Northwest Wisconsin Outdoor & Trail Guide

Hiking & Birding in Northwest Wisconsin Crex Meadows Wildlife Area Burnett County Length: 24 miles by vehicle, additional foot-traffic-only paths. Loop trails, out-and-back trails. Spring and fall, guided birding tours available; restrooms at Education Center and rest area; sedge marsh, flowages, shrub, forest, many observation areas. Fee/Pass Required: No. D.D. Kennedy County Park Polk County A 106-acre preserve along the Balsam Branch flows through central Polk County. A prairie restoration area features native grasses and wildflowers. Park includes a dam, millpond, and well-maintained trails. It provides a variety of habitat for a good mix of birds. Duncan Creek Parkway Trail Chippewa County Length: 5 miles. A five mile paved loop through Chippewa Falls is ideal for walking, biking and in-line skating. This trail connects to the Old Abe State Trail NE of County Hwy I. Portions of this trail are shared with motor vehicle traffic. Fee/Pass Required: No. Forest Lodge Nature Trail Bayfield County Length: 1.5-2.0 miles. Maintained cooperatively by the USDA Forest Service and the Cable Natural History Museum, this is one of the best interpretive trails in northern Wisconsin. Begins in a field and then leads you through the woods. Trail Difficulty: Easy to Intermediate. Gandy Dancer Trail Burnett County Length: 21 miles in Burnett Co. (98 miles total). Crushed limestone. Former railroad bed. Bridge trestles, scenic vistas, lakes, rivers, forests, wildlife. Passes through Siren, Webster, and Danbury. Restaurants, lodging, retail, and services available. Fee/Pass Required: Yes. 6 7 8 9 10 www.northwestwisconsin.com • 715-416-3256 12 Come explore the great outdoors and remember to bring along your binoculars and camera while you are hiking one of the many trails throughout Northwest Wisconsin. Take the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature. These outdoor trails provide tremendous opportunities to discover the wildlife that inhabits the surrounding areas like white-tailed deer, black bear, timber wolves, beaver, fox, raccoons, rabbits, and countless species of birds. With so many places to explore, you’ll never run out of things to see. Beaver Brook Wildlife Area Washburn County Length: 1,964 acres; 6.4 miles of hiking trails. Home to abundant wildlife including eagles and osprey. Numberous springs, lakes, and remnants of homesteads and an old logging dam built in 1870 are visible. Artesian well on site. Big Bay State Park Ashland County Length: 9 miles. Hiking trails take you through varied habitat. The trail goes through a northern forest of red and white pines on the Big Bay Sand Spit. Lagoon Ridge trail is a 2.6 mile trail. Bay View trail is a 1/3 mile trail. Fee/Pass Required. Blue Hills Trails Rusk County Length: 20 miles. A total of 20 miles of trail in the Blue Hills provide a variety of loops with varying terrain and elevation. Through wetlands and hardwood stands, the trail system is mowed. Fee/Pass Required: No. Donations are appreciated. Chippewa Flowage Sawyer County Length: 233 miles. The “Chip” is a 15,300-acre flowage with miles of rugged pine and aspen shorelines cut by numerous bays, channels, and floating bogs. Travel by boat or canoe to fully appreciate the abundant wildlife throughout the warm months. Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area Chippewa County Length 23 miles. This trail runs from the Interpretive Center in New Auburn to Burnet Island State Park in Cornell. No motorized vehicles, horses or mountain bikes are allowed off public roads in the Reserve. Trails vary in difficulty. Fee/Pass Required: No. 1 2 3 4 5 Governor Knowles State Forest Burnett County Length: Multiple trails totaling 18.5 miles. Sioux Portage Trail (10 miles) - Primitive camping along trail. Scenic wilderness, wooded, along river and bluffs. Kohler Peet Trail (6 miles) - Out and back trail. Scenic wilderness, wooded, along river and bluffs. Fee/Pass Required: No fee for hiking. Hidden Rivers Interpretive Trail Iron County Length: 2 miles. This is a two-mile trail off of Fishermen’s Landing Road in the Turtle Flambeau Scenic Waters Area. Interpretive signage explains how this area has been transformed. Fee/Pass Required: No. Historic Old Bayfield Road Douglas County Length: 2.25 miles. The trail travels eastward down a hill past some old copper mine sites, and then climbs a scenic ridge to pass near the Clevedon fire tower. The trail then continues south and loops back to the parking lot. Fee/Pass Required: No. 11 12 13 Washburn County Tourism/James Netz Photography