SE Douglas County trails access St. Croix

The St. Croix River flows around a rock near the
shoreline at Louise Park near Solon Springs, Wis.

The southeastern corner of Wisconsin’s Douglas County offers an impressive number of quality day hiking trails, most of them centered on the St. Croix River.

The St. Croix begins its long journey to the Mississippi River in southeastern Douglas County, Much of the waterway is in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, but even the unprotected parts, which are exclusively in Douglas County, can be accessed and enjoyed by the public.

Among the great day hiking trails of southeastern Douglas County are:
• Bois-Brule-St. Croix River Historic Portage Trail
• Brule Bog Boardwalk Trail
• North Country National Scenic Trail
• Buckley Creek Barrens Trail
• Schoen/Louise Parks Jeep Trails

Read more about these and nearby trails in Day Hiking Trails of Douglas County.

Great trails crisscross Douglas County, Wis.

Wild Rivers Trail, southeast of Superior, Wis.

Wisconsin’s Douglas County, tucked into the state’s northwest corner, offer a variety of excellent day hiking options.

With the exception of the city of Superior, Douglas County is sparsely populated, dotted by small villages and several four-corner towns.

Though sporting a population of just under 30,000, Superior is an international harbor on the largest of the Great Lakes. The city might have been far larger and even more important if not for a pre-Civil War economic downturn. Though the first log cabin here was erected in 1853, within four years the population had risen to 2500 as excitement rose over a Lake Superior to Pacific Coast railroad, but the Panic of 1857 dashed those plans for a quarter century.

Today, a number of multi-county trails that used to be rail lines start (or terminate, depending on your perspective) at the county’s northwestern limit. In addition, the city’s municipal forest offers a number of wooded hiking trails. Among the Superior area’s top trails are:
•Big Manitou Falls Trail
•Millennium Trail
•Osaugie Trail
•Tri-County Trail
•Wild Rivers Trail
•Wisconsin Point Trail

The hamlets of Brule, Maple and Poplar sit in the county’s northeast corner. Each village sports a population of around 600 people. Brule is the gateway to the Brule River State Forest, a kayaking, fishing and hiking destination. Some popular trails near those communities include:
•Amnicon Falls Island Trails
•Stoney Hill Nature Trail

In the southeast, visitors to Douglas County first come across the villages of Gordon and then Solon Springs. Both towns have a population of about 600 and offer access to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the St. Croix River’s headwaters. Popular trails include:
•Brule Bog Boardwalk Trail
•Bois Brule-St. Croix River Historic Portage Trail

Read more about Douglas County day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of Douglas County guidebook.

Wild Rivers State Trail delivers great hiking

Wild Rivers State Trail' northern terminus segment.

Route heads through forests, crosses rivers

Day hikers can enjoy a quiet stroll in the country on a former Wisconsin railbed turned multipurpose trail.

The 104-mile Wild Rivers State Trail stretches across three counties between Superior and Rice Lake. A fairly wooded 1.33-miles round trip section of the former C&NW Rail route runs at the trail’s northern terminus, southeast of Superior.

Woodlands
Start the hike at the trail’s intersection with County Road A, south of County Road Z and just north of County Road C. From the small parking lot at the trailhead, go southeast on the trail.

The route quickly enters a forested area and angles away from the highway for a peaceful walk. Along the way, it crosses Brandt Road, so be sure to look both ways.

A good spot to turn back is at the Valley Brook Road intersection. You can continue onward, but while trees line the trail, you’ll in quick order enter farmland.

Some of this segment can be swampy, so hike it in late summer or autumn when water levels and bug populations are low.

Other Douglas County routes
A couple of other segments of the trail in Douglas County also make for good day hikes.

Farther down the line, start at Swamp Road for a 5.4-mile out-and-back hike across the Amnicon River and two other waterways to Mikrot Road.

In Solon Springs, the path runs through the village on its way between the Amnicon River and Gordon. To avoid highway noise, take the roughly four-mile route heading north from the municipal airport to County Road L.

On weekends, anticipate a variety of other users. Mountain bikers, horseback riders and ATVers also frequent the trail. In winter, you’ll share the route with snowmobilers, cross country skiers and snowshoers.

Most of the trail surface consists of highway-grade compacted gravel and railroad ballast. ATV use has beat up the trail in some sections, but the entire stretch is traversable by foot with some segments at the southern end good for mountain bikes.

Read more about Douglas County day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of Douglas County guidebook.

Day hike ‘forest primeval’ on Brule Bog Boardwalk Trail in northern Wisconsin

Brule Bog Boardwalk Trail. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Route leads through wetlands between rivers

Visitors to the Solon Springs, Wis., area can day hike what feels like the forest primeval on the Brule Bog Boardwalk Trail.

Located in southern Douglas County’s Brule River State Forest, the 2.3-mile boardwalk cuts through a wooded bog. Part of the North Country National Scenic Trail, it is entirely handicapped accessible.

To reach the trail, from downtown Solon Springs take County Road A north for about three miles, rounding the northern side of Upper St. Croix Lake. Watch for signs saying the North Country Trail is “1000 Feet Ahead”, then turn into the boat landing where you can park.

Across the road from the parking lot, the trail heading right/northeast is the Bois-Brule-St. Croix Historic Portage Trail. The boardwalk trail heads left or directly north.

Continental divide
An elevated boardwalk takes hikers through a conifer swamp at the bottom of a narrow valley. The valley is part of a continental divide – all rivers to the south ultimately feed the Mississippi River while those to the north flow into the Lake Superior, which is part of the St. Lawrence watershed.

In short order, the boardwalk crosses St. Croix Creek. You’ve now entered the heart of Brule Bog. Ferns and moss, as well as several varieties of orchids, cover the ground while white cedar, balsam fir, and spruce crowd out the sunlight.

Several rare plants and animals can be found in the bog. Among the insects you’ll quickly notice is the zebra clubtail dragonfly. Songbirds include the black-backed woodpecker, golden-crowned kinglet, Lincoln’s sparrow, olive-sided flycatcher, and saw-whet owl. Plants include the sheathed and sparse-flowered sedges and the endangered Lapland buttercup.

The sense of having traveled back in time to the ancient Carboniferous Period is temporarily interrupted as the trail crosses County Road P, which runs smack down the middle of the bog.

Rebounding land creates bog
After County Road P, the boardwalk trail veers northwest. You’ll come to the edge of the bog against a hillside, where the trail begins to meander. The uplands above the bog consist of sandy pine barrens.

Some 9,000 years ago as the Ice Age ended, a river flowing from the much higher Glacial Lake Duluth carved out the valley where the Brule River, this bog, and Upper St. Croix Lake now exist. Released from the retreating glacier’s weight, the land rose, causing water to flow in the opposite direction. As Lake Superior’s depth gradually dropped and the flow of the prehistoric river declined, we were left with the terrain that exists today.

The boardwalk ends at a spur off of Croshaw Road. This is the turnaround point.

A final note: You’ll definitely want to apply insect repellant before hitting this trail, and be sure to carry it with it in case it sweats off.

Read more about Douglas County day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of Douglas County guidebook.

Several trails run in Solon Springs region

Brule Bog Boardwalk Trail. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Outstanding day hiking trails await cabin-goers to the Solon Springs, Wis., region. Among them:
g Brule Bog Boardwalk trail – A boardwalk wends its way north of Lake St. Croix through the Brule Bog across a continental divide in which rivers on one side flow into Lake Superior while rivers on the other side flow into the mighty Mississippi. The trail is 4.6 miles round trip and fairly flat.
g Brule-St. Croix Portage Trail – People have used this trail for hundreds of years, most notably beginning in 1680 when French explorer Daniel Greysolon Sieur duLhut first noted the route linking the Brule and St. Croix rivers. The route is an easy 4.4-mile out-and-back trail with minimal elevation gain.
g North Country National Scenic Trail-Douglas County Forest segment – South of town, the seven-state North Country Trail crosses the Douglas County Forest for roughly three miles. Along the way, it passes several idyllic ponds.
g North Country National Scenic Trail-segment through town – Before reaching the county forest, the trail cuts through the village. A pleasant 2-mile route runs south of town to the county forest from South Holly Lucius Road/U.S. Hwy. 53 to Bird Sanctuary Road at the forest’s edge.
g Wild Rivers State Trail segment – The rail line turned hiking path also runs through the village on its way between Gordon and Superior. To avoid highway noise, take the roughly 4-mile route heading north from the municipal airport to County Road L.

Read more about Douglas County day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of Douglas County guidebook.