 |
| View from top of Timms Hill |
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.
Price County
An array of autumn colors await day hikers on the trail to Wisconsin’s highest point. The 0.5-mile round trip Timms Hill Trail heads to the summit and a wooden observation tower on Timm’s Hill. The drumlin rises to 1,951.5 feet. Northern hardwoods – mostly maples of yellow and red leaves with a few oaks and other trees mixed it, resulting in a cornucopia of harvest colors – cover and surround the hill at Timms Hill County Park. To reach the trailhead, from Ogema take Wis. Hwy. 87 east. Turn right/south onto County Road C then straight-left/east onto County Road RR. Watch for the signed entrance to the park and turn left/northeast onto that road. Use the parking lot for the Timms Hill Trail. From the parking lot, go north on the Timms Hill Lake Trail. Then take the first left and head west to the hill. A wide dirt path, the trail is shaded until reaching the summit.
Sawyer County
A beautiful forest walk with an array of autumn leaf colors awaits day hikers of the 4.9-mile Rim Creek Loop in Flambeau River State Forest. Sugar and red maples dominate the state forest but quaking aspen, birch and white ash also can be found here. From the village of Winter, take County Road W east into the state forest. After crossing the Flambeau River, turn at the first left/north into a parking lot.
Taylor County
Day hikers can enjoy a hemlock and aspen grove and a panoramic view of a forest on the East Lake segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The 13-mile round trip makes for a spectacular fall hike. The trail heads east from a wayside into the Taylor County Forest. The hilly forest mainly consists of mixed hardwoods with maples and oaks, resulting in a show of yellow, orange, red and brown leaves throughout autumn. Signs along the trail identify types of trees in the forest. A hemlock grove, aspen regeneration project, and 1780-foot high Moose Mountain are other highlights of the trail. From Medford, take Wis. Hwy. 13 north about 15 miles. After crossing the Black River, look for a wayside on the road’s right/east side. Park there.
Washburn County
A pleasant walk through the woods along a wild river await hikers on the Trego Nature Trail in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Early autumn is a good time for those who enjoy fall colors. The trail parallels the Namekagon River through a woods of pine, yellow-leaved aspen and white birch, and russet-colored oaks, with views of the waterway. Hikers are likely to see a variety of wildlife or at least signs of it. White-tailed deer, turtles, fox, muskrat, bobcats, squirrels, snowshoe hares, and great blue heron abound in the riverway. Watch for otters and their slides, muddy paths cleared in the river’s bank in which they move from land to water. From Trego village, take U.S. Hwy. 63 north. About 1.3 miles from visitor center and after crossing the bridge over the Namekagon River, take the first right. The parking lot is at end of this entrance road. Look for the trailhead on the parking lot’s east side. The trail is fairly well-maintained.
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.
Price County
An array of autumn colors await day hikers on the trail to Wisconsin’s highest point. The 0.5-mile round trip Timms Hill Trail heads to the summit and a wooden observation tower on Timm’s Hill. The drumlin rises to 1,951.5 feet. Northern hardwoods – mostly maples of yellow and red leaves with a few oaks and other trees mixed it, resulting in a cornucopia of harvest colors – cover and surround the hill at Timms Hill County Park. To reach the trailhead, from Ogema take Wis. Hwy. 87 east. Turn right/south onto County Road C then straight-left/east onto County Road RR. Watch for the signed entrance to the park and turn left/northeast onto that road. Use the parking lot for the Timms Hill Trail. From the parking lot, go north on the Timms Hill Lake Trail. Then take the first left and head west to the hill. A wide dirt path, the trail is shaded until reaching the summit.
***
Northern hardwoods and pines await hikers on the Wintergreen Trail in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The 5.6-mile trail consists of four loops that head over rolling terrain. A perfect autumn hike, the forest is diverse, consisting of pine and balsam fir mixed with plenty of yellow-leaved aspen and birch in the bogs and orange-red maple, buttery basswood, and russet-colored oaks on the higher ground. From Fifield, drive five miles east on Wis. Hwy. 70. The parking lot for the trailhead is on the left/north; a national forest pass is required to park your vehicle.Sawyer County
A beautiful forest walk with an array of autumn leaf colors awaits day hikers of the 4.9-mile Rim Creek Loop in Flambeau River State Forest. Sugar and red maples dominate the state forest but quaking aspen, birch and white ash also can be found here. From the village of Winter, take County Road W east into the state forest. After crossing the Flambeau River, turn at the first left/north into a parking lot.
***
Hikers can enjoy a variety of autumn colors on the Namekagon-Laccourt Oreilles Portage Trail in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway near Hayward. The easy, 0.8-mile loop memorializes a famous 18th century route where fur traders and explorers carried their canoes between rivers. Each fall, the second-growth forest here brightens with the amber, oranges and reds of sugar maples, the yellow of birch, and the russet and tans of oaks while red pine and spruce offer green accents. From Hayward, travel south on Wis. Hwy. 27. Turn left/west onto Rainbow Road then right/north onto Rolf Road. The trailhead is at a parking lot at the first left/west.Taylor County
Day hikers can enjoy a hemlock and aspen grove and a panoramic view of a forest on the East Lake segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The 13-mile round trip makes for a spectacular fall hike. The trail heads east from a wayside into the Taylor County Forest. The hilly forest mainly consists of mixed hardwoods with maples and oaks, resulting in a show of yellow, orange, red and brown leaves throughout autumn. Signs along the trail identify types of trees in the forest. A hemlock grove, aspen regeneration project, and 1780-foot high Moose Mountain are other highlights of the trail. From Medford, take Wis. Hwy. 13 north about 15 miles. After crossing the Black River, look for a wayside on the road’s right/east side. Park there.
Washburn County
A pleasant walk through the woods along a wild river await hikers on the Trego Nature Trail in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. Early autumn is a good time for those who enjoy fall colors. The trail parallels the Namekagon River through a woods of pine, yellow-leaved aspen and white birch, and russet-colored oaks, with views of the waterway. Hikers are likely to see a variety of wildlife or at least signs of it. White-tailed deer, turtles, fox, muskrat, bobcats, squirrels, snowshoe hares, and great blue heron abound in the riverway. Watch for otters and their slides, muddy paths cleared in the river’s bank in which they move from land to water. From Trego village, take U.S. Hwy. 63 north. About 1.3 miles from visitor center and after crossing the bridge over the Namekagon River, take the first right. The parking lot is at end of this entrance road. Look for the trailhead on the parking lot’s east side. The trail is fairly well-maintained.
***
A pretty autumn hike through a Northwoods forest awaits hikers on the Trego Lake Trail. The 1.9-mile trail loops through the forest next to Trego Lake in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway. The comely trail presents the yellow of birch trees leaves and orange and browns of various oaks amid the mixed hardwood and pine forest. You stand a good chance of spotting white-tailed deer and ruffed grouse along the way. From Trego, drive north on U.S. Hwy. 53. Go left/west on North River Road. In two miles, turn left/south into a parking lot. Take the stem trail from the lot’s southern side to the main trail, where you’ll go left/east. ***
Day hikers can enjoy a pleasant walk along a classic trout stream during autumn at the Beaver Brook Wildlife Area south of Spooner. The East Trail, with its many side trails, goes for a little more than two miles. Most of the trail runs beneath amber- and red-leafed maple, tan- and russet-colored oak, yellow aspen, and tamarack, whose needles turn a bright orange. From Spooner head south on U.S. Hwy. 53. Turn left/south onto Cranberry Drive. After about a mile, just before road curves southeast away from Beaver Brook, turn right into the parking lot. 