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| Copper Falls State Park |
There’s no better way
to experience autumn colors around Northwest 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 around Northwest Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.
Ashland County
A river rapids over billion-year-old red-tinged rock, surrounded by a variety of autumn colors, awaits day hikers on the Red Granite Falls Trail in Copper Falls State Park. The set of two loops, loosely shaped in a figure 8, runs 2.5-miles round trip in the park’s southern corner. During autumn, you’ll find the brilliant yellows of ironwood, paper birch and aspen, the blazing orange of sugar maple, and the scarlet of red oak mixed with the evergreen of hemlock and white pine. From Mellen, take Wis. Hwy. 169 north. Enter the park by turning left onto Copper Falls Road, and park in the Loon Lake Beach lot. Head south to the beach and pick up the trailhead heading west.
Bayfield County
Massive trees from an old growth forest and vibrant autumn colors await day hikers on the Drummond Woods Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest. The 0.75-mile trail runs through the Drummond Woods, where a number of trees survived the 1800s lumberjacking of the Wisconsin Northwoods. Heading through a northern hardwood forest, the trail marks an excellent spot to enjoy fall colors: the yellows of basswood and birch; the oranges of sugar maples; and the scarlet of black ash and red maple. Evergreens dominate the canopy with towering white and red pines and hemlocks. From Drummond, take U.S. Hwy. 63 north. In one mile, turn left/west onto Old 63 N (aka Forest Road 235). About 150 feet from that intersection on the right is a small pull-off for parking.
Burnett County
Day hikers can walk across an old railroad bridge over the St. Croix River at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and St. Croix State Forest on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. The Gandy Dancer Trail, which starts dozens of miles south of the state forest in Polk County, at Danbury crosses the border into Minnesota. The trestle bridge segment is about two miles round trip. You’ll head through a forested area. The mix of trees near the riverfront yields a fantastic multi-colored leaf display in autumn. An added bonus for autumn hikers: You’ll probably spot a number of migrating waterfowl, including sandhill cranes. Also watch for bald eagles, osprey, northern harriers and hawks, all of which reside year-round in the area. In Danbury, parking for trail access is next to the walking route north of Hwy. 77 between and Hwy. 35 and North Glass Street. From the lot, take the trail north.
Douglas County
A walk along a pristine sand beach awaits day hikers of the Lake Superior shoreline in the Bear Beach State Natural Area. The unmarked trail runs for up to 3.4-miles round trip along narrow Bear Beach. Hiking the beach, you’ll get a good sense of what this area of the world looked like before Euro-Americans settled it. A thick woods hugs the sand’s southern side while the lake stretches wide beyond to the north. Though the forest this far north is heavy on the evergreens – especially balsam fir, white pine and white spruce – in autumn the yellowed-colored leaves of paper birch and trembling aspen and the spring green of speckled alder are well-represented. From Brule take U.S. Hwy. 2 west. In Maple, turn north onto County Road F. Next, go left/west onto Wis. Hwy. 13 then right/north onto Beck’s Road. Park in the dirt lot at the end of Beck’s Road near the Lake Superior shore.
Polk County
Day hikers can experience an autumn forest that looks almost like the one Native Americans and pioneers saw during the 1800s. The 2.9-mile Ridge View Trails near Osceola heads beneath a lush forest canopy in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Osceola State Fish Hatchery on a bluff overlooking a St. Croix River back channel. Sugar maple is the dominant tree. Each autumn, its leaves vary from yellow to orange or red. Basswood, whose leaves turn olive in fall, and white ash, which changes to a deep maroon, usually are mixed in the canopy. From Osceola, take Wis. Hwy. 35 north and turn north onto County Road S. The two trailheads are on the road’s left/west. Both trailheads have their own parking areas off of the road. Just beyond 93rd Avenue is the southernmost parking area, which is an excellent trailhead for either loop.
Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails around Northwest Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.
Ashland County
A river rapids over billion-year-old red-tinged rock, surrounded by a variety of autumn colors, awaits day hikers on the Red Granite Falls Trail in Copper Falls State Park. The set of two loops, loosely shaped in a figure 8, runs 2.5-miles round trip in the park’s southern corner. During autumn, you’ll find the brilliant yellows of ironwood, paper birch and aspen, the blazing orange of sugar maple, and the scarlet of red oak mixed with the evergreen of hemlock and white pine. From Mellen, take Wis. Hwy. 169 north. Enter the park by turning left onto Copper Falls Road, and park in the Loon Lake Beach lot. Head south to the beach and pick up the trailhead heading west.
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Amber-leaved trees and evergreen conifers await hikers at Prentice Park in Ashland. A 1.25-mile round trip paved trail wends through a boreal forest and wetlands as well as crosses, via a bridge, Fish Creek Slough before ending at the Lake Superior beach in Maslowski Park. In all, Prentice Park is nearly 100 acres in size. From downtown Ashland, head west on U.S. Hwy. 2. Turn left/south onto Turner Road then right/southwest onto Park Road, which ends at a parking lot. The trail leaves from the lot’s west side.Bayfield County
Massive trees from an old growth forest and vibrant autumn colors await day hikers on the Drummond Woods Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest. The 0.75-mile trail runs through the Drummond Woods, where a number of trees survived the 1800s lumberjacking of the Wisconsin Northwoods. Heading through a northern hardwood forest, the trail marks an excellent spot to enjoy fall colors: the yellows of basswood and birch; the oranges of sugar maples; and the scarlet of black ash and red maple. Evergreens dominate the canopy with towering white and red pines and hemlocks. From Drummond, take U.S. Hwy. 63 north. In one mile, turn left/west onto Old 63 N (aka Forest Road 235). About 150 feet from that intersection on the right is a small pull-off for parking.
Burnett County
Day hikers can walk across an old railroad bridge over the St. Croix River at the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and St. Croix State Forest on the Wisconsin-Minnesota border. The Gandy Dancer Trail, which starts dozens of miles south of the state forest in Polk County, at Danbury crosses the border into Minnesota. The trestle bridge segment is about two miles round trip. You’ll head through a forested area. The mix of trees near the riverfront yields a fantastic multi-colored leaf display in autumn. An added bonus for autumn hikers: You’ll probably spot a number of migrating waterfowl, including sandhill cranes. Also watch for bald eagles, osprey, northern harriers and hawks, all of which reside year-round in the area. In Danbury, parking for trail access is next to the walking route north of Hwy. 77 between and Hwy. 35 and North Glass Street. From the lot, take the trail north.
Douglas County
A walk along a pristine sand beach awaits day hikers of the Lake Superior shoreline in the Bear Beach State Natural Area. The unmarked trail runs for up to 3.4-miles round trip along narrow Bear Beach. Hiking the beach, you’ll get a good sense of what this area of the world looked like before Euro-Americans settled it. A thick woods hugs the sand’s southern side while the lake stretches wide beyond to the north. Though the forest this far north is heavy on the evergreens – especially balsam fir, white pine and white spruce – in autumn the yellowed-colored leaves of paper birch and trembling aspen and the spring green of speckled alder are well-represented. From Brule take U.S. Hwy. 2 west. In Maple, turn north onto County Road F. Next, go left/west onto Wis. Hwy. 13 then right/north onto Beck’s Road. Park in the dirt lot at the end of Beck’s Road near the Lake Superior shore.
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A boreal forest may not seem like the best place to enjoy autumn leaves. The Superior Municipal Forest, however, delivers, with its extensive growth of gold-leafed white birch and aspen amid evergreen white and red pine, balsam, cedar, and black spruce. A 1.6-mile segment of the Millennium Trail winds through the woods. In Superior, at the 28th Street and Wyoming Avenue intersection, turn south to the municipal parking lot. The trail goes both east and west; skip the eastern side, which leads to multiple railroad tracks in Superior’s industrial section.Polk County
Day hikers can experience an autumn forest that looks almost like the one Native Americans and pioneers saw during the 1800s. The 2.9-mile Ridge View Trails near Osceola heads beneath a lush forest canopy in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Osceola State Fish Hatchery on a bluff overlooking a St. Croix River back channel. Sugar maple is the dominant tree. Each autumn, its leaves vary from yellow to orange or red. Basswood, whose leaves turn olive in fall, and white ash, which changes to a deep maroon, usually are mixed in the canopy. From Osceola, take Wis. Hwy. 35 north and turn north onto County Road S. The two trailheads are on the road’s left/west. Both trailheads have their own parking areas off of the road. Just beyond 93rd Avenue is the southernmost parking area, which is an excellent trailhead for either loop.
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The splendor of fall colors combines with a vista of the St. Croix River and fasinating rock formations on the Summit Rock Trail at Interstate State Park. The 1-mile round trip trail heads to a bluff’s highest point. Moss and autumn leaves cover the surrounding rock and ground while maples, basswood and eastern white pines line the trail. At the top, prickly pear cactus can be spotted amid the outcroppings. The highlight of the hike without question is the incredible view of the riverway from the summit. Looking north, the Old Man of the Dalles rock formation is visible. From St. Croix Falls, take Wis. Hwy. 35 south. Turn right/west into the park and follow the entry road to the parking lot across from the Lake O’ the Dalles. 