Hiking Frog Bay National Park in Red Cliff WI

Over the last few years big things have been happening on the Red Cliff Reservation. The Red Cliff Band of the Chippewa have opened the Legendary Waters casino, resort, marina, and campground on the Lake Superior shore; and they have established the first tribal national park in the United States at Frog Bay.

Frog Bay is a 90-acre transitional boreal forest that hugs the shore of Lake Superior at the tip of the Bayfield Peninsula. The Red Cliff band and Lake Superior Chippewa invite you and your family to hike a 1.6-mile loop beneath the canopy of hemlocks and cedar - and to enjoy glistening views of Great Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.

The hike is a single-track footpath that includes a few small hill climbs. This uneven footpath can be laced with tree roots, adding some challenge to the hike. With care, this moderately difficult course can be enjoyed by hikers of almost any age and skill level.

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Hiking at Frog Bay National Park

The Apostle Islands host more than 50 miles of hiking trails through pristine protected wilderness. But, without a boat, most visitors to this tourist region on the Bayfield Peninsula are unable to reach these great trails. Yet, tens of thousands of travelers find their way to the Bayfield area each peak season day with an expectation of adventuring into the great wilds of Up North Wisconsin.

The small-town charm of Bayfield, La Pointe, and Washburn is the main draw to this region, but a major expectation of going Up North is to connect with nature. It verges on disappointment that so much of the National Lakeshore is difficult to access. Save for the 5-mile trail from Meyer's beach - there isn't as much of the National Park available on the mainland as most might expect.

But diligent explorers will quickly realize that there are many miles of great hiking trails on the mainland in Bayfield County. The Bayfield Conservancy maintains most of these miles. They have partnered up with the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa to establish America's first tribal national park at Frog Bay.

The 90-acre transitional boreal forest is a pristine wilderness set on the shoreline of Lake Superior. The hike winds through a spiritually vibrant and lush forest; up and down small rolling hills and through a verdant ravine. Dense cedars and coniferous canopy shade the soft forest floor where ferns unroll from fiddleheads. This moderately difficult trail will take you to the water's edge and along the shoreline where you can catch glistening views of Oak Island across the channel.

Returning this parcel of land to the care of the Red Cliff Band is the beginning of repatriating a reservation which was piecemealed by the destructive policies of allotment. It is a point of pride for the Red Cliff Band to be able to bring this valuable property back into the public domain - to dedicate a space where ecological boundaries are defined by nature. To the American Indian, the ownership of land is as bizarre a concept as it would be to sell ownership of the air. The land - like air and water - is a resource which all people depend on, and so must be shared and cared for by all people. It is in that spirit of sharing and respect for the land that Frog Bay is preserved for nature and all of humanity.

Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands at Frog Bay National Park

Overview: Trail at Frog Bay National Park

NATION: Anishinaabe
COUNTY: Bayfield (Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation)
COMMUNITIES: Red Cliff

TOTAL MILES: 1.6 Loop
DIFFICULTY: Moderate

POINTS OF INTEREST: Frog Bay National Park, Lake Superior, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

Directions and Trail Map

If viewing on a mobile device, open the trail map above to load into Google Maps App by touching the expand rectangle in the upper right corner

Address for your GPS: 92070 Frog Bay Rd Bayfield, WI 54814
| coordinates: 46.907943, -90.788660 |