What are NW Wisconsin’s three best trails?

Summit Rock Trail vista, looking south

This article, by the author of the “Hikes with Tykes” series, originally appeared in the May 27, 2013, Seattle Backpackers Magazine.

Where can you walk across 1.1-billion year-old rock, see a waterfall as tall as Niagara, or stroll along a romantic beach…all within an hour or so drive of one another?

Try Northwest Wisconsin. Now before you dismiss Wisconsin as nothing but dairy farms and foam cheesehead factories, the state actually offers backpackers and day hikers alike a number of great trails to enjoy.

Two major national park units sit in Northwest Wisconsin. The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway follows more than 250 miles of the St. Croix River and a tributary, offering trails that trace historic portages, cross ancient river gorges, and parallel Class I trout streams. The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore boasts sea caves, primitive camping experiences on remote islands, and gorgeous sunsets over the world’s largest body of freshwater, Lake Superior.

Three must-do trails in Northwest Wisconsin include:
g Doughboys’ Nature Trail – The Copper Falls State Park trail features multiple waterfalls and rapids over lava rock at the confluence of two rivers. Granite boulders left here by ice age glaciers, after dragging them down from Canada, dot the 1.7-mile loop trail. A plethora of 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.
g Morgan Falls-St. Peters Dome Trail – In the Chequamegon National Forest, this 3.6-mile round trip hike leads first to an 80-foot waterfall and then an impressive vista on St. Peters Dome with views 20 miles around. The dome is a massive hunk of red granite that began to form underground some 1.2 billion years ago and since has been exposed. A number of rare ferns also can be found along the trail.
g Summit Rock Trail – The short hike at Wisconsin Interstate State Park near St. Croix Falls offers fantastic views of the Dalles of the St. Croix gorge, carved by glacial floodwaters during the last ice age. The gorge consists of basalt laid there 500 million years before dinosaurs walked the planet and neat rock formations, including the Old Man of the Dalles. Adjoining short trails lead to deep potholes that the swirling floods literally drilled out of solid rock.

Honorable mention goes to two trails:
g Bay View Trail – Taking the trail along with a beach boardwalk and a self-guided interpretive trail afford hikers a 5-mile round trip on Madeline Island, providing great views of Lake Superior, which is blue during the day and fire red at sunset. A ferry boat runs from Bayfield to the island.
g Big Manitou Falls Overlooks Trail – While the trail in Pattison State Park is a standard walk through the woods, it helps set up the spectacular sight at the destination: a 168-foot waterfall. Though not as wide, it is as tall as Niagara Falls and the fourth highest east of the Rocky Mountains.

For those wishing to take backpacking excursions, look into these trails:
g Gandy Dancer Trail – Several old railroad beds have been converted to hiking trails in the state, including this 98-mile route running from the pristine St. Croix River to Lake Superior.
g Ice Age National Scenic Trail – The 1200-mile trail roughly parallels what once the southern edge of the glacier covering much of the state some eight millennia ago.
g North Country National Scenic Trail – The longest continuous section of the seven-state trail runs through northern Wisconsin, including over the remnants of an ancient mountain range that once stood as tall as the Alps.

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

National trail, state park deliver great hiking options to Mellen, Wisconsin, visitors

Mellen sits at the northeast corner of the Chequamegon National Forest.

With the North Country National Scenic Trail and Copper Falls State Park nearby, Mellen, Wis., offers a number of great day hiking options. Among the selections:
g Doughboys’ Nature Trail – Hikers can tour Wisconsin’s geological history in some of the most breathtaking scenery this side of the Mississippi on this Copper Falls State Park trail. The route follows the Bad River and Tyler Forks past Copper and Brownstone waterfalls and a series of cascades.
g Juniper Rock Overlook segment – West of town, pick up the North Country National Scenic Trial off of Forest Road 202. Walk east for a little more than a half-mile to the overlook of the Marengo River. You can extend the hike for another mile to old Swedish settlements and additional overlooks.
g Penokee Mountain Trail – A cross country ski trail in winter, a day hiking trail in summer, these walking loops are part of the North Country National Scenic Trail running through the Chequamegon National Forest. It consists of three loops, which depending on your time and energy levels, can be done separately for as short as a 2 mile hike to one up to 5.3 miles.
g Red Granite Trail – The 2.5-mile round trip trail runs to Red Granite Falls in the southern portion of Copper Falls State Park. Dogs are welcomed on the walking path.
g Takesson Trail loops - An inner loops runs for 1.6 miles and an outer loop for 2.5 miles, offering picturesque views of the Bad River in Copper Falls State Park. Both loops ramble through a mature hardwood forest, but the outer loop is hillier.

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

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.