North Wisc. trail crosses jack pine forest

Loon Creek Trail

Snowmobile trail makes
for great summer walk

A plethora of snowmobile trails crosscross Wisconsin’s northern Burnett County, and during summer many of them can be day hiked.

One good hub for these trails is the Burnett County Forest’s Loon Creek Trailhead. From it, the Loon Creek Trail (so christened here for convenience’s sake) runs about 4-miles round trip over snowmobile/ATV routes.

Sand plains
To reach the trailhead, from Danbury go east on State Hwy. 77. Turn south/left onto Bear Lake Road. At Lake 26 Road, go right/west, then at the next intersection, left/south onto Loon Creek Trail. A large parking lot is on the road's left/east side just before Deerpath Road. The trail leaves from the lot’s southeast corner.

Wide and fairly flat, the trail immediately curves north as it loosely parallels Loon Creek from a distance. This route appears on maps as Wisconsin Corridor Trail 41, which is a summer ATV route. About 800 feet from the parking lot, the trail splits; stay on Corridor Trail 41 by going left/east.

The trail takes hikers across a sand plains, formed when sediment from melting ice age glaciers washed over the area about 8000 years ago. Jack pine dominates, accounting for about a third of the trees on the poor soil. Aspen with its flashing leaves follows at about three out of every 20 trees.

In about a mile, the trail intersects another ATV route, the gravel Loon Lake Dam Lane. Go right/east onto it for a walk down a country lane. Here, the trees begin to vary more.

Raptors and rare butterfly
As you gaze up at the incredibly tall trees along the route, don’t be surpised to spot eagles and osprey. Loon Creek is home to several nests for the majestic raptors. A little closer to eye level, watch for the delightful appearing Karner blue butterfly, which unfortunately is on the brink of extinction.

The trail in about a half-mile passes the gravel Whispering Pines Road and then come to the top of Loon Lake, which Loon Creek feeds. A small dam controls the creek’s flow and maintains Loon Lake’s water levels.

Be careful with matches and sparks while hiking the trail. Because of the conifer trees and sandy soils, the fire hazard is high; in fact, motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trail in April and May (Day hiking is permitted, though.).

Also, the best time to walk the trail is a nonholiday weekday. On weekends and during holidays, the trails are popular among ATVers and so can be loud.

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

Cross St. Croix River railroad bridge on hike

St. Croix River, looking east from Gandy Dancer Trail bridge north of
Danbury, Wis. Minnesota is on the left and Wisconsin the right.

Trail links Wisconsin, Minnesota sections
of walking route

Day hikers can walk across an old railroad bridge over the St. Croix River at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the St. Croix State Forest on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border.

The Gandy Dancer Trail, which starts dozens of miles south of the state forest in St. Croix Falls, Wis., crosses the border into Minnesota at Danbury, Wis. The segment described in this entry is about 2-miles round trip.

River crossing
In Danbury, parking for trail access is next to the walking route north of Wis. Hwy. 77 between Wis. Hwy. 35 and North Glass Street. From the lot, take the trail north.

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 about 0.4 miles, you’ll reach the St. Croix River's tranquil blue waters as you pass through the scenic riverway. Cross the old railroad trestle bridge into Minnesota. To the left is a canoe access point for the river.

St. Croix State Forest
In short order, you’ll breach the invisible line into the St. Croix State Forest, the 42,105-acre spread along the Tamarack and St. Croix rivers. The trail continues through woodlands, mainly bigtooth and quaking aspen with islands of red oak and other various northern hardwood trees.

About 0.6 miles from the bridge, the trail reaches a pine barrens with a large gravel turnout. This marks a good spot to turn back.

The Gandy Dancer does continue on, so if you have a little extra energy, feel free to walk a bit farther. The trial ultimately runs for 30 miles through Minnesota before crossing back into Wisconsin south of Superior.

Be forewarned that the Minnesota side is an OHV (off-highway vehicle) trail, so keep an eye on children. Also, be sure to use insect repellent in spring and summer.

Read more about day hiking the scenic riverway in my guidebook Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

Fifth ‘Hittin’ the Trail’ book, on Burnett County, Wisconsin, released

The next book in my Hittin’ the Trail hiking guide series, Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Burnett County, Wisconsin, went on sale this weekend. The ebook lists dozens of great family-friendly trails in all of your favorite Burnett County communities, including Grantsburg, Siren, Webster and Danbury as well along the St. Croix River in neighboring Minnesota. Included is a primer about day hiking essentials, such as gear, clothing, navigation, and how to avoid various trail dangers. Day Hiking Burnett County, Wisconsin is available as an ebook on Kindle, Nook, iBook/iPad, Kobo, and other formats.

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

Great hiking trails await Danbury WI visitors

Gandy Dancer Trail bridge over St. Croix River

Several excellent day hiking trails await visitors to the Danbury, Wis., area. Among the trails:
g Gandy Dancer Trail segment – Day hikers can walk across an old railroad bridge over the St. Croix River on a segment of this long trail. In Danbury, parking for trail access is next to the walking route north of Wis. Hwy. 77 between Wis. Hwy. 35 and North Glass Street; from the lot, take the trail north, turning around on the bridge's other side for a 2-mile round trip. 
g Grouse Walk Trail – Three trails of various lengths run across a meadow dotted with pine groves at the Big Bear Lake Nature Area. The Grouse Walk Trail takes in a half-mile loop and can be extended with a link to the Big Bear Meadows Trail loop for an additional mile.
g Danbury State Wildlife Area trails – A goal post-shaped set of jeep trails form a square with County Road F, running through pine barrens and lowlands. Keep an eye out for snowshoe hare, ruffed grouse, beaver, mink and otter.
g Matthew Lourey State Trail – Across the river in Minnesota, this trail runs for several miles roughly north to south through St. Croix State Park. A pleasant 2.3-mile segment heads from a trail center to Hay Creek.
g Namekagon Barrens Wildlife Area trails – Take a walk down any of the gravel roads leading into these sand barrens for an Andy Griffith-style hike into the backwoods. Watch for sharp-tailed grouse and the upland sandpiper.

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

Hat trick of trails cross unique ecosystem

Grouse Walk Trail

Ice Age shaped shrubland
in northern Wisconsin

The Big Bear Lake Nature Trails offer three great day hiking opportunities for visitors in the lake country of Burnett County, Wis.

All three trails are accessible from the same trailhead. The Grouse Walk Trail is the shortest at a half-mile.

Glacial drift
To reach the trails, from Danbury take Wis. Hwy. 77 north/east for a little more than 10 miles. Turn right/south onto Bear Lake Road; in about 1.5 miles, turn left/east into a sand parking lot. If you’ve reached the Lake 26 Road intersection, you’ve missed the lot.

From the trailhead at the parking lot, go straight (the middle route). Going left takes you to the Big Bear Springs Trail for a 0.75-mile loop, which is fairly similar to the Grouse Walk Trail.

You’re now heading clockwise on Grouse Walk Trail through a largely open grassland and shrubland with scattered pines, so you’ll definitely need hat and sunscreen for the hike.

The nature trails are located in the rare Northwest Sands ecological landscape, which angles across this corner of Wisconsin from the St. Croix River to just short of the Lake Superior. Farm crops can’t readily grow here because all that separates the surface from underlying bedrock is glacial drift – sand, gravel and silt left during the last ice age.

Small pond
About midway through the Grouse Walk loop, an intersecting trail takes you east to the Big Bear Meadows Trail. The trail is more wooded and runs for 0.875 miles.

After curving southwest, the Grouse Walk loop skirts the shoreline of a small pond that often is just a shallow depression during dry years. The loamy nature of the soil typically means that moisture drains fast through it.

Despite that, a number of kettle lakes from melted chunks of an ice age glacier exist across the region. Among them is nearby Big Bear Lake; though these nature trails are named for it, that lake actually is a good half-mile to the northeast.

Circling to Grouse Walk loop’s south side, you’ll head through a small grove. Pine, aspen, birch and oak dominate the few stands of trees in the Northwest Sands. Upon existing the stand, you’ll have returned to the parking lot.

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

Gandy Dancer Trail heads thru Northwoods

Old railroad line converted

to 98-mile hiking route

The Gandy Dancer State Trail runs roughly north-south for 98 miles with a number of accessible points in Wisconsin cabin country, making it ideal for a day hike. Built atop an old Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie railroad grade, the trail is named for the Gandy Tool Company workers who built the route back in the 1880s.

Paralleling Wis. Hwy. 35, one of the easiest places to get on the trail is in St. Croix Falls at the Polk County Information Center, located at the junction of U.S. Hwy. 8 and Hwy. 35. Plenty of parking is available at the info center.

The trail begins as paved asphalt then turns to packed crushed limestone, which makes for easy walking. As trains once needed to make their way where you’ll walk, grade changes always are gradual.

A variety of trees often form a long canopy over the trail, offering plenty of shade and a real escape back to nature experience. This is especially so in autumn, when leaves change to form red, orange and golden roofs over hikers. In grassy areas, lupines, phlox and columbine flower during June.

When passing waterways, dragonflies frequently can be spotted during summer. Songbirds light most of the route with their melodies while squirrels scamper along the ground and up trees. Watch for white tail deer springing back into the woods when rounding curves.

The first segment of the trail runs 4.5 miles from the information center to the village of Centuria. If you have young children, you certainly don’t have to walk the entire trail; mile posts signs along the way tell how far you’ve walked so you know when to turn around.

If your cabin is a little farther north, no worries. Running through nine villages and connecting with city parks, you can find a trailhead at several locations, including: Centuria, Milltown, Luck, Frederic, Lewis, Siren, Webster and Danbury. Those trail sections pass farmland, lakes and forests. Bicyclists also are allowed to use the trial; be sure to keep an eye on children so they don’t get in the way.

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