Hayward, Wis., trails cross scenic riverway

Three trails to the scenic Namekagon River await day hikers in Sawyer County, Wis.

The trails, each of them in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, include:
g Namekagon-Laccourt Oreilles Portage Trail – An easy, 0.8-mile loop through a second growth forest of mixed hardwoods and pines, the trail memorializes a famous 18th century route where fur traders and explorers carried their canoes between rivers. The trailhead is at a parking lot on the first left/west off of Rolf Road past the Rainbow Road intersection.
g Pacwawong Lake Trail – Less a walking path than a jeep trail for boat ramp access to Pacwawong Lake, 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 a woods to an overlook of the Namekagon’s north shore. From Old 24/Nursery Road (which parallels U.S. Hwy. 63), take Timber Lawn Road south until it becomes a jeep trail, where you can park. You can make it a loop from the overlook by taking the jeep trail that heads north back to your vehicle.

Read more about day hiking the scenic riverway in my guidebook Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

Several great hikes located near Hayward WI

The Namekagon-Court Oreilles Portage Trail pays homage to a route that
European traders created in the 1780s.

Hayward, Wis., serves as a perfect central location for day hikers seeking a number of excellent trails during their visit up north. Among the nearby trails are:
g Black Lake Trail – Hikers can learn about the history of Northwoods logging while enjoying excellent water views on the Black Lake Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest. The four-mile loop includes interpretative signs, and a campground is nearby.
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 then past a wetland and a scenic lake where wildlife is abundant.
g Namekagon-Laccourt Oreilles Portage Trail – Located near Hayward in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the trail is very near a portage route created in the 1780s. An easy, 0.8-mile loop, hikers will head through a second-growth forest of mixed hardwoods and pines.
g Namekagon Trail East Loop – Northeast of town in the Chequamegon National Forest, the East Loop of the Namekagon cross-country ski trails can be day hiked. The 1-mile trail heads through a mixed hardwood-evergreen forest and briefly passes Taylor Creek.
g Short Swing Trail – A few miles east of town, the Flambeau River State Forest offers a number of hiking trails. Among the easiest is the 1.1-mile Short Swing Trail, a loop that is easily found from an access trail in the parking lot of County Road W.
g West Torch Trail – Northeast of town, a trio of stacked loops form the West Torch Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest. From the parking lot, take the first (and shortest) of the loops for a roughly 2-mile hike through a wooded area.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Hike portage trail of 18th century fur traders

Namekagon River

Though the Namekagon-Laccourt Oreilles Portage Trail 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. In fact, those fur traders and explorers probably wouldn’t recognize the wild area.

Located near Hayward, Wis., in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, the modern trail is very close to the original portage route. A fur trader even operated a winter post during 1784 near the trail.

That portage route sprung up because travelers hoping to avoid problems with Sioux Indians near the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers junction decided to instead reach the continent’s greatest waterway downstream from the Sioux by making a series of portages from the Namekagon to the Chippewa River, which joins the Mississippi at Lake Pepin.

To reach the portage trail, from Hayward go south on Wis. Hwy. 27. A historic marker erected in 1955 commemorates the portage. Turn left/west onto Rainbow Road then right/north onto Rolf Road. Upon entering the scenic riverway, take the first left/west. A parking lot will be on the right, and the trailhead begins there.

Significantly different
An easy, 0.8-mile loop, hikers will head through a second growth forest of mixed hardwoods and pines.

Those using the portage trail in the 1700s found quite different flora growing there. At the time, this flat sandy area largely consisted of red and jack pines with white pines on the surrounding higher grounds. Most of that was logged off during the late 1800s, however, and the result is an area now dominated by maples, oaks, birch, red pine and spruce.

Logging and later small dams collaborated to change life in the Namekagon by leaving the shoreline open to sunlight. The result was an increase in the water temperature, which decimated some fish populations common during fur trading times.

Spur to riverfront
At the loop’s westernmost edge, hikers can take a short spur trail to the Namekagon, and it’s well worth the walk for the blue river is scenic.

One thing the 101-mile long tributary to the St. Croix River does retain is its Ojibwa name, which means “at the place abundant with sturgeons.”

Today, bass, blacknose dace, brook trout, brown trout, cheek chub, Johnny Darter, mudminnow, northern pike, sculpin and sucker primarily live in the river. Rainbow Creek, which runs south of trail and feeds the Namekagon, remains a rainbow trout fishery, however.

Along the trail, hikers also can cross wetlands over a boardwalk. Watch and listen for bull frogs, turtles and waterfowl that are common in the area.

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