Array of day hiking trails crisscross Washburn, Wis., region

Washburn Marina. Photo courtesy City of Washburn.

Imagine a place where you can hike sandy beaches and enjoy fantastic vistas of the world’s largest freshwater lake, a place of towering pines that bald eagles fly over and black bears scamper beneath, a place where you can explore sea caves or hike across billion-year-old red rock. The place is real – it’s called Bayfield County, Wisconsin.

If Wisconsin were a mitten, Bayfield County would be the peak of the four fingers. With much of it a peninsula, it boasts more shoreline on Lake Superior than any other Wisconsin county. It also offers dozens of miles of trails for those who love hiking.

Bayfield County’s largest city, Washburn, offers hikers access to Chequamegon Bay and is a short distance from a number of other public lands. Among them is the Chequamegon National Forest and its Mt. Valhalla trails, the recently created Houghton Falls Nature Preserve, and Bog Rock County Park. Trails can be found in each of these areas.

Popular day hiking trails in the Washburn area include:
g Houghton Falls
g Mt. Valhalla trails
g Roundup of Washburn area trails

Read more about day hiking Bayfield County in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Bayfield County, Wisconsin guidebook.

Great trails surround northern Wisconsin’s Washburn

Lakes Superior view in Washburn, Wis. Photo courtesy of City of Washburn, Wis.

Bayfield County ranks among Wiscon-
sin’s most popular tourism destin-
ations, attracting skiers, boaters, campers and sightseers. It also offers dozens of miles of trails for those who love hiking.

Consisting mainly of forestland and lakeshore, each Bayfield County village feels like a quaint throwback to years past. Only one of them boasts a population close to 3000 people.

Ten villages can be found there, with the majority of them hugging the lakeshore or a county line. Among them is Washburn.

The county seat, Washburn also is the county’s largest town at more than 2100 people. Sitting on the lakeshore, it was named after a state governor who founded the town. Though known for tourism today, at one time is was home to a DuPont explosives plant.

Popular day hiking trails in the Washburn area include:
g Houghton Falls
g Mt. Valhalla trails
g Roundup of Washburn area trails

Read more about day hiking Bayfield County in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Bayfield County, Wisconsin guidebook.

Wisconsin trail heads through dells cut out of billion-year-old rock

Echo Dells on Houghton Falls Trail. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.

Houghton Falls
Trail leads to
Lake Superior

Day hikers can walk across an ancient riverbed and see fascinating rock formations north of Washburn, Wis., at the Houghton Falls Nature Preserve.

The 1.34-mile round trip trail is packed dirt and fairly flat. Because it follows a stream, it can be muddy following rainfalls.

To reach the trail, from Washburn take Wis. Hwy. 13 north. Turn right/east onto Houghton Falls Road. In a half-mile, the road reaches the Houghton Falls Nature Preserve parking lot on the right/south.

The trail heads roughly south for about a quarter mile through a thick forest of majestic, old growth white and red pine.

Echo Dells
It then comes to an ancient riverbed known as Echo Dells, where an intermittent stream flows southeast for about 0.4 miles to Lake Superior.

Wind and water have smoothed and rounded the dells’ pink sandstone canyon walls. Pools at the stream’s deepest points, small caves, and cascades line the gorge. The sandstone, set down a billion years ago in the pre-Cambrian era, offers cathedral-like acoustics.

At spots, tall and thick trees have fallen across the canyon’s rim. The walls are high enough that hikers can walk beneath the massive trunks.

Old growth hemlock as well as yellow birch and mountain maple form the gorge’s canopy. Hemlock rarely grows much farther west than Wisconsin.

Between the shade and stream, the understory remains lush with various ferns, small enchanter’s nightshade, thimbleberry, and wood sorrel. In mid-August, watch for blooming Indian Pipe; a plethora of mushrooms also are present.

As the trail turns southwest, look up at the canyon rim, where you may be lucky enough to spot white-tailed deer. The cliff shelves support Canada yew, one of the deer’s favorite shrubs.

Sculpted cliffs
Once the narrow but well-marked path reaches Lake Superior, you’ll stand atop weather-sculpted cliffs on the southern portion of Houghton Point. About 15 feet above Chequamegon Bay, the overlook provides great views of the Apostle Islands. Also keep an eye out for a variety of resident and migratory birds. The rocky shoreline is home to bald eagle, Canada warbler, least flycatcher, merlin, veery, and wood thrush.

Inset from the point, Houghton Falls drops into a rippled sandy cove. The falls are best seen during spring. They’re typically just a trickle during late summer and autumn, but the tradeoff is few if any mosquitoes at that time of the year.

Another fun highlight of the trail, especially for kids, is a 25-foot arched wooden bridge crossing the creek.

The preserve is 76-acres in size and lacks facilities. Sometimes maps refer to it as the “Houghton Falls State Natural Area” or the “Houghton Falls Natural Area.”

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

Challenging trail awaits day hikers to Mt. Valhalla in northern Wisconsin

Popular ski routes run through national forest

Day hikers during summer can enjoy a set of trails that the U.S. Olympic Nordic Ski Team once trained on near Washburn, Wis.

A pair of three loops – the Teuton and the Valkyrie – make up the Mt. Valhalla trails in the Chequamegon National Forest. A shortened version of the Teuton Trail System’s Loop C makes for a somewhat challenging 2.75-mile hike.

To reach the trail, from Washburn take County Road C north for 8.5 miles. The parking lot is on south side of road, where the Teuton Trails are located (the Valkyrie Trails are on the right); you’ll need a pass to park your vehicle in the national forest.

Four Mile Creek
From the parking lot, follow the trail clockwise (the opposite way skiers take it), by heading south past the shelter. Upon reaching the split in the trail, go left/southeast, putting you on Loop C.

From there, you’ll begin traveling along the side of Mt. Valhalla and soon cross Four Mile Creek. The trails ultimately climbs about 170 feet in elevation with few level areas.

You may be too busy taking in Mt. Valhalla’s natural beauty to notice. The trails run through a Northern hardwood forest – rare for the Bayfield Peninsula – full of big tooth aspen, black oak, paper birch, and sugar maple trees, with a few scattered Eastern white pines. Ferns blanket the forest floor.

After a quarter mile, the trail curves south then west. You’ll soon parallel Four Mile Creek and then cross it again. A variety of frogs, chipmunks and red squirrels inhabit this area, and you’re likely to hear if not see them on the trail.

Mt. Valhalla's summit
In another mile, the trail curves north. Keep an ear out for the many songbirds in the forest, including the yellow-bellied sapsucker, blue jays, wood thrush, robins, warblers, sparrows, and grosbeaks.

After about a quarter mile when you come to a trail junction, go right/east. You’re now on Loop B. As the trail turns sharp to the north, you’ve come the closest to reaching Mt. Valhalla’s summit. The mountain tops out at 1388 feet, and you’re about 110 feet below it.

Loop B meanders downhill in a northerly direction for about 0.75 miles. The trail then makes a hard right for 0.5 miles with Loop A joining it along the way. This will take you back to the parking lot.

Don’t worry about getting confused by all of the trail junctions and intersecting snowmobile trails that cross your route. All of the Teuton’s trails are well-signed a metal map sits at every trail junction.

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

Variety of great day hiking trails await visitors to Washburn, Wis., area

Washburn Lakefront Walking Trail

Several excellent day hiking trails are located near and in this cozy village on the shores of Lake Superior. Among those worth checking out:
g Big Rock County Park trails – Trails ramble through the park, split in half by a first-class steelhead trout stream, the Sioux River. Wildlife sightings are a certainty for hikers.
g Birch Grove Campground Trail – Located at the Chequamegon National Forest at the campground, the trail circles East Twin Lake for a 1-mile loop. Trailheads are located at both boat landings.
g Henkens Road walking trails – Two trails can be found off Henkins Road about 1.5 miles from the Star Route Road intersection northwest of town. A trailhead is located on each side of the road.
g Houghton Falls Trail – You can walk across an ancient riverbed and see fascinating rock formations up close north of town at the Houghton Falls Nature Preserve. Parts of the narrow trail can be muddy at times.
g Mt. Valhalla trails – West of Washburn, several loops on the Teuton Ski Trail and the Valkyrie Ski Trail make for scenic hiking trails the other three seasons. The Teuton’s loops head through an oak forest while the Valkyrie’s loops wind through a red pine grove.
g Washburn Lakefront Walking Trail – In town, the 1.34-mile trail runs along Lake Superior, passing three beaches, the picturesque marina, and several historical sites. The trail connects Thompson West End Park and Memorial Park.
g Washburn School Forest and Environmental Education Center trails – Nordic ski trails can be used as hiking trails in summer in this heavily wooded center. The facility is located at the north end of Eighth Avenue West.

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