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| Shelter and fire ring on the Madeline Lake Trail. |
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| Madeline Lake trail System map. Click for larger version. |
Consisting of four stacked loops, the third longest of them - the Blue Trail - offers the most view of autumn leaves and Madeline Lake as well as a couple of ponds. The Blue Trail runs 3.83 miles.
The trail sits in Northern Highland American Legion State Forest near the popular Minocqua-Woodruff resort area. To reach it, from U.S. Hwy. 51 in Woodruff, go east on Wis. Hwy. 47. Turn left/east onto County Road J and then left/north onto Rudolph Road. Look for the trailhead on the road's right/east side.
The first part of the trail is a stem to the stacked loops. When the rail splits at 0.5 miles, the loops begin. Go left/northeast.
Sitting in the Northern Highlands Lakes Country, white and red pine dominate the woodlands. But heavily mixed in is quaking aspen. When the state’s great pineries were clear cut more than a century ago, quaking aspen, as a pioneer species, quickly filled the niche.
Quaking aspen
As the trail passes a pond on the left/west, the reason for quaking aspen rather than other pioneer species taking to Wisconsin becomes clear. This region contains many shallow lakes formed by broken chunks of glacier that depressed the land then melted and outwash from the receding glaciers.
The result is soil that is more gravelly and sandy and drained excessively well but remains acidic. Aspens love acidic, sandy, well-drained soils, especially in areas that get a lot of moisture, as is the case in Wisconsin, which annually receives an average of 30 inches of rain and 40 inches of snow.
After the pond, at about 0.75 miles, the Red Loop splits to the left/west to form a side trail. Continue right/northeast. The trail then passes another pond on the left/north.
In autumn, the aspens add more than color to the evergreen forest. They are, as one local noted, Wisconsin's natural wind chime. The aspen's flat leaves flutter at just the hint of a breeze; their rustle is pronounced yet gentle and soothing.
It's visually delightful too. With the tree’s height reaching between 60 to 100 feet high, the whole tree canopy can look like a moving gold sea against the blue sky.
White pine
At 1 mile, the Red Loop reconnects with the main trail. The Yellow Loop also splits to the right/south. Continue straight/east. A shelter/fire pit, surrounded by yellow-leaved birch trees, is at the junction.
Little Arbor Lake is nearby to the northeast. It stretches for about 480 acres and reaches about 32 feet at its lowest point.
Next the Green Loop splits to the right/south. Go left/east.
Eastern white pine also can be seen on the trail. At one time, it covered much of northern Wisconsin but was logged off during the late 1800s through the early 1900s. Virgin pines in Wisconsin's pioneer days were said to be up to 230 feet high, but the second growth forest today has pines of only 100-150 feet tall.
Madeline Lake
At 2 miles, the Red Loop again separates from the main trail. Go right/south.
Signs of Wisconsin's lumberjack past remain in more than just the makeup of the forest here. In fact, some of the trails in the Madeline Lake system originally were logging roads.
As reaching the south side of the loop, the Red Loop reconnects from the left/east at 2.5 miles. Continue right/west.
The trail next arrives at Madeline Lake to the right/south. Madeline Lake covers 172 acres and is 17 feet at its deepest. Anglers often can be spotted on the lake landing bluegill, largemouth bass, muskie, northern pike, and walleye.
Red pine
At roughly 3 miles in, the Green Loop reconnects from the right. Continue straight-right/west.
The other dominant tree here, the red pine, rises about 80-120 feet with a narrow 2-3 foot diameter trunk. It's also known as the Norway pine, though it's not native at all to the Scandinavian country.
Upon leaving Madeline Lake, the Yellow Loop reconnects from the right. Continue left-straight/west.
The next junction, at about 3.3 miles, arrives back at the stem trail. Go left/west and return to the parking lot.
Leashed pets are allowed on the trails spring, summer and fall.
