling aspen and the spring green of speckled alder are well-represented. From Brule take U.S. Hwy. 2 west. In Maple, turn north onto County Road F. Next, go left/west onto Wis. Hwy. 13 then right/north onto Beck’s Road. Park in the dirt lot at the end of Beck’s Road near the Lake Superior shore.

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A boreal forest may not seem like the best place to enjoy autumn leaves. The Superior Municipal Forest, however, delivers, with its extensive growth of gold-leafed white birch and aspen amid evergreen white and red pine, balsam, cedar, and black spruce. A 1.6-mile segment of the Millennium Trail winds through the woods. In Superior, at the 28th Street and Wyoming Avenue intersection, turn south to the municipal parking lot. The trail goes both east and west; skip the eastern side, which leads to multiple railroad tracks in Superior’s industrial section.

Polk County
Day hikers can experience an autumn forest that looks almost like the one Native Americans and pioneers saw during the 1800s. The 2.9-mile Ridge View Trails near Osceola heads beneath a lush forest canopy in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Osceola State Fish Hatchery on a bluff overlooking a St. Croix River back channel. Sugar maple is the dominant tree. Each autumn, its leaves vary from yellow to orange or red. Basswood, whose leaves turn olive in fall, and white ash, which changes to a deep maroon, usually are mixed in the canopy. From Osceola, take Wis. Hwy. 35 north and turn north onto County Road S. The two trailheads are on the road’s left/west. Both trailheads have their own parking areas off of the road. Just beyond 93rd Avenue is the southernmost parking area, which is an excellent trailhead for either loop.

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The splendor of fall colors combines with a vista of the St. Croix River and fasinating rock formations on the Summit Rock Trail at Interstate State Park. The 1-mile round trip trail heads to a bluff’s highest point. Moss and autumn leaves cover the surrounding rock and ground while maples, basswood and eastern white pines line the trail. At the top, prickly pear cactus can be spotted amid the outcroppings. The highlight of the hike without question is the incredible view of the riverway from the summit. Looking north, the Old Man of the Dalles rock formation is visible. From St. Croix Falls, take Wis. Hwy. 35 south. Turn right/west into the park and follow the entry road to the parking lot across from the Lake O’ the Dalles.

Five best hikes for exploring Ashland WI

Copper Falls State Park/ Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.

Located along Lake Superior in northcentral Wisconsin, Ashland County is an outdoor recreational paradise. During summers, bicyclists and off-road vehicle enthusiasts explore a number of wooded trails while fishermen cast lines on freshwater lakes and campers set up tents across a sprawling national forest. Come autumn, the roads turn busy with drivers enjoying the colorful blaze of autumn leaves lining the countryside. Throughout winter, snowshoers, cross country skiers and snowmobilers sail across white paths while ice fishing shacks pop up on frozen lakes. And, of course, day and backcountry hikers alike during three seasons enjoy the county’s hundreds of miles of trails, some routes well-groomed and others primitive, but all rambling through fabulous scenery.

Four major attractions await day hikers and backpackers in the loosely L-shaped Ashland County. The massive Chequamegon National Forest covers about a third of the county, filling up the southwest corner. A number of campsites can be found in the forest, which boasts the granite rock formation St. Peter’s Dome and Wisconsin’s second highest waterfalls, Morgan Falls. Just slightly above above the county’s center sits Copper Falls State Park, which offers dramatic waterfalls and cascades over ancient lava flows. The 4600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail winds its way through the county, primarily in the national forest with a spur running through the state park. Lastly, the county’s northern portion includes the Lake Superior shoreline and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the latter of which consists of 21 protected islands that only can be reached by boat in the world’s largest freshwater lake.

Among the best trails to see these attractions and experience Ashland County are:
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
• Morgan Falls St. Peter’s Dome Trail
• Black Lake Trail
Copper Falls State Park
• Doughboys’ Nature Trail
North Country National Scenic Trail
• Copper Falls State Park segments
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
• Michigan Island Trail
• Stockton Island Trails

Read more about family friendly day hiking trails in my Headin' to the Cabin guidebooks.

Wonders abound on North Country Trail

Brownstone Falls. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.

Walk runs past
park’s highlights 

Waterfalls, Northwoods lakes, and sandstone ledges await day hikers on a segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail in Wisconsin’s Copper Falls State Park.

The segment is perhaps among the most scenic 2.5 miles of the trail that stretches across seven states from New York to North Dakota. In Wisconsin, the trail bisects Copper Falls State Park from north to south for about 4 miles one-way, entering at the park’s southern tip near Wis. Hwy. 169, passing the east side of Loon Lake, running by both Copper and Brownstone falls, and then exiting in the park’s northern backcountry.

An excellent (and at 5-miles round trip a shortened) segment of the trail that includes most of the park’s highlights runs from from Loon Lake to the Sandstone Ledges.

To reach the park, from Mellen, Wis., take Hwy. 169 north to the park entrance; leave your vehicle at the lot for the Loon Lake swimming beach. The North Country Trail can be picked up at the lot’s northeast corner, but before doing so, head down to the beach for a view of Loon Lake.

A popular destination at the park, Loon Lake offers a sand beach, swimming area, and canoe launch. Fishermen often be spotted vying for largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish there.

From the parking lot, the trail heads due north, paralleling but set back from the park entrance road. Upon crossing the road to the Group Camp area, Murphy Lake is on the left/west. While pretty in its own right, the lake at 8 acres is smaller than Loon Lake. A stream links Murphy Lake to the Bad River.

Two waterfalls
From there, the trail heads north through the park’s heart, following the Bad River’s eastern shore. An ancient waterway, the Bad River began flowing some 200 million years ago when dinosaurs walked the earth. Today, it rises out of southwestern end of Caroline Lake on the Ashland/Iron counties border and flows some 74 miles across before draining into Lake Superior.

The trail next crosses the picnic area. The manicured lawns are worth the walk through for beyond it and the footbridge over the Bad River, the trail passes three of the park’s major features – Copper Falls, Brownstone Falls, and the Cascades.

The 29-foot Copper Falls is the first of many drops the Bad River takes in the park. The river canyon runs over 1 billion-year-old lava rock. The black walls rise between 60-100 feet above the swirling water with white cedar trees lining the gorge.

As the trail veers east, it follows the Tyler Forks River. First, though, is Brownstone Falls, over which the Tyler Forks plummets into the Bad River. The base of the Tyler Forks is a hard red lava edge.

Upstream from Brownstone Falls is the Cascades, a series of small drops and boulder-strewn waterway, The Tyler Forks is slowly cutting back a drop in the black basalt, and one day a new waterfall will form there.

Devil's Gate
The trail then crosses the Tyler Forks via a footbridge and heads northwest, affording another view of the Cascades and then Brownstone Falls. After the falls, it continues up the Bad River to the Devil’s Gate.

At Devil’s Gate, the Bad River flows over conglomerate rocks left by ancient streams. The canyon walls show different layers of sediment sitting almost on their sides as the ground settled and hard lavas shifted upward.

The trail next angles northward, crossing Little Creek, a tributary of the Bad River. After 2.25 miles, the trail reaches a spur that leads to the Sandstone Legdes.

The ledges formed when an inland sea covered this section of world hundreds of millions of years ago. As sediment collected at the sea’s bottom, it hardened over the eons into rock. Today, the exposed rock offers some nice views of the Bad River and make for a good rest stop.

After taking in the ledges, return the way you came and enjoy the sights all over again! Alternately, you can be picked up in the picnic area, as the park road dead ends there.

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Trail heads to cascades over red granite rocks at Wisconsin park

Red Granite Falls. Photo courtesy of Markheffron2 / Wikipedia.

Great autumn hike
awaits Copper
Falls S.P. visitors

A river rapids over billion-year-old red-tinged rock awaits day hikers on the Red Granite Falls Trail in Wisconsin’s Copper Falls State Park.

The set of two loops, loosely shaped in a figure 8, runs 2.5-miles round trip to Red Granite Falls in the park’s southern corner. It’s also listed as the Red Trail on the park’s winter maps.

To reach the state park, from the village of Mellen take Wis. Hwy. 169 north. Enter the park by turning left onto Copper Falls Road, and park in the Loon Lake Beach lot. Head south to the beach and pick up the trailhead heading west.

A popular destination at the park, Loon Lake offers a sand beach, swimming area, and canoe launch. Fishermen often can be spotted vying for largemouth bass, northern pike and panfish there.

From the beach, the trail curves away from Loon Lake. It crosses a road and then intersects with a connecting trail going right/north. Shortly beyond that intersection, the trail enters its first loop; at that point, go right/west.

Because of the park’s diversity in trees, a great time to hike the trail is autumn. You’ll find the brilliant yellows of ironwood, paper birch and aspen, the blazing orange of sugar maple, and the scarlet of red oak mixed with the evergreen of hemlock and white pine. White cedars line the riverway.

Half-way through the loop, the trail reaches a connector linking the two loops. Head right/southwest onto the connector.

Wildlife aplenty
With all of the tree cover, you’re likely to spot and certainly see the signs of a variety of animals, including white-tailed deer, porcupines, fishers, raccoons, black bears, wood frogs, and red squirrels. Up to 200 bird species migrate through the park during spring and fall; northern ravens, great pileated woodpecker, chickadees, ruffed grouse, eagles, and loons are common. Each June and July, banded purple and tiger swallowtail butterflies descend upon the woodlands.

When the connector reaches the second loop, go right/west. You’re a little more than half-way on the loop to the Bad River once you pass beneath the power line. As the trail curves south, you’ll find yourself on the river’s shores.

More of a rapids than a falls, at Red Granite the Bad River tumbles over boulders alongside the trail. Though slippery, older children with adults can safely walk onto some of the rocks in the rapids.

Red Granite Falls owes its existence to lava flows from a billion years ago. For the past 200 million years, the Bad River has ran, except during glaciation, over the hardened lava or the sediment above it.

Winter use
In addition to the great geological scenery, the Bad River is an excellent place to fish for rainbow, brown and brook trout.

When the trail curves east away from the river, you’re on the route way back. To ensure you hike the parts of the loops not done on the way in, always go right at the trail intersections.

During winter, the trail is rolled with a snowmobile for snowshoeing and cold weather hiking. Cross country skiing also is allowed.

One final note: If you have a four-legged friend in your family: Dogs are welcomed on the trail, even during winter.

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Waterfalls, cascades, gorges abound on trail

Doughboys Nature Trail
at Copper Falls State Park, Wis.

Hikers can tour Wisconsin’s geological history in some of the most breathtaking scenery this side of the Mississippi on Doughboys’ Nature Trail at Copper Falls State Park in Wisconsin. Located in Ashland County, the trail follows the Bad River and Tyler Forks past Copper and Brownstone waterfalls and a series of cascades.

Summer and early fall mark the best time to hike the trail. A portion of it closes during the winter as ice leaves rock stairs slippery and unsafe.

To reach Copper Falls State Park, from Mellen take State Hwy. 169 north. Upon passing Loon Lake, enter the park by turning left onto Copper Falls Road. A vehicle admission sticker or state trail pass – which costs as low as $3 for Wisconsin visitors making a daily visit to $35 for out-of-state visitors seeking an annual pass – is required for entry.

The road leads to a parking lot near the pet area. From there, head northwest to the picnic area. Doughboys’ Nature Trail starts near the concession building. The thick red clays you’ll spot near that building weren’t there a few thousand years ago. At the time, Lake Superior – made larger than it is today by melting glaciers – covered the park. The clay and granite boulders were left here by those glaciers after dragging them down from Canada.

Billion-year-old lava rock
Doughboy Nature Trail actually consists of several sections of other trails that form a nice 1.7-mile loop at the park’s heart. Begin the trail by taking a footbridge over the Bad River. Once across the bridge, you’ll notice an observation tower is to the left. Go right for the view of Copper Falls.

The 29-foot waterfall is the first of many drops the Bad River takes in the park. The river for about 200 million years slowly has slowly carved out the canyon through this 1 billion-year-old lava rock left by ancient volcanoes.

At Bad and Tyler Forks rivers junction, you’ll spot Brownstone Falls. The two rivers join spectacularly with Tyler Forks plunging over a hard red lava edge into the rugged gorge. The black walls rise between 60-100 feet above the swirling water.

White cedar trees line the gorge. A plethora of other hardwoods – aspen, basswood, hemlock, ironwood, paper birch, red oak, red pine, sugar maple, white pine, and yellow birch – cover the park, making for impressive autumn walks.

The trail then veers left, following Bad River as it flows on hard, erosion-resistant red lava. When this basalt was formed, the North American continent literally was splitting in half, resulting in a rift full of volcanoes. Lake Superior in part exists because its basin consists of this lava.

Canyon walls tipped on their sides
This geology changes slightly as the trail passes Devil’s Gate, in which the river flows over conglomerate rocks left by ancient streams. The canyon walls showing these different layers of sediment sit almost on their sides as the ground settled and hard lavas shifted upward.

At the footbridge, go right and cross the Bad River. The trail follows the waterway on the opposite shoreline, offering different perspective of Devil’s Gate. It then briefly joins the North Country Trail; stay to right and keep following the river. Within a few minutes of walking, the trail passes the river fork again, offering hikers a different view of Brownstone Falls.

By this point in the trail, you’ve probably noticed a great amount of wildlife. While the trail usually is too busy for the park’s larger denizens – white-tailed deer, elk, black bears and gray wolves – to come close, chipmunks and red and gray squirrels as well a number of songbirds are abundant. You’ll also likely spot the big northern raven, great pileated woodpecker, and chickadees. Visitors in June and July likely will see banded purple and tiger swallowtail butterflies.

If lucky, you also may sight ruffed grouse, eagles, turkey vultures, raccoons, fishers, skunks, porcupines (well, maybe not so lucky with skunks). Wood turtles and wood frogs also live near the shores, as do five different types of snakes, none of which are poisonous.

Final leg of the trail
The trail briefly follows Tyler Forks River past the Cascades, which is supported by black lava. A footbridge takes hikers across the Tyler Forks, which was named for John Tyler, a ship captain who surveyed the area for the Indian Agency.

You’ll then head back on the opposite shore of Tyler Forks River past the Cascades and Brownstone Falls. Upon passing the river junction, head south along the Bad River shore back to the picnic area/concession stand where you began.

Miscellaneous notes: Pets are not allowed on the trail. The first half mile is accessible for people with disabilities.

Read more about family friendly day hiking trails in my Headin' to the Cabin guidebooks.