Old logging trail heads alongside newly designated Wild River in northern Wisconsin

Frog in Totagatic River. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.

Route parallels
Totagatic Flowage

Day hikers can ramble alongside one of Wisconsin’s few remaining wilderness streams on a jeep trail in the Totagatic River State Wildlife Area.

Though not a designated trail, the old logging road runs about a mile (2-miles round trip) through a forested area along the Totagatic Flowage’s northwest side. The flowage marks a wide swath of the meandering Totagatic River, which in 2009 became Wisconsin’s fifth stream to receive Wild River status.

Waterfowl friendly
To reach the trailhead, from Hayward take Wis. Hwy. 77 north/west. Turn left/north onto Wis. Hwy. 27. Park off the road on the west side of Hwy. 27 across from Dam Road. The jeep trail heads northwest from the parking area.

Most of the trail is under the cover of northern hardwoods, which makes for a scenic walk during autumn.

The Totagatic runs 70 miles through five counties. Its headwaters are in southern Bayfield County. Popular among canoeists, the cold and clear river flows into Totagatic Lake then to Nelson Lake and into the flowage. Hwy. 27 and the dam split Nelson Lake from the flowage.

Expect to spot a number of waterfowl along the hike. The bird-friendly flowage was constructed in the 1950s, and the 272-acre Totagatic River Wildlife Area has long been designated a state waterfowl restoration area. A mix of habitats – from hardwood forests and open water to swamps and upland grasslands – make up the wildlife area.

Namegakon tributary
If you ask locals about the river or read printed materials on it, you’re likely to run into some confusing appellations. Spellings and pronunciations of the river are about as murky as its name suggests – “Totagatic” is derived from the Ojibwa word “Totogan,” which translates as “boggy river.” Maps, plat books, tour guides variously spell the river’s name as “Totagatic” and “Totogatic.” Local pronunciations range from “Tuh-TO-ga-tec” and “To-TA-ga-tec” to “To-to-GAT-ic” and “To-BA-tec.”

From the flowage, the river heads roughly west. Northwest of Minong, it turns south and eventually flows into the Namekagon River.

Back in the wildlife area, the trail peters out at the edge of the flowage, a grasslands that the river runs through the center of. As an old logging road, expect parts of the trail to be overgrown, so don jeans and insect repellent for the hike.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Great hikes await in eastern Washburn Cty

Namekagon River in Trego, Wis. Photo courtesy of St. Croix National
Scenic Riverway NPS.

Classic trout streams, a covered bridge, and trees that have been growing since the 1800s await day hikers on the east side of Wisconsin’s Washburn County.

Among the most popular of Wisconsin Northwoods counties to visit, the county can best be reached from either the west or east via U.S. Hwy. 63 while U.S. Hwy. 53 gives those traveling from the south or north an easy route.

Some of the great day hiking trails on the county’s east side include:
g Beaver Brook Wildlife Area East Trail – Visitors to the Spooner-Shell Lake, Wis., area can enjoy a pleasant hike along a classic trout stream in Beaver Brook Wildlife Area’s East Trail. Along the way, you may spot the impressive osprey or bald eagle. A number of loops run off the main trail so hikers can adjust the walk’s length to meet their time restrictions and energy levels.
g Red Oak East and West trails – Located northwest of town at the Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary, combine the two looping trails for a 1.8-mile hike. Despite the trails’ names, the highlight is a grove of large white pines that have been growing since the 1800s.
g Ridge Walking trails – A series of trails ramble through the 17.4-acre Stone Lake Wetland Park. The park also offers a 600-foot boardwalk and covered walking bridge.
g Totagatic River State Wildlife Area Jeep Trail – Park at the trailhead off the southeast side of Wozny Road about 800 feet north of the Totagatic River bridge. A jeep trail heads between a forested area and the Totagatic Flowage in the wildlife area’s northwest corner for about 1.1 miles one-way (2.2-miles round trip).
g Trego Nature Trail – A pleasant walk through a classic Northwoods forest along a wild river await hikers on this 2.8-miles round trip rail in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Take Hwy. 63 north of Trego village' about 1.3 miles from the visitor center and after crossing the bridge over the Namekagon River, take the first right to the parking lot.
g Trego Lake Ski Touring Trails – A pretty hike through a Northwoods forest awaits hikers on the Trego Lake trails in the scenic riverway. Up to 3.5 miles of trails are groomed here for cross country skiing in winter but can be day hiked the other seasons.
g Tuscobia State Trail segment – In Birchwood, the trail heads both east and west with the former heading into Sawyer County. Pick up the trail at County Road D/Euclid Avenue just north of the Wis. Hwy. 48 intersection.
g Wild Rivers Trail segment – A tranquil stroll through the woods with a bridge view of the Namekagon River awaits day hikers on a segment of the Wild Rivers Trail in Trego. At a little under 2.2-miles round trip, the segment is just a small portion of a trail that runs for 104 miles across three counties on an old Omaha and Soo Line Railroads rail line. The trail connects Rice Lake, Wis., in the south with Superior, Wis., to the northwest.

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

Classic Northwoods experiences found on Sawyer County, Wis., trails

Remnants of the old Pacwawong logging dam create a ledge in the
Namekagon River. Photo courtesy of St. Croix National Scenic
Riverway NPS.

Lakes abundant with wildlife, a historic portage route, and classic Northwoods forests await day hikers on the west side of Wisconsin’s Sawyer County.

Among the most popular of Wisconsin Northwoods counties to visit, the county can best be reached from U.S. Hwy. 63, which cuts through the northwest corner along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

Some of the great day hiking trails on the county’s west side include:
g Blue and Orange trails – Among the Northwoods’ newest hiking trails can be found at the Town of Hayward Recreational Forest. Combining the rec forest’s Blue and Orange trails into a 1.6-mile walk takes you through a woods past a wetland and then a scenic lake where wildlife is abundant.
g Kissick Swamp Wildlife Area North Trail – Park at the Kissick Swamp Wildlife Area lot on the south side of West Chippnazie Lake Road, west of the intersection with Company Lake Road. A trail winds for about a half-mile one-way (1-mile round trip) through woodlands on the wildlife area’s north side.
g Namekagon-Laccourt Oreilles Portage Trail – The 0.8-mile loop memorializes a famous 18th century route where fur traders and explorers carried their canoes between rivers, hikers will head through a landscape much changed from that day. To reach the trailhead, from Rainbow Road turn right/north onto Rolf Road; upon entering the scenic riverway, take the first left/west. A parking lot will be on the right.
g Pacwawong Lake Trail – Less a walking path than a jeep trail for boat ramp access to Pacwawong Lake in the scenic riverway, this 0.4-mile round trip is remote enough that there won’t be much if any traffic. From Cable Sunset/Totalatic Road, head south on Mossback Road, taking the first left/east; park in the gravel lot at the boat ramp and walk back to the road.
g Timber Lawn Trail – The 1.2-mile round trip southwest of Hayward runs through woods to an overlook of the Namekagon’s north shore in the scenic riverway. From Old 24/Nursery Road (which parallels Hwy. 63), take Timber Lawn Road south until it becomes a jeep trail, where you can park. You can extend the trail by making a loop from the overlook via the jeep trail that heads north back to your vehicle.
g Totagatic River State Wildlife Area Jeep Trail – Park in the lot on the west side of Wis. Hwy. 27 across from Dam Road. A jeep trail heads through forested area along the northwest side of Totagatic Flowage for about a mile one-way (2-miles round trip).

Read more about day hiking Sawyer County, Wisconsin, in my Day Hiking Trails of Sawyer County guidebook.