Washburn County towns offer great hikes

Trego Nature Trail.

Several great hiking trails crisscross Wisconsin’s Washburn County, with many of them centered on five major communities. Adding to the county’s charm is that no community has a population of more than 3000, and only one town even comes close to that.

The village of Birchwood sits tucked in the county’s southeast corner on Wis. Hwy. 48. The self-proclaimed Bluegill Capital of Wisconsin, it’s a former 1800s logging camp that became a town in its own right. The Tuscobia State Trail runs through it.

Washburn’s county seat, Shell Lake, is in the opposite corner along U.S. Hwy. 63. The town is centered on its namesake, popular Shell Lake, so named because shells of freshwater bivalves were common on its lakeshore. Several hiking trails can be found in or near town, including the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Just north of Shell Lake where U.S. Hwys. 63 and 53 join and split, is Spooner, the county’s largest city. Nicknamed “Crossroads of the North,” at one time it was a hub of the Omaha Railroad Line. A former rail line, the Wild Rivers Trail, is now a hiking/bicycling path running south to Sarona and Rice Lake and north to Trego and Superior.

Unincorporated Trego can be found at the county’s center on the Namekagon River in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Hwy. 63 goes east here to Hayward while Hwy. 53 goes north to Superior. The former heads to the scenic riverway’s visitor center and the picturesque Trego Nature Trail.

The village of Minong is in the northcentral portion of the county along Hwy. 53 at the edge of Wisconsin’s northern highlands. The Wild Rivers Trail runs through town while the Totagatic Ski Trail loops are nearby.

Learn more about these and nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.

Hike through classic North Central Forest

Lichen grows on trees along Totagatic Ski Trail loops
north of Minong, Wis.

Totagatic Ski Trail loops
easy to reach via U.S. Hwy. 53

Multiple ski loops trail in winter serve as great day hiking paths in summer for visitors to the Minong, Wis., area.

Of the four Totagatic Ski Trail loops, try Loop A. At 2 miles round trip, it’s the shortest as well as the closest to the parking lot so is easy to locate.

To reach the trail system, head a little more than a mile north of Minong village on U.S. Hwy. 53. At the second, or northernmost, intersection with Lakeside Road, turn left/east into the parking lot.

Borderline
A jeep trail runs west from parking lot for 0.25 miles. Most of the trail is mixed hardwoods, consisting of sugar and red maple and basswood. On other loops, trails head through groves of replanted trees.

At the first divide in trail, head straight (or left/west) to do the route clockwise. You’re now officially on Loop A.

The trails run through a border area between two ecosystems – the North Central Forest and the Northwest Sands regions. The major difference is the former’s soil is only 5-10 feet above the bedrock while the latter can have a separation of several hundred feet. In part because of this, the North Central Forest is better able to hold hardwood trees such as maples whereas the Northwest Sands consists of pine and shrubland.

In 0.25 miles, the trail comes to a junction. Go right/north on a section of trail shared with Loop B.

'Pleasant Valley'
The North Central Forest covers a lot of territory in Wisconsin; it can be found in 19 counties and stretches into Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Often when thinking of the “Northwoods” in Wisconsin, an image of the North Central Forest is what comes to mind for most Wisconsinites and visitors.

The next trail junction comes in about 0.1 miles; at it, go right/north. The trail you didn’t take takes you onto Loop B, which in turn connects with loops C and D.

“Totagatic” is derived from the Ojibwa word “Totogan,” which means “boggy river.” The trails, however, don’t go near their namesake river, which is to the north by a few miles. In any case, the Native Americans’ name for the area that includes Minong village and these ski trails translates to “Pleasant Valley.”

After about 0.25 miles, Loop A veers east and gradually curves south. In little more than 0.9 miles, you’ll reach the access trail that leads to parking lot; go left/east back to the lot.

Learn about nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.

Quality trails abound in Minong, Wis., region

Wild River Trail north of Minong, Wis.

Several good day hiking trails wait cabin-goers in the Minong, Wis., area. They include:
g Brule River State Forest Annex Loop A – North of town in Douglas County along County Road G lies a small area of planted forests along the Eau Claire River with multiple jeep trails running through it. From the end of the county road, hike west until the road curves north; take each of the three spur trails to the river for a 1.7-mile walk.
g Totagatic trails – An impressive number of trails sit off of U.S. Hwy. 53 just south of the Totagatic River. They’re mainly used for winter skiing but can be day hiked in other seasons. Try Loop A, which heads through woods and meadow, for a 2.75-mile hike including the access trail.
g Wild River Trail segment – The former rail line turned hiking trail heads through town on the way from Trego to Gordon. Starting at South Limits Road, head south on the trail to Lakeside Lake for a roughly 4-mile round trip.

Learn about nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.

Trails abound for visitors to Trego, Wis., area

Wild River Trail crossing the Namekagon River. 

A number of excellent trails await cabin-goers to the Trego, Wis., area this summer. Among them:
g Leisure Lake Trail – A 3-mile trail heads about Leisure Lake, off of Skunk Lake Road, northwest of town. The lake’s shoreline is nicely forested.
g Trego Lake Trail – A trio of loops run for 3.5 miles near the Namekagon River and Trego Lake in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. A combination of the A and B loops offer the best river and lake views.
g Trego River Trail – This 2.8-mile round trip walk heads through a variety of habitats along the Namekagon River in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Keep an eye out for snowshoe hare, Great Blue Heron, beavers, otters, turtles and the telltale signs of bobcats.
g Wild River Trail – The former C&NW Rail route turned hiking trail runs through town from Spooner to Minong. From Park Street, take an almost 2-mile round trip walk north through the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, including a bridge over the Namekagon River.

Learn about nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Washburn County.