Trail parallels, offers view of Chippewa River

River Road Ski Trail. Map courtesy of Chippewa County, Wis.

Families can hike rolling, wooded terrain alongside the Chippewa River on the River Road Ski Trail near Cornell, Wis.

The 3.5-mile cross country trail rambles through the 270-acre Harold Walters Memorial Forest and can be hiked when snow isn’t on the ground. A segment of the trail with the gentlest terrain changes runs about 2.1-miles round trip and offers some views of the river.

To reach the trailhead, from Wis. Hwy 178 in Cornell, drive north on County RoadCC. In 2.2 miles, turn right/northeast onto 239th Avenue; a parking lot is on the road’s left/west side.

From the parking lot, go around the gate on the trail that heads northwest. At the first junction, turn right/northeast.

The trail parallels the Chippewa River, which runs for 183 miles, rising out of Lake Chippewa in Sawyer County, and flows into the Mississippi River. Where the two rivers meet, the sediment backs up the Mississippi to form Lake Pepin. The trail moves away from the northern tip of the Cornell Flowage, a section of the Chippewa.

In 0.4 miles from trailhead, the route reaches junction 1; go right/east. Within 200 feet, you’ll come to junction 2; continue going straight/east.

From there, the trail heads up a steep hill, offering vistas of the Chippewa below. It’s particularly scenic in autumn when the leaves of the forest’s northern hardwoods turn color and the understory clears away to give views of the blue river.

The Chippewa sits in a wide river canyon, formed more than 18,000 years ago when ice sheets began to melt and retreat in this area of Wisconsin. It has been a major trading route since prehistory, and during the late 1800s was a main riverway for moving cut logs from the Wisconsin Northwoods to mills in Chippewa Falls and Eau Claire.

The river garnered its name from an anglicization of “Ojibwe,” the name for the native American tribe who controlled much of the upper Chippewa Valley during the early 1800s.

After walking 0.2 miles, go right/northeast at junction 3. In 0.4 miles at junction 6, turn back, retracing your steps to the parking lot.

Learn more about Chippewa Valley day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of the Chippewa Valley guidebook.

Brunet Island park offers variety of trails

Brunet Island State Park. Photo courtesy of TravelWisconsin.com.

Day hikers can enjoy walks alongside scenic rivers, through old growth hemlock forests, or amid fragrant red pines at Brunet Island State Park in western Wisconsin.

The state park, just north of Cornell, sits at the confluence of the Chippewa and Fisher rivers. The most developed section is on Brunet Island. To reach the park's main entrance, from Wis. Hwy. 64 in Cornell, take Park Road north.

Among the many great trails at the state park are:
• Ice Age National Scenic Trail segment – About 2 miles of the 1200-mile trail crosses the park's sparsely visited west side. Park at the trailhead off of County Road Z west of County Road CC and hike west then north to the trailhead at County Road CC.
• Jean Brunet Nature Trail – Day hikers can experience a river island full of giant trees on this 0.8-mile loop. Park off the road where Park Road and 255th Street intersect on the island.
• Nordic Trail – The 4.3-mile loop in the park's eastern section crosses a variety of post-glacier terrain and for part of the way parallels the scenic Fisher River. Start from the lot at the park headquarters.
• Old Abe State Trail – The northern end of the 14-mile trail starts at the park's dumping station and runs south alongside Park Road into Cornell. Use the lot at the park headquarters.
• Pine Trail – This 0.6 mile consists of two forks in a red (Norway) pine plantation at the island's center. Park at the boat landing off of 255th Street south of Park Road.
• Spruce Trail – The 0.33-mile trail connects a boat landing and boat landing, running alongside a back channel of the Chippewa River. Park at the same lot as for the Pine Trail.
• Timber Trail – Mature hemlocks and young aspen stands line the 0.6-mile route that runs between the swimming beach and the North Camp Area. Park at the lot for the fishing pier.

Map

Learn more about Chippewa Valley day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of the Chippewa Valley guidebook.

Trail heads through disappearing hemlock

Backwater channel on the northern tip of Brunet Island.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Map, Jean Brunet Nature Trail, courtesy of WI DNR.

Route runs on island
in Wisconsin state park

Day hikers can experience a river island full of giant trees on the Jean Brunet Nature Trail in western Wisconsin.

The 1.5-mile round trip trail sits in Brunet Island State Park. The park’s heart and its developed sections mostly sit on an island at the confluence of Chippewa and Fisher rivers. Of the route described here, the self-guided nature trail makes up a little more than half of the walk.

To reach the park, from Cornell, Wis., go west on Wis. Hwy. 64/Bridge Street. Turn right/north on Park Road, which leads to the park entrance. Follow the park road over the river and onto the island. Turn at the first left onto the one-way road and park at the boat landing.

From the boat landing, take Pine Trail west, crossing the park road. You’ll walk through the southern edge of the state’s North Central Forest landscape, which in large part is synonymous with the Wisconsin Northwoods. Here Northern hardwoods grow atop sediment left by glaciers at the end of the last ice age.

Upon coming to the Y in the trail, go right/northwest, continuing on Pine Trail.

Whitetail deer and wildlife
You’ll likely see whitetail deer or signs of them along the way. The deer are ubiquitous on the island and have radically altered the landscape by feeding on young hemlocks trees that once filled the terrain. The decimation of hemlocks and other native species likely means that red pine and spruce will cover the island in years to come. Efforts are underway by park officials, however, to protect and rejuvenate native species.

After the trail crosses the park road, you’ll come to another Y. Go left/north on it; you’re now a third of the way through the walk and officially on the Jean Brunet Nature Trail – though you’re not exactly following the trail from its official starting point, which is near the bridge connecting the island to the mainland.

Deer aren’t the only wildlife on the island. Chipmunks, fox, porcupine, raccoons, skunks, squirrels, and woodchucks also call the island home while beaver, otter, mink and muskrat can be seen in the surrounding river channels.

Birds also reside on the islands, especially during spring and fall migrations. Year around, eagles and osprey usually can spotted flying overhead while at night owls can be heard hooting. A healthy-sized population of grouse live in the island’s brush.

Old conifers
Even if you don’t spot any wildlife, you’re certain to see gigantic hemlocks growing along the nature trail. Most of these trees are extremely old, survivors from a day when predators were around to control the deer population.

The trail quickly comes to the river shore and loops about the island’s northern edge. Watch for great blue herons that sometimes race in the backwaters.

The park and trail is named for Jean Brunet, who came to the United States from France in the early 1800s. In 1828, he moved to what is now Chippewa Falls and then shortly thereafter to what is now the Cornell area, where he established a trading post, operated a ferry service, and built a dam. Northern States Power Company gave the island to the state in 1936, and it became a park four years later.

The loop forms more of a triangle than a circle with its bottom leg paralleling the park road. Once you’ve completed the loop, retrace your steps on the Pine Trail back to the parking lot.

A 500-foot segment of the trail is handicap accessible with limited parking at the trailhead near the main bridge.

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of the Chippewa Valley guidebook.