The Rib Lake Segment is a short 2-Mile segment between the Timm's Hill National Side Trail and the Wood Lake Segment trailhead in Taylor County. This brief hike crosses private land, most of it through land owned by the Rib Lake Ski Club at the Rusch Preserve. It also enters the Marimor Preserve.
The first mile of this segment, heading eastbound, crosses through the Stille Nacht Campground in the Rusch Preserve where five walk-in campsites are available to long distance hikers, made available and maintained by the Ski Club. There is also a water pump, vault toilet, and large parking areas.
The Rib Lake Segment begins on Rustic Road 1 at the Timm's Hill trailhead. The Timm's Hill Trail is a 10-mile point-to-point footpath that ascends over hills and streams to the highest elevation in Wisconsin - Timm's Hill County Park in Ogema.
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
I left the Madison area on a Friday after work. By the time I turned off Highway 29 the sun had already sank below Wisconsin's rolling hills. I was pushing my car as fast I could down Taylor's rural county roads in hopes that I'd be able to find a campsite to spend the night at before the last light of day gave way to the night and a lightning storm on the horizon.
It's never wise to head up north in August without a camping reservation. But, this getaway was not so much a plan as it was an urge to get my backpack on and spend a night or two on the trail. As I pulled into the town of Rib Lake, a permanent sign invited me to stay for the Ice Age Days, presumably a festival where people dress up like the Flintstones and eat turkey legs grasped in their bare hands. Of all the trail towns along the IAT I don't know of any who have embraced the trail as completely as Rib Lake has.
I found my way to the Stille Nacht Campground in the Rusch Preserve half worried that the sites would be full and I'd be detoured over to Wood Lake County Park. But, there was no one there. It was now totally dark, eerily dark, silent, and vacant. Now, I wished there had been at least one other camper in the neighborhood.
By the light of my headlamp I was able to find my way from the parking lot around the camp roads and up to a suitable campsite which was outfitted with a bench, firewood, and mowed grass tent pads. They even provided a portable frame to lash a tarp to for those ultralight hikers who can somehow manage to sleep while being feasted on by mosquitoes.
I headed out on the trail towards Wood Lake County Park at first light the next morning. Before the sleep was rubbed out of my eyes I had already finished the Rib Lake Segment.
This segment, is, unfortunately, very brief. There have been plans to connect Rib Lake to the East Lake Segment, but as of 2019 it remains incomplete, with a 3-mile hike along connecting roads to reach the County D East Lake trailhead.
Some day, some day soon we are hoping, The Rib Lake segment will be one of the more remarkable sections of the Ice Age Trail. The groundwork is laid. When the trail runs through between East Lake and Wood Lake, the Rib Lake Segment will become a busy backpacker's waypoint. It has a supportive trail town; it has the walk-in campground with water and amenities; and it is at the intersection of the IAT with the nation's first National Side Trail - the Timm's Hill Trail.
On Sunday, after I returned from Wood Lake, I took a drive up to Timm's Hill. You can drive right to the top of the hill where there is a parking lot, playground, and picnic area. From the parking lot, it's only a few feet along a trail to an observation tower. Now, if only there were a few walk-in campsites at Timm's Hill County Park ... then backpackers would be able to start at Stille Nacht and hike the 10-mile trail to Timm's Hill, camp, and return the next day. It would just make too much sense. For now, I suppose that backpackers can do it in reverse - begin at Timm's Hill, hike to Stille Nacht, camp, and return the next day.
If you are planning on staying the night at Stille Nacht, remember that the sites are carry-in-carry-out. Don't leave any trash behind. You don't need to register for sites, but there is a donation box where I dropped a $10 bill. Travel with some cash if you plan to use the sites at Stille Nacht or Wood Lake County Park.
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment
COUNTY
Taylor
COMMUNITIES
Rib Lake
TOTAL MILES
2 MILES POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
1659 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1755 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
490 FT
TOTAL ELEVATION LOST
463 FT
CAMPING
STILLE NACHT CAMPGROUND IN THE RUSCH PRESERVE
NEXT IAT SEGMENT HEADING EASTBOUND
WOOD LAKE SEGMENT
NEXT IAT SEGMENT HEADING WESTBOUND
EAST LAKE SEGMENT
Directions and Trail Map
DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE PDF USGS TOPOGRAPHIC MAPRIB LAKE QUADRANGLE 2015
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: 9049 Co Rd C Rib Lake, WI 54470
| coordinates: 45.362504, -90.168673 |
| From Milwaukee | 3.5 Hours |
| From Madison | 3 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 2.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 1 Hour |
| From Minneapolis | 3 Hours |
| From Chicago | 5.5 Hours |
Photos
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
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| Ice Age Trail Rib Lake Segment |
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| Grouse Campsite at Stille Nacht Campground |
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| Water Pump at Stille Nacht Campground |
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| Bear Campsite at Stille Nacht Campground |
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| Bear Campsite at Stille Nacht Campground |
Links
Timm's Hill National Side TrailStille Nacht Campground
Timm's Hill County Park
Ice Age National Trail Alliance
Ice Age National Trail - National Parks Service