North Country segment passes hemlocks

Lesser purple fringed orchid grows in wet, shaded woods, like those
found along the North Country Trail in Wisconsin.

Map of Chequamegon Hardwoods State Natural Area, courtesy WI DNR.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can explore a northern Wisconsin forest with massive old growth hemlock trees and wildflowers galore below them on a segment of the North Country National Scenic Trail.

The segment runs 2.2-mile round trip through the contiguous Chequamegon National Forest and the Chequamegon Hardwoods State Natural Area. Stretching from New York to North Dakota, the North Country Trail crosses seven states over a 4600-mile course.

To reach the trail segment, from Mellen, Wis., drive west on County Road GG. Once inside the Chequamegon National Forest, turn right/north onto Forest Road 187. Then turn right/northeast onto Forest Road 188, which as veering east becomes Hanson Road. After passing the Beaver Dam Lake Road intersection, watch for where the North Country National Scenic Trail crosses the road. At the crossing, park off the side of the road and take the trail northeast.

Basswood forest
The trail heads through a northern mesic forest in which basswood, red oak, sugar maple, white ash and yellow birch dominate. Below it grow alternate-leaved dogwood, beaked hazelnut, and mountain maple. Beneath that shrub layer, more than 80 plant species can be found, including bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit, bellwort, blue cohosh, nodding trillium, lesser purple fringed orchid, spikenard, spotted coralroot orchid, and green adders’-mouth.

Among the first of the wildflowers to bloom here in spring is bloodroot. Sometimes it pops up from soil that has just thawed. It sports a large white flower, about 1.5 inches wide, with 8-10 petals and a yellow center. The red orange juice in its stem has been used over the centuries as a dye and an insect repellent. It grows all across Wisconsin.

Jack-in-the-pulpit also blooms in spring. Its erect 2- to 3-inch long flower sits inside a green or purple hood at the top of a single stalk. American Indians cooked its below ground stem as food, so it's sometimes referred to as Indian turnip. The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals, however, so no part of it above ground is edible, as it causes a burning sensation in the mouth.

Large-leaved bellwort, also called merrybells, blooms in spring as well. Its drooping bell-shaped yellow flower is about 1-2 inches long with up to six petals. The long-leaved is one of two bellworts that grow in Wisconsin; four other species grow in eastern North America. Its found throughout the state.

Nodding trillium, purple fringed orchid
Blue cohosh, a 1-3-foot high bush, also flowers in spring. A cluster of yellow-green flowers with six petals sits atop the plant, which grows throughout Wisconsin. Don’t eat its blue berries, which are poisonous.

Blooming from spring into summer is the nodding trillium. The flower is a whorl of three wavy white petals that droops beneath the plant’s leaves. Don’t pick any part of this plant as the leaves then may not be able to produce enough sugar and starch for a bloom to appear the following year. It’s one of seven trillium species that grows throughout Wisconsin.

Among the sweetly fragrant flowers is the lesser purple fringed orchid. The lavender to rose six-parted flower is about three-quarters of an inch long. They forma dense, spike-like cluster. The flower blooms from June to August. It is found in most Wisconsin counties.

Spikenard blooms June to August. Though the plant can grow 2-4 feet tall, its greenish-white flowers are tiny and form parasol-shaped clusters. The plant really stands out in autumn when the pollinated flowers transform into dense groups of rich burgundy fruits. Birds enjoy these fruits, but for humans they are inedible. Spikenard is found throughout Wisconsin.

Coralroot orchid, maidenhair fern
Spotted coralroot orchid blooms from mid-June to mid-August. Each white flower sports purple spots and is not quite a half-inch long. Several of the flowers grow on a single stalk Though the plant reaches up to 31 inches high, it has no leaves. It is found in a majority of Wisconsin counties, mainly those in the Northwoods and along Lake Michigan.

Green adders’-mouth flowers from July to mid-August. A small orchid, its teensy green blooms are only millimeters wide and long. Each plant produces about 20 to 50 flowers. Exactly which insect pollinates it is unknown, but scientists suspect small flies, like fungus gnats, play a role.

The blue-green maidenhair fern often provides cover for and around these many wildflowers in this part of the forest.

At about 0.4 miles, the trail unceremoniously enters the state natural area’s southeast corner. Though originally logged off in the 1930s, large old-growth hemlock and big-tooth aspen both still can be found here; some old-growth hemlocks boast a diameter of five feet. Scattered gabbro rock outcroppings, some of which are up to 50 feet high, also can be found in the state natural area.

The trail departs the state natural area in little more than 0.1 miles. You’ll know you’ve left, as the route passes a wet area once you’ve re-entered the national forest.

Second-growth forest
Black ash, red maple, and white cedar are common on this wet-mesic forest portion of the route. Amphibians, including the red-backed salamander and wood frog, are here as well.

The rest of the trail is dry as it runs east through the northern mesic forest. The variety of trees in this second-growth forest makes for a colorful walk in autumn.

About 0.3 miles from the wetlands are a pair of knolls that mark the two high points along the trail. They top out at 1535 (the westernmost knoll) and 1538 feet (the easternmost) above sea level.

The trail’s crossing of North York Road marks a good spot to turn back. Alternately, this makes a great point-to-point hike if you have a driver disinterested in hiking.

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.

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.

Hike remnants of ancient mountain range

Penokee Mountain Trail, near Mellen, Wis.

Cabin-goers to northern Wisconsin can hike across the remnants of an ancient mountain range that once soared as high as the Alps.

The Penokee Mountain Trail – a cross country ski trail in winter, a day hiking trail in summer – also is part of the North Country National Scenic Trail. It actually 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.

Autumn makes for a lovely time to hike the trail, as the rugged uplands offer superb views of the multi-colored trees in the valley below.

To reach the trail, from Mellen drive about 3.5 miles on County GG. You’ll turn right into a parking lot. A fee is required to park. The trailhead sits at the parking lots north end. Follow the trail counterclockwise.

Range once as tall as the Alps
As you’re in the Chequamegon National Forest, walking paths are in good shape, but you will be going up and down some hills if you take the longest route.

The first loop runs for 2 miles along the area’s eastern side. You’ll head through a hemlock forest that provides home to whitetail deer, bears and ruffed grouse.

Reaching the north side, you’ll get a spectacular view of the valley below, which maples, oaks and basswood with an understory of balsam fir and white pine dominate. You actually are walking along one of the highest ridges in Wisconsin; the surface of Lake Superior, which sits 19 miles to the north, is 850 feet below your elevation.

The ridge with its granite ledges are all that remain of an ancient mountain range that once towered more than 10,000 feet high. Rock folds suggest what this range must have looked like some 500-600 million years ago: lofty peaks and deep valleys, similar to the Alps. These mountains are among some of the oldest in the world, predating animal life on land.

What remains 200 million years later...
For the past 200 million years, the mountains have been slowly eroding into a low, slightly undulating flat area called a peneplain. The Penokee range, which stretches about 80 miles long and is up to a mile wide, is known as a monadnock because its resistant rocks leave them standing about this plain.

The three trail loops upon this monadnock are fairly easy to follow, as several signs indicate the North Country Trail’s route. In addition, ski maps of the trail can be downloaded or picked up at area establishments.

Should you be up for a longer walk, staying to the right rather than looping back by going left at trail junctions, will allow you to can extend the walk to 3.2 miles on the ridge’s northern side. That loop in turn can be extended to 5.3 miles, which covers the trail’s western portion. If opting for this longer route, you will twice cross a quarry road. The approaches at these roads are abrupt declines. You’ll also come across an Adirondack shelter, a great place for taking a rest break.

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.