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In the flower power mid-60s, outdoor lovers thought a northern counterpart to the Appalachian Trail would be far out. Right about then, Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration established the National Trails System Act. In northern Wisconsin, a spindly trail was emerging under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ultimately becoming the North Country National Scenic Trail.
The NCT doesn’t have the celebrity status of today’s Triple Crown trails, but in my opinion, it should. It’s one behemoth of a trail: 4,800 miles loping across eight northern-tier states. Thru-hiking the whole works is a monumental challenge accomplished by only about 23 people to date.
The trail was born in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (say Sha-WAH-ma-gun), which is home to more than 1.5 million acres of Northwoods. My lineage goes back five generations in these parts, and there’s no better way to pay homage to that history than a thru-hike of my home state’s past. On this trail, I can connect to my own past, as well. I’m about to find more of it. I have the NCT’s choicest miles on my autumnal itinerary, west to east from Iron River to Mellen—Wisconsin’s first Trail Town.
Day 1
The trail’s first 6 miles, through lazy undulations of dense hardwood forest the color of ripe peaches, reaches Rainbow Lake Wilderness. Among second-growth balsam fir, birch, and pine, this area hosts scattered narrow gauge railroad corridors used in the early 1900s logging scourge, most prominently the 4-mile Anderson Grade, bisecting the NCT near Bufo Lake. I push on and bed down at a postcard-perfect campsite at Reynard Lake. There, I listen to the sounds of the wild: Rainbow Lake Wilderness is also home to an established wolf pack of around six to 12 members. I’ve heard them out here in years past, and it’s nothing short of spellbinding, especially in the middle of a moonlit night.
Day 2
Dawn arrives after a howl-less night. Even so, it’s exhilarating just knowing Canis lupus is out there as I exit the wilderness proper for the 2-mile stretch to Delta-Drummond Road, where the trail becomes enticingly hillier, passing Mirror, Esox, and Overby lakes. My favorite place on this stretch is Long Lake Branch Creek, an idyllic shallow valley with a sublime creekside campsite. Two miles later is Drummond Woods, which at 130 years old are only two decades shy of old-growth status. These woods also have a vibrant component of immense hemlock and white pine 300-400 years old that dodged the saws.
From Drummond, the trail rolls up and down hills, with terrain like a rumpled winter blanket, as it trends toward the bulbous peninsula at Lake Owen’s northern shores. This area is steeped in the history of some of its earliest residents. As far back as CE 1500, the Ojibwe peoples lived here with the land’s riches and traveled the waterway trade route west to the St. Croix River. In the other direction, the NCT leads to the mossy environs of Porcupine Creek and a lofty campsite overlooking its namesake lake.
Day 3
The next day is a long grind through Porcupine Lake Wilderness, a resplendent forest braided with streams. Past the FR 202 trailhead, the Juniper Rock overlook rises above the escarpments of the Marengo River valley, part of the 2.2-billion-year-old Penokee Range that stretches 75 miles to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. From this stunner of an overlook, I follow switchbacks down to a bridge over the Marengo River and up past an Adirondack shelter—a nod to America’s eastern trails—and an 1800s Swedish settlement site. Hiking through, I reflect that my ancestors made a go of it right here 175 years ago, no easy road and certainly thin on daily comforts. For a minute I wonder what on earth drew them to this place, way out here in the woods, but look around and realize it’s why I’m here too.
Deep into fall as it is, hiking on crinkly crunchy leaves is like walking on a bed of Rice Krispies. I feel like I’m disturbing the mojo but love it all the same. Hoofing it past Lake Three leads to the steep-walled Brunsweiler River Valley (a Wisconsin Wild River), incised into ancient granite and blissfully remote with rejuvenating silence. This is the homestretch to my “takeout” a few miles west of Mellen, a little town that’s keen on adventurers and acts as a gateway to the Penokees.
A buddy meets me at a roadside trailhead in his rusty Ford pickup and we roll to the nearest tavern. Cradling a frosty mug on a patio barstool, I have a clear view west, from whence I came. And it was much more than trail miles. It was a walk home.
Want To Hike The Chequamegon? Here’s How:
Plan for 3 days of long miles or add a fourth for a more leisurely pace. Follow my exact route by downloading the GPS track above. Stage a car at the eastern trailhead or arrange a ride. Also, there are long stretches with minimal water sources on the eastern leg. Plan refills in advance.
Miles: 53
Elevation Gain: 5,793 feet
Best Time of Year To Hike: Early September to mid-October. (I hiked in October.)
Permits Needed? None