There's often disagreement in the state of Wisconsin as to where Up-North begins. But, there is no argument when you arrive in Iron, Ashland, Bayfield, and Douglas Counties that you are are indeed in the northland. It is through these counties that America's longest national trail, the North Country Trail, passes through. And, it is northland Wisconsin that inspired the trail's name.
The North Country Trail begins in North Dakota and covers 4600+ miles to a trail terminus on the Appalachian Trail in Vermont. Of that total distance, Wisconsin hosts only about 200-miles of proposed footpath. The trail is not yet complete. But, in Wisconsin, most of its proposed route is established and certified. The majority of the Wisconsin portion adventures its way through the great Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. These are the most remote and rustic miles of hiking trails that can be found in the state. Backpackers can walk up to three days without crossing a paved road.
Narrowing in on the Chequamegon sections of the NCT, hikers are presented with many possibilities for multi-day or overnight trips. The forest in Bayfield is home to two of the nation's wildernesses: Porcupine Lake Wilderness, and Rainbow Lake Wilderness. A wilderness is an area of the earth and community of life that is untrammeled by man, where man is a visitor who does not remain. These are areas that have been undeveloped and are left to evolve on their own so as to retain a primeval character. Logging is not permitted, forest management is done with a light touch.
On a recent backpacking trip, I and two friends set out to cover a 25-Mile section of the North Country Trail in Wisconsin. We began our trip by entering the Porcupine Wilderness at Two Lakes in Bayfield County and hiked through the Marengo Valley and on to Lake Three in Ashland County. Along the way we passed and camped beside some of the Northwoods' most scenic lakes, rivers, and streams; and we surveyed the enormity of the forest from the humbling edge of Juniper Overlook. Below is a story of our hiking experience on the first days of summer in 2019.
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| Crossing 18-Mile Creek on the NCT Porcupine Wilderness Section |
Mosquitoes in Wisconsin’s Northwoods will encircle you in high-velocity orbits, dive bomb every inch of exposed skin, hurtle into your eyes, nostrils, mouth, and throat at supersonic speeds. They’ll pelt you like raindrops as you run for high ground or try to seek shelter beneath layers of socks, pants, raincoats, buffs, masks, gaiters, nets, and a head-to-toe shower of toxic DEET. But, it’s the ticks that will drive you to madness.
It's the ticks that can cause you to wake in the still of night, thrashing about because you brushed your toe up against the zipper of your sleeping bag. Unlike the mosquito, a mostly dumb annoyance that can be outrun, the ticks are an advanced community of predators. Their strength is in their singular determination for a blood feast, and they are programmed like terminator robots to fulfill this one purpose. They are stealthy, silent, patient, organized, and persistent. They don’t mind your layers of clothing, all the better that you don’t spot them on their journey to an out-of-sight crease of flesh.
If you’ve pulled ten ticks off your leg then you can count another twenty that will hitch a ride home in your backpack and then distribute themselves around your car and quarters. A week after your hike, as you are frying panfish in your sterile modern kitchen you’ll look down and there find a tick will be staring back at you from the kitchen counter. Once a tick has tasted the carbon dioxide you exhale it will continue for the rest of its life to follow the invisible vapor trails you leave behind; and yes, it can find its way from the underside of your car parked in an underground lot up two flights to your apartment and eventually into your bed; it may take a week, but the tick is undeterred.
The mosquitoes, the ticks, the hornets, and wasps ... these are the reasons why you will not often find a backpacker on the North Country Trail in Wisconsin between Memorial Day and mid-July. I had the opportunity to say no, no I will not subject myself to these terrors. I offered an alternative route, a one-night out-and-back south of US-8. To that, my friend simply exclaimed: Boooo!
I am an optimist; I mean, I am a sucker. For more than five years I have had scribbled on my Wisconsin Explorer must-do list: Hike the NCT Porcupine Wilderness. And here the opportunity to do so had surfaced. I began to ponder, What better way to celebrate the Summer Solstice than beside a campfire on the shore of Porcupine Lake? The late spring of 2019 had been cold, with high temperatures forecast for the first weekend of summer barely touching 70 degrees. It was perfect. It was a gift. A chance to hike the Chequamegon at the height of the year without sweltering heat and humidity. And, when another friend reported being chased out of the forest at Merrill by flies a week earlier I simply chose to believe that somehow it would be different for me.
A plan was set, three of us would hike over 4-days and 3-nights from Two Lakes towards the Penokee Range on the first weekend of summer. I chose to reverse the route which is traditionally hiked West from Copper Falls. Instead, our group would take advantage of the elevation decline by starting at Two Lakes and heading East. That is not to say that the NCT in the Chequamegon is not hummocky, but that over the course of our full hike we would lose more elevation than we gained. Yet, as I review the data post-trip, it turns out that this section is equally hilly in both directions - 4000+ feet gained, a number that would surprise those who errantly believe that Wisconsin is flat or are unable to fathom how glacier sculpted hills could add up to what would be a challenging section of the more famous Appalachian Trail.
We planned for a driving day on Friday with a short 3-mile hike to Porcupine Lake for the solstice campfire; followed by an 11-mile trek to the Marengo Shelter on Saturday; a breezy 7-mile hike over the more difficult terrain between Marengo Shelter and Beaver Lake ... or, if we were up to it, 10-miles to a campsite of our own making on the shore of Beaver Dam Lake; then out to a second car parked at Lake Three on Monday morning, and an easy packs-off walk around the Doughboy's Loop at Copper Falls before the 5-hour drive home. This is a solid plan and one I recommend to backpackers of any experience level in the Upper Midwest. Do not let my talk of insects deter you, this is an extraordinary hike and an outdoor experience difficult to match with any other trail in Wisconsin.
When we arrived at Lake Three to drop off one of our cars we exited to a swarm of wasps. One of us had driven over a nest it seemed. As I opened my door, fifteen flew in. Clearly, they thought the car was at fault. Their attack focused on my Honda and not on us. Our trip over to Two Lakes, with our new pets on board, took an hour and we found a two-car pull-off on Porcupine Road a few steps east of the trailhead.
This is the point where I recall my interaction with a store clerk at an outfitter earlier in the week. I had gone in to refill on fuel, dried food, and repellent, where I found one helpful dude who was taking a break from huffing goof by working a few hours. "Dude, man. Dude, I totally recommend taking one extra bag of scrambled eggs, I mean woa. you could totally miss a turn and end up rationing gummy bears; happened to me before - spent a week in a canyon ... I mean bro, totally. the scrambled eggs - lightweight and cheap. You won't regret." This he told me as he placed a bottle of all-natural lemon-eucalyptus bug repellent in my free hand. I quietly put the all-natural repellent back on the shelf and grabbed a bottle of 99% DEET as he regaled me with Rocky Mountain adventures. I grabbed an extra bag of freeze-dried scrambled eggs too.
Just before embarking on our hike I coated myself in DEET. And, as we stepped onto the trail I saw ... the swarm. I don't think my friends even realized that they actually dropped their shoulders and charged into the woods as though it were the 4th quarter. They smelled of lemon eucalyptus.
The mosquitoes encircled but never landed on my DEET coated arms or forehead. I missed a spot on my back below my shoulder blade which should have been covered by my pack, but somehow they got in and bit through the shirt.
We crossed 18-Mile Creek and powered up some steep inclines before spotting 18-Mile Pond which I thought might be Porcupine Lake. But, it was another mile and over another creek to reach the lake. Porcupine Creek flows out of the North end of Porcupine Lake and directly adjacent to this headwater is a steep hill. I noticed a few cattle trails ascending the hill. On top was a stand of stately pines. I guessed correctly that these trails led to an established campsite.
Formally, there are no campsites on Porcupine Lake, the Forest Service will forbid any official map from suggesting so in this federal wilderness. But, I guess I just have a keen sense of human behavior. Porcupine Lake is a sizable lake that is near to fire roads and has springs and streams feeding and and springing from it. I suspected that many primitive campsites have been created at the best points on its shore. We found two very good ones, and there are certainly more along its shore. We chose the one on the hill for obvious reasons. And, there we found soft pine needles to set up tents (ample flat ground for more than ten tents) along with a steady breeze. Shortly after starting a fire the air cleared of pests.
We had plenty of time on the longest day of the year to fish the lake or explore. I had planned on walking the perimeter of the lake, but no one in our party wanted to leave the breezy hilltop. When we did descend to filter water from the creek, it was a battle to preserve our blood.
The next morning my friends prepared by donning complete rain gear, closing off any exposed skin. I stuck to the DEET which worked well. I didn't intentionally withhold my toxic repellent, but they seemed content in their strategy and committed to the lemon-eucalyptus.
We made tremendous progress in our 11-mile hike towards Marengo Valley - clipping along at a 3-mph pace. The forest scenery was nice but didn't offer any outstanding features that warranted a packs-off break save for a quick lunch at Longmile Lookout - which doesn't offer any views to back up the name. We tried to stay ahead of the bugs. At one fire road crossing we found ourselves beneath a swarm of dragonflies. Bless the bats. Bless the fish. Bless the frogs. And, bless the dragonflies. These are the mosquitoes mortal enemies. They are the heroes of the forest.
Before long, we had emerged at Juniper Overlook which is a grand view on a bald overlook above the Marengo Valley. Jagged rock formations project out of the rim of the four-hundred-foot deep valley like broken teeth. We took an extended break in the open breeze. I had thought before the trip to find a place to camp near the overlook rather than descend to the shelter that is beside the Marengo River, and on seeing the overlook my hiking party locked in on this idea. The idea of camping beyond the shade of the forest has several draws, not least of which are the stars. The stars and moonlight in the remote parts of the Chequamegon are bright enough to read to by. But, our skies were clouded over and a front of severe storms was crawling its way north. Mosquitoes are an annoyance, lighting is life-threatening.
We agreed to see the shelter on the condition that we return to the overlook for a campfire and dinner. The Marengo River is a postcard scene. The shelter faces it but is set on a steep embankment. You can hear its rapids from the shelter, but there is no immediate view. What you can't hear are the ticks.
Some very kind trail volunteers had stacked wood and kindling in front of the shelter so that you had to climb over the piles of scrap to step in. As I did so, seed ticks swarmed up my trekking poles. At first, we didn't know what they were. They were specs of dirt that moved. Bad call on stacking sticks by a shelter. The whole shelter had become a tick nest. We pretended they weren't really ticks, imagining that they were some other innocuous bug.
We did return to the overlook and enjoyed the cool breezes of early evening, but we hadn't brought enough water to both cook and drink. We returned to the shelter where I had erected my tent a few yards away from its infested floorboards. The forecast storm never materialized.
I should mention here what the deal is with camping in the Chequamegon. You can camp pretty much anywhere. But, you must be 150 feet off a trail. The overlooks do not afford enough room to get the requisite distance. In the off chance that other hikers were coming through, if we had set up tents and claimed ownership of the overlook it might spoil the other hikers' wilderness experience. But, that would be an off chance indeed on this portion of the NCT. According to a trail register we were the first to come through this area in ten days. Had the skies been clear and starry I would have gladly unrolled my mattress and quilt and slept beneath the stars on Juniper Overlook. And, I can imagine doing this on an October evening when the sun rises over the laughing colors of autumn's leaves in the valley below.
I had packed up my tent and backpack shortly after daybreak to avoid having to do so in the impending rainstorm. We headed out on the trail with insects on our mind. They had figuratively gotten into our heads. Now every itch or skin sensation seemed to be the attack of swarms of predatory bugs. The ticks were the last straw. They quashed our will to enjoy this hike any further.
We proceeded to death march over the rough terrain that led back to our car at Lake Three - barely noticing that it was rough terrain. Camping at Beaver Lake or at any other lake was no longer enticing. There was no time for photographs, for observation of the woods. There was only escape from the beastly bugs that owned the forest.
We retreated with haste and endured an hour of rain as we exited the forest having hiked 24-miles. We spent our last night at the infamously haunted Chequamegon Inn on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland. There we enjoyed a dip in the pool, a flight of craft beers, pizza, and a return to clean air conditioned civilization.
But, had we escaped the ticks? Only time will tell as my gear sits out on the deck a week later airing out. If in two week's time I have not succumbed to Rocky Mountain Fever then I will know that we survived this trip with only a few isolated itchy red bumps. But, for the next month, I will only be hiking trails in the southern half of the state. It's murder out there, predator bugs patrol the Northland.
Although I did not take the time to stop and see it, the Ashland historical society has on permanent display the second largest insect collection in the world. This collection was assembled by local entomologist Thomas Thornburg who in 1861 gathered 13,000 specimens of insects, many of which I believe must have come from the Porcupine Lake Wilderness long before it was called such, from the days when this was called Vallée du Moustique, The Mosquito Valley.
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| Crossing a Beaver Dam on the NCT Porcupine Wilderness Section |
North Country Trail - Two Lakes to Lake Three Section
COUNTIES
BAYFIELD, ASHLAND
COMMUNITIES
CABLE, DRUMMOND, LAKE OWEN, MARENGO, MELLEN
TOTAL MILES
24-MILE POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
MODERATE-TO-DIFFICULT
LOWEST ELEVATION
1200 AMSL MARENGO RIVER
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1660 AMSL LONGMILE LOOKOUT
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
4153 FT
TOTAL ELEVATION LOST
4280 FT
POINTS OF INTEREST: Porcupine Lake Wilderness, Swedish Settlement, Longmile Lookout, Juniper Overlook, Sallygirld Overlook, Marengo Overlook, 18-Mile Creek, 18-Mile Springs, Porcupine Lake, Porcupine Creek, West Davis Lake, East Davis Lake, Beaver Lake, Lake Three, Marengo River, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
CAMPING: Primitive camping anywhere in the National Forest at least 150-feet from a trail, Primitive sites at Porcupine Lake and East Davis Lake, Marengo Shelter, Beaver Lake Campground, Lake Three Campground, Two Lakes Campground
Directions and Trail Map
Click Map Image to load the full interactive 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: 50005-49945 N Lake Owen Dr. Cable, WI 54821
| coordinates: 46.301329, -91.176668 |
| From Milwaukee | 6 Hours |
| From Madison | 5 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 4.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 3.5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 7.5 Hours |
Photos
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| Trailhead for the Porcupine Lake Wilderness Section of the NCT |
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| Porcupine Creek in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness |
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| Primitive Campsite above Porcupine Lake |
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| Primitive Campsite above Porcupine Lake |
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| Porcupine Lake in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness |
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| Campsite beside Porcupine Lake in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness |
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| Along the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| Crossing a Beaver Dam on the NCT Porcupine Wilderness Section |
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| View from the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| Along the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| East Davis Lake on the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| Primitive Campsite at East Davis Lake on the North Country Trail |
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| Primitive Campsites at East Davis Lake on the North Country Trail |
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| Longmile Lookout Tower on the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| Surveying the Marengo Valley at Juniper Overlook on the North Country Trail |
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| Juniper Overlook on the North Country Trail |
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| Crossing the Marengo River on the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| Crossing the Marengo River on the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| Marengo River on the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
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| The Marengo Shelter on the North Country Trail |
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| Relaxing at the Juniper Overlook in the Marengo Valley on the North Country Trail |
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| Sallygirl Overlook above the Marengo Valley |
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| Backpacking the North Country Trail in the Chequamegon National Forest |
Links
North Country TrailChequamegon National Forest
Porcupine Lake Wilderness
Beaver Lake Campground
Lake Three Campground
Two-Lakes Campground