Top fall hikes in northeast Wisconsin, Part II

Governor Thompson State Park's Forest View Trail

There’s no better way
to experience autumn colors in northeast Wisconsin than a hike.

The brilliant yellows, oranges and red of maples to the scarlet

and russets of

oaks...the crisp, fresh autumn air and the last warm rays of sunlight before winter arrives...

the crunch of fallen leaves and acorns beneath your boots

...stopping to enjoy a warm mug of apple cider or a caramel apple pulled from your backpack – it all calls for an afternoon on the trail.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails across northeast Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Langlade County
Mature maple, birch, oak, aspen and pine near a blue, pristine lake await hikers at Veteran’s Memorial Park. The 1.1-mile loop heads through a wood and then past the undeveloped Jack Lake makes for an pretty walk in autumn. Several other connecting trails lead to nearby Game and High lakes as well as the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. From Antigo, take U.S. Hwy. 45 north. Turn right/east onto County Road J, which becomes Park Road. Go left/east into the park; the trail heads south from the parking lot.

Lincoln County
An old-growth forest with a large stand of white pines that escaped the logger’s ax await at Council Grounds State Park. The 0.9-mile Blue Trail runs through the Krueger Pines State Natural Area in the park. The trees are immense, and so are the number of leaves they produce – the gold of paper birch and bigtooth aspen, the tan to russet of white oak, the yellow to red of black oak, the bronze to purple of hazelnut, and the maroon of downy arrowhead. The park sits on beautiful Lake Alexander, created by the damming of the Wisconsin River. From Wis. Hwy. 64 in Merrill, take Wis. Hwy. 107 north. Turn tight/south onto Council Grounds Drive. Follow the road as it loops through the park. Park in the lot on the loops’ southeast side and walk north alongside the road; the trailhead is on the road’s left/west side.

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Each autumn, gold, orange and russet leaves line the Hiawatha Trail, which crosses the Wisconsin River in Tomahawk, a rail-to-trail route that links to the Bearskin State Trail. This easy to hike segment of the Hiawatha runs 1.3-miles round trip from Sara Park to West Mohawk Drive. Tall oak, aspen, birch and various evergreens rise along the former rail line. From the junction of Wis. Hwy. 86 and West Somo Avenue, take the latter west. Leave your vehicle in the lot for Sara Park on the street’s right/north and walk east along the Wisconsin River to the trailhead.

Marinette County
A walk through a forest in the state’s rare Northeast Sands eco landscape awaits hikers at Governor Thompson State Park. The 3.5-mile Forest View Trail loops through a forest of yellow-leafed aspen, orange and red maples, and marigold scrub oak dotted with evergreen jack pine and hemlock. Less than 3 percent of Wisconsin falls into the sands eco landscape. From Crivitz, take County Road W west. Turn right/north onto Parkway Road then left/west onto Ranch Road. Enter the parking by going right/north on Paust Lane. Park in the lot for Woods Lake and walk north alongside Paust Road to the trailhead.

Menominee County
When they tell you that the outline of Menominee County can be seen from space, they aren’t kidding. Some of the oldest – and hence tallest – stands of hardwood, pine and hemlock grow in a county that is 95 percent forested. There are few spots to hike in the county, which is the Menominee Indian Reservation, but one spot is the first road between Ducknest and Sullivan falls on the Wolf River. From Keshena, take Wis. Hwy. 55 north. Turn left/west on Indian Road 24/Sullivan Falls Road. When the road swerves north at the river, park on the shoulder. Ducknest Falls is directly ahead. During autumn, walk the road, lined with colorful leaves and evergreens, for a 0.75-miles round trip to Lower Sullivan Falls.

Oconto County
Day hikers not bothered by heights can enjoy a spectacular vista of autumn leaves from Mountain Lookout Tower. The 0.26-miles round trip hike sits in the vast Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The tower is at an elevation of 1,254 feet. The road heads through a classic Northwoods setting that is beautiful any time of the year but particularly so in autumn. A September walk takes you past sugar, red and mountain maples, white, red and black oaks, paper, yellow and river birch, aspen, beech, basswood, and sumac. Various green conifers – including pine, spruce, fir, and juniper – dot the hardwood forest. From the village of Mountain on County Road W just east of Wis. Hwy. 32, take National Forest Road 2106 (Old 32) north. In about 2.25 miles, turn right/southeast onto Mountain Tower Road. Pull off to the side of the road so you’re not blocking traffic. Hike the road up to the tower.

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Hikers can head to the county’s highest point for great views of the surrounding forest. The 1.3-mile Butler Rock Trail climbs 160 feet to 1093 feet above sea level. It includes a 0.7-mile spur trail that stays at ground level as circling to the face of Butler Rock in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The newly developed trail crosses a forest whose canopy in autumn turns orange, red and yellow-green. From Wis. Hwy. 64 south of Mountain, take Old Hwy. 64/Forest Road 2308 east. Turn left/north onto Butler Rock Road then left/northwest onto Butler Lookout Lane. The trail starts where the road ends.

Lookout tower offers great autumn vista

The Mountain Lookout Tower offers spectacular views of the surrounding
national forest in northeast Wisconsin.

Mountain lookout Tower Trail topo map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers not bothered by heights can enjoy a spectacular vista of autumn leaves from Wisconsin’s Mountain Lookout Tower.

The 0.26-miles round trip hike sits in the vast Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The tower is at an elevation of 1,254 feet.

To reach the trailhead, in Mountain on County Road W just east of Wis. Hwy. 32, take National Forest Road 2106 (Old 32) north. In about 2.25 miles, turn right/southeast onto Mountain Tower Road. Pull off to the side of the road so you’re not blocking traffic. Hike the road up to the tower.

The road heads through a classic North Woods setting that is beautiful any time of the year but particularly so in autumn. A September walk takes you past sugar, red and mountain maples, white, red and black oaks, paper, yellow and river birch, aspen, beech, basswood, and sumac. Various green conifers – including pine, spruce, fir, and juniper – dot the hardwood forest.

At the end of the road is the Mountain Lookout Tower, which rises 100 feet high. An Aermotor tower, it is one of the few remaining lookouts in the eastern portion of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. When erected in 1935 by the U.S. Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps, it was part of an extensive system of more than a dozen towers in Nicolet National Forest.

The tower closed in 1970. After years of falling into disrepair, it was restored in 1994 then refurbished again in 2016. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Today, it’s the only tower in the old lookout system that people can go up into it. First you’ll have to climb 132 steep steps. At the top is a 7-by-7 foot cab, from which you enjoy a 360 degrees view above the tree canopy for miles around. During autumn, you’ll see an array of harvest colors, from gold and sienna to honey yellow and crimson.

Most of those trees were planted during the 1930s by the CCC. Logging during the early 1900s wiped out the old growth forest, of which only isolated remnants remain in the national forest.

The lookout tower is open about mid-May through the end of October daily from 8 a.m. until sunset. There is no charge to enter the tower, but donations to help keep up the tower are welcomed.

Parking is available at the tower, by the way, but if you drive right up to it, then you wouldn’t be hiking, right?

Wood ducks await at Jones Spring area trail

Wood ducks spend part of their year at Jones Spring.

Jones Spring area map.
Click map for larger version.

Day hikers can enjoy wildflowers and wood ducks in the northern portion of Wisconsin’s Jones Spring area.

The 4.7-miles looping Red Trail runs through Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This trail is best done in early spring before the ground has thawed or in late fall after a freeze, as parts of it can be overgrown by summer and too muddy to cross.

To reach the trailhead, From Townsend, take County Road T south. Turn right/west onto Unity Drive then right/west onto Sawyer Lake Road (Forest Road 2122). After crossing Mary Creek, park at the road going left/east into the woods.

Take the stem trail east to the Red Trail. In 0.2 miles at the next junction, you’ve reached the loop. Go left/south.

The loop runs atop a low ridge here. It passes a small pond on the left/east and then Jones Springs.

Wildflowers
The next junction, in a clearing at 1.7 miles, is a stem trail heading right/west to a parking lot off of Jones Spring Road. Continue left/southwest.

A hardwood forest dominates this section of the walk. A number of wildflowers can see here and in the nearby wetlands. Among them are butterfly milkweed, Indian pipe, Northern blue iris (usually blooming in June or July), and partridge berry.

At 2.4 miles, the trail arrives at the bottom leg of the loop. The leg is shared with the Yellow Trail. Go left/northeast.

The trail passes through a wetlands then crosses Mary Creek. Mud can be deep in sections – be forewarned that at times of the year it can be impassable, at least not without sinking up to your knees into the mire. Because of that, you may need to turn back here.

Wood ducks
Along the way through the wetlands areas, you may see wood duck boxes aimed at increasing the wood duck population.

Adult male wood ducks are quite striking. Their plumage is multicolored and iridescent with a white flare running the neck’s length. The eyes are red with black pupils.

Even if you don’t see a wood duck, you probably will hear one. The male’s call is a rising jeeeeee while females squeal cr-r-ek, cr-e-ek if alarmed and do weep do weep when fleeing.

Habitat loss and overhunting for meat and European hat fashions nearly wiped out the wood duck in the 1800s. New conservation laws and measures helped the wood duck begin rebounding by the 1920s. Today, Wisconsin is prime breeding ground for the aquatic fowl.

The next junction, at 3 miles, is at Fanny Lake’s southwest corner. The Red and Yellow trails split here. Turn left/north to start a new leg of the Red Trail loop.

Jones Spring Impoundment
After the trail curves west, it climbs a low ridge. The Jones Spring Impoundment, a six-acre pond and marsh, is on the trail’s right/north side at 4.3 miles. Sometimes sandhill cranes hang out at the wetlands.

The trail then crosses Mary Creek again.

The next junction, at 4.4 miles, heads northwest to Sawyer Lake Road. Continue left/southwest on the Red Trail.

Look for a trail going right/west at 4.5 miles. This is the stem trail that leads to your parking lot.

Dogs are allowed to use the trail but must be leashed. Be sure to bring insect repellent.

Wildflowers, pines await at Jones Spring

The Yellow-Orange-White Trails at Jones Spring passes several lakes.

Jones Spring area map.
Click map for larger version.

Hikers can enjoy wildflowers and pine groves in the southern portion of Wisconsin’s Jones Spring area.

The 6.1-miles Yellow Trail – with two side trails, the Orange and White – loops through the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This trail is best done in early spring as parts of it can be overgrown in summer or underwater.

To reach the trailhead, from Townsend, take County Road T south. Turn right/southwest onto Fanny Lake Road. A parking lot sits at the end of the road.

A wide stem trail runs southwest. At 0.2 miles, it reaches a trail heading right/north that goes around the east and north sides of Fanny Lake. A few feet west of it, at 0.3 miles, the loop for the Yellow Trail begins. Continue straight-right/southwest.

Fanny Lake
The trail passes Fanny Lake’s south shore. Birch trees line the small lake.

At the lake’s southwest corner, about 0.4 miles in, the Yellow Trail meets the looping Red Trail. Continue left/southwest onto the Yellow-Red Trail; the two trails share this leg to make their loops.

The trail crosses Mary Creek then heads through a wetlands. Mud can be deep in sections – be forewarned that at times of the year it can be impassable, at least not without sinking up to your knees into the mud. Because of that, you may need to turn back here and then do the trail in reverse from how it is described here, as well as treat it as an out-and-back hike.

On the other side of the wetlands, the Red and Yellow trails split at 1 mile. Go left/south onto the Yellow Trail.

Orange Trail
The route next comes to a side trail, the Orange Trail, at 1.1 miles. Take it right/southwest.

The Orange Trail heads between Upper Jones Lake and Lower Jones Lake. About half-way between them, a three-sided shelter sits on a knoll, nestled in pine and birch, to the left.

On the other side of the isthmus, the Orange Trail rejoins the Yellow Trail at 2.1 miles. Go right/south onto it.

After crossing Mary Creek, the trail comes to a four-way junction, at 2.8 miles, where the White Trail loop connects with the Yellow Trail. Turn right/southwest onto the White Trail.

Pine groves and open fields dominate the White Trail.

Wildflowers
Several wildflowers also can be seen along the trail. Among them are butterfly milkweed, Indian pipe, Northern blue iris (usually in June or July), and partridge berry.

Upon completing the White Trail loop, you’re back to the four-way junction at 4.5 miles. Go right/northeast onto the Yellow Trail.

Pine and birch dominate this part of the trail. A wetlands appears on the trail’s left/west.

The next junction, at 5.7 miles, brings you to the stem trail on Fanny Lake’s south shore. Go right/northeast onto it back to the parking lot

Dogs are allowed to use the trail but must be leashed. Be sure to bring insect repellent.