HIKING & BIRDING in Northwest Wisconsin

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.

1 Big Bay State Park

ASHLAND COUNTY

Length: 9 Miles | Fee/Pass: Yes | 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.

2 Blue Hills Trails RUSK

COUNTY

Length: 20 Miles | Fee/Pass: No | 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. Donations are appreciated.

3 Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area

CHIPPEWA COUNTY

Length: 23 Miles | Fee/Pass: No | 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.

4 Crex Meadows Wildlife Area

BURNETT COUNTY

Length: 24 Miles | Fee/Pass: No | 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.

5 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.

6 Duncan Creek Parkway Trail

CHIPPEWA COUNTY

Length: 5 Miles | Fee/Pass: No | 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.

7 Forest Lodge Nature Trail

BAYFIELD COUNTY

Length: 1.5-2 Miles | Difficulty: Easy/Intermediate | Fee/Pass: No 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.

8 Gandy Dancer Trail

BURNETT COUNTY

21 Miles in Burnett Co. (98 Mi Total) | Fee/Pass Required: Yes 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.

9 Governor Knowles State Forest

BURNETT COUNTY

Length: 18.5 Miles, Multiple Loops | Fee/Pass: No | Sioux Portage Trail (10 miles) - Primitive camping along trail. Scenic wilderness, wooded, along river and bluffs. Kohler Peet Trail (6 miles) - outand-back trail. Scenic wilderness, wooded, along river and bluffs.

10 Hatchery Creek County Park

SAWYER COUNTY

Length: 3 Miles+ | Fee/Pass: No for County Park Trails

With access to 30 miles of Birkie Trail and 30+ miles of CAMBA bike trail. Pavilion, pit toilets at lower parking lot. The County Park & Birkie trails are wide, grassy, and hilly. Dogs are welcome on leashes, except when trails are groomed for skiing. The CAMBA trails are dirt single-track and hilly; dogs are not allowed. No fee for County Park trails; passes for Birkie and CAMBA trails are available at birkie.com & cambatrails.org. Located two miles east of Hayward on 77.

11 Hayward Area Memorial Hospital Trails

SAWYER COUNTY

Length: 11 Total Miles | Fee/Pass: No | Six miles of narrow, dirt singletrack bike trails, seven miles of wide, grassy skiing/hiking trails; four miles of narrow snowshoeing/hiking trails. Mostly flat with some rolling terrain; mixed with hardwoods and pines; frequent lake views. Dogs allowed on ski trails if leashed, unless trails are groomed for skiing. No dogs on bike trails. Access the bike trails from the Essentia Clinic parking lot on Hwy 77; access the snowshoe and ski trails from the gravel parking lot on Hospital Road. Hikers who use CAMBA bike trails are encouraged to buy a trail pass at cambatrails.org

12 Historic Old Bayfield Road

DOUGLAS COUNTY

Length: 2.25 Miles | Fee/Pass: No | 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.

13 Holy Cross Trail

PRICE COUNTY

Length: 6 miles | Difficulty: Easy/Moderate. Fee/Pass: No | Features rolling terrain and a loop that surrounds a small lake. The trail is mowed periodically and is used by Ruffed Grouse hunters beginning in mid-September.

14 Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary

WASHBURN COUNTY

Length: 7 Miles | Difficulty: Easy/Moderate | Fee/Pass: No Hunt Hill is a nature reserve with abundant wildlife, beautiful hiking trails, lakes, meadows and more. The center also provides educational programming on a variety of topics throughout the year. A nature playscape is also available for the kids!

YOUR ESCAPE. YOUR ADVENTURE.

15 Ice Age National Scenic Trail BARRON, BURNETT, CHIPPEWA, POLK & WASHBURN COUNTY

Fee/Pass: No | The St. Croix River valley that hikers use on this segment was formed when the glacial lobe in the area retreated. Access to the Ice Age National Scenic Trail’s western terminus is via Interstate State Park’s Pothole Trail, a loop trail that was built after the park was created in 1900 and is one of the oldest Wisconsin recreational footpaths.

16 Ice Age National Scenic Trail - Hemlock & Blue Hills

RUSK COUNTY

Length: Multiple Segments | Fee/Pass: No | Segments of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail can be found in the Blue Hills of Northwestern Rusk County.

17 Interstate State Park

POLK COUNTY

Fee/Pass: Yes | Wisconsin’s oldest state park with campsites, showers, and a nature center. Habitat types include upland and lowland forest and a number of wetlands and encircles Lake O’ Dalles. A Bald Eagle nest and Great Blue Heron rookery are within park limits.

To obtain specific maps and detailed information on any location, contact the corresponding County. See page 2.

18 Lake Wissota State Park CHIPPEWA

COUNTY

Length: 17.4 Miles | Fee/Pass: Yes | Hikers will enjoy trails within the park. Among the park's most scenic trails is the 1-mile self guided Beaver Meadow Nature Trail. A trail overlook allows visitors to view the environment and wildlife found in a beaver pond.

19 MECCA Trail IRON COUNTY

Length: 18 km | Fee/Pass: No, Donations Appreciated | The trails traverse rolling terrain with loops totaling 18 km. The trail is also excellent for biking and passes through a variety of wooded terrain.

20 North Country National Scenic Trail ASHLAND, BAYFIELD, DOUGLAS & IRON COUNTIES

Length: 211 Miles | Fee/Pass: No | Part of the 4,600 miles that stretches from North Dakota to Vermont, the longest hiking path in the US. Access from trailheads in the Superior, Solon Springs, Brule, Iron River, Drummond, Grand View, Mellen, and Upson areas. Camping available.