Hiking the Escanaba Lake Trail in Vilas County

The Escanaba/Pallette Lake Trail is a classic Vilas County hiking destination. This trail network located just southwest of Boulder Junction is a double loop, with one loop encircling Pallette Lake and another around Escanaba Lake. Taken together, hikers can make one larger loop around both lakes that is an 8-mile moderate hike. Hikers looking for a shorter route can take either of two shorter loops. This trail also connects to the longer Lumberjack Trail Network.

Escanaba and Pallette Lakes are UW Stevens Point research lakes in the Northern Highlands American Legion State Forest. They also belong to the Lost Canoe State Natural Area which the trails provide foot access through.

The hiking trail is a well-maintained single-track footpath. It is well marked and served with large parking areas, restrooms, drinking water, and a ski shelter. You’ll also discover five primitive campsites along the trail which are intended for watercraft access only, an unfortunate teaser along this trail which would otherwise be an excellent beginner-level overnight backpacking route. These trails are also used as cross-country ski trails in winter.

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Escanaba Lake Landing on the Escanaba Lake Trail

If you are unfamiliar with the Northern Highlands American Legion State Forest (NHAL) it is a sprawling composite of parcels that covers most of the land area in Vilas County and parts of Oneida and Iron Counties. When it was established It was conceived to be a recreation area for boaters in the summer and snowmobiling and cross-country skiing in the winter. It was Wisconsin’s answer to Minnesota’s Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA). As such, there are number of water trails with established portages between lakes and rivers and first-come-first-serve primitive camping sites stationed on the shores of lakes included in the water trails. I would tend to call this state forest a canoe area, but many other outdoor sports are accommodated in the NHAL. Hiking and backpacking sports are conspicuously left out of the equation.

It is not difficult to find hikable trails in the NHAL, but it is difficult to find good long-distance hiking here. Most areas designated for hiking in the NHAL are in fact meant for another primary purpose such as mountain biking, skiing, snowmobiling, ATVs, or horseback riding. These trails typically make for a sub-optimal hiking experience. They fail to follow the contours of the land and can be wide and overgrown with the kind of plants that shred your pants legs. And, in most cases these multi-use trails are not designed to swerve and curve to create scenic vistas at the slow pace of a hiker. Ski trails notoriously cut straight lines up and down hills which makes for an energy-draining hiking experience. Mountain biking trails are eroded and host fast moving bikers that are not expecting to run into a hiker around the next bend. Horse trails are wide, weedy, and full of horse shit.

The Escanaba Lake Trails are an exception, their primary purpose is for hiking and that will be evident as you walk the route.

I came to Vilas County in the spring of 2020, during the Great Coronavirus Pandemic on a mission to scout out potential overnight backpacking routes and escape to a more isolated setting. The Escanaba Lake Trail Area was the first hiking area I explored in Vilas. I thought I had found one of the most ideal backpacking loops in Wisconsin …. only to be disappointed that walk-in camping is not allowed here.

Access to these trails is down a long gravel road (Nebish Lake Road) east of County Highway M. I parked at the first parking area that is near to Pallette Lake, and I initially believed this to be the main lot. I arrived at dawn to find a car in the lot that was wet with dew; somebody had spent the night camped along the trail.

Tracking a clockwise approach around Pallette Lake, the trail climbs a short hill and then descends to reveal distant lake views through the forest. The trail bed is softened by pine needles on top of hard packed sandy soils. The route rises and falls over gentle rollers through a lush mix of hardwoods and pines. A rising sun over Pallette Lake spun off dancing reflections that cut through the mist steaming off the glassy lake surface.

I came across the first campsite (P3) which is directly trailside. Each campsite is outfitted with a fire ring and a picnic table. I found my way to the landing for this site and found a sign that this site is reserved for watercraft access only.

The primitive campsites that are as bountiful as they are beautiful in the NHAL are meant to be part of the canoe trails, though they are underused in this capacity. As I hiked around Pallette Lake and discovered the picture-perfect site at P6, I devised a work-around. A backpacker could pack an inflatable tube, wade out into the lake with it and paddle it back to shore … thus, your inflatable tube can be considered a watercraft. Otherwise, If you are interested in canoe camping this area, you’ll find more information about this particular canoe trail by searching for NAHL Canoe Trip #5.

Once around Pallette Lake and turning towards Lost Canoe Lake the trail continues to provide deep woods scenery and hiking delights. I found the area between Lost Canoe Lake and Mystery Lake to be the most scenic part of the trail.

I started to feel so comfortable on this trail that I began to forget that I was in deep woods and northern Wisconsin wilderness. As I rounded a bend south of Spruce Lake, I noticed a large animal approaching the trail and I was excited to be encountering some wildlife until I realized it was an enormous adult black bear. I reached into my backpack to retrieve a can of bear spray and stepped backwards till I was out of sight and then picked up my pace to return to a gravel road I had previously crossed. I saw no reason to continue on with a bear on the trail and I cutoff back to another leg of the trail loop along the gravel road.

After returning to the trail I came on a large paved parking lot, research station, water station, restroom, and boat launch for Escanaba Lake. This would be the main parking lot which I had not yet reached as I was initially driving in. From the ranger station I took the connector trail that courses over high hills overlooking Escanaba Lake and returned on the isthmus trail along Pallette lake.

Overall, this is a great hike, one that I enthusiastically recommend for hikers who find themselves in Vilas County. With the additional connecting trails between Pallette Lake and Escanaba Lake added to the overall outer loop I logged 11-miles total and spent about 5 hours hiking. Avid hikers will find this trail to be a smooth route through wilderness with extraordinary lake views and just the right length to fill a morning with activity.

Beginning hikers and families can easily break this route down to an easy three-mile loop and will find a generous parking area with restrooms and water. But it is important to remember that this trail is a wilderness trail and you will have to be bear aware and prepared to compose yourself should you encounter a large predator. With that in mind, this trail may not be best for dog walking or for introducing young children to the sport of hiking, and may also not be appropriate for the causal walker.

Lost Canoe Lake along the Escanaba Lake Trail

Escanaba and Pallette Lake Hiking Trails

COUNTY
VILAS
COMMUNITIES
BOULDER JUNCTION, SAYNER, PLUM LAKE
TOTAL MILES
8-MILE LOOP
DIFFICULTY
MODERATE
LOWEST ELEVATION
1656 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1705 AMSL
POINTS OF INTEREST
ESCANABA LAKE, PALLETTE LAKE, LOST CANOE LAKE, MYSTERY LAKE, SPRUCE LAKE, NORTHERN HIGHLANDS STATE FOREST, LOST CANOE STATE NATURAL AREA

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: 9588 Nebish Lake Rd, Sayner, WI 54560| coordinates: 46.055905, -89.589566 |