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| Wren Falls |
The North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT) cuts a 200+ mile course through the northernmost counties of Wisconsin between Minnesota and Upper Michigan. The trail route is not yet fully established, but volunteer trail crews are working each year to add more miles of trail. In 2019 the Heritage Chapter of the NCTA added a critical bridge over the Tyler Forks River at Wren Falls and developed additional miles of trail to form a point-to-point route between Wren Falls and Foster Falls. This 8-mile route is, for the time being, separated from other sections of the NCT by road connections.
As a point-to-point hike the Wren/Foster Falls Section stands on its own. This section packs in scenery around every twist in its narrow single-track trail that cuts alongside two scenic rivers, past two thundering waterfalls, five established primitive campsites, an abandoned goldmine, and climbs from the marshy bottoms of the Iron County Forest to vast overlooks, one of which surveys Upson Lake from a bald rock perch 300 feet above.
Development has already begun on the next leg of the section which will connect this section with the Copper Falls Section at Highway 169. When this missing piece of the puzzle is opened in the coming years hikers will be able to hike from the St Croix River in Douglas County all the way to Foster Falls on uninterrupted trail. Yet, even before this connection is complete, I expect the Wren to Foster Falls Section to become one of Wisconsin’s most popular overnight backpacking hikes. When a hiker gets an idea to backpack for a night on a scenic slice of trail, that idea is embodied in all that this compact trail section offers.
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Upson Lake Overlook on the NCT |
Let’s go Up North for the weekend. At Merrill you’re getting started, at Minocqua and Woodruff you’re getting the idea, but keep going through Manitowish Waters … still further to Mercer … you’re not there yet. Did I say Up North? Keep going to Hurley and there’s not much further you can go, but you’ve arrived in Iron County – perhaps one of Wisconsin’s most overlooked get-away-from-it-all destinations.
The high relief topography of the Gogebic Iron Range marks a definitive shift in the northern landscape. The range marks the northern boundary of the Marquette Range Supergroup and sends trout streams and rivers roaring over waterfalls in all directions. Iron County hosts at least ten of these waterfalls, each surrounded by seemingly impenetrable northern forest. Oh, and there’s that little thing called Lake Superior that forms one of the borders of Iron County as well. If you’re a fisherman, a hunter, a hiker, a snowmobiler, a waterfall chaser, or just someone who wants to gaze at the Milky Way without any interfering artificial light then you’ve arrived in a sacred place when you reach Iron County.
Now, get to a trail and a fishing stream. Double check your GPS and double check again. The county forest roads that take you to Wren and Foster Falls cross rivers at fords that are a foot-deep minimum. If your vehicle doesn’t have the clearance to cross a river then you’ll want to be sure that you are entering the forest from the right direction. To reach the NCT at Wren Falls and Foster Falls take Vogues Road off Highway 169. This crushed red stone road will take you to an intersection with Casey Sag Road and Wren Falls Road. The Wren Falls parking area is down the precarious, rough, and sometimes wet Wren Falls Road – four-wheel-drive will be appreciated.
My hiking party was comprised of myself and one friend, we drove separately so that we could do a point-to-point hike. We planned to meet at the Foster Falls end of the NCT. True to form, we ended up with one car on one side of the Potato River and one on the other. We scouted out the campsite at Foster Falls which is on the east side of the river and left a car there, kicked off our shoes and crossed the river at the Sullivan Fire Road, and then drove the other car down to Wren Falls. We set out on the trail at 3pm – a bit later than planned.
The first stop was only a few yards from the Wren Falls lot. A large circular clearing on the cliff above Wren Falls is an Iron County primitive campsite. This site isn’t mentioned on NCT literature which may be an attempt to dissuade campers from encroaching on the views of Wren Falls. But, nonetheless, the site exists and includes enough space for a large grouping of tents, a latrine, and a picnic table.
The Tyler Forks River explodes out of a narrow pinch of ancient rock and falls about a dozen feet at Wren Falls directly below the campsite. This picturesque scene is enough to make for a worthy destination in itself. Down river and around the bend the NCT trail crosses Tyler Forks at the new Bill Thomas Bridge. Across the river the trail is under construction and an additional new campsite is a few hundred yards down river from the bridge on the west side of the river. This campsite sits on a steep embankment above the river and looks to be an ideal place for fishermen to set up. By 2021 the site will be developed with a table, benches, and a latrine.
We turned back from here and headed east along the NCT which is marked with blue blazes. As we gained some distance from the Tyler Forks the trail began to climb and drop over some erratic topography. At the crest of one climb a brief side trail led a few feet higher to Casey Overlook. A convenient clearing of trees allowed for a framed view of the forested land ahead of us.
From Casey Overlook the trail leveled off for a bit, or I should say, gave way to easy rollers. Before long we hit the side trail to the Gold Mine Campsite. There is a healthy climb up to the campsite which is on a wooded hilltop. The Gold Mine site had a bench, fire ring, and table and we took off our packs for a five-minute sit-down break. For some reason, I failed to photograph the Gold Mine Campsite, but there isn’t much to see. According to trail literature there is a stream nearby for water, but it will be a very small stream as I didn’t notice it.
Following the campsite, the trail climbs and turns beside a stone wall and following the turn we were presented with some steampunk machinery. This is the site of an abandoned gold mine. I suspect that the steam driven machinery was some sort of pump as pipes led from it to several holes in the ground. These are mine shafts or pilot holes that are filled with water but are 100 feet deep, so use caution when exploring the gold mine area.
From the gold mine, the trail climbs the Gogebic Range. I was left breathless when we reached the intersection with the former route of the NCT which leads down to Upson Lake. We continued on to the new trail which climbed still further, then descended and climbed again, an exercise which left me quite exhausted. I was really starting to feel my pack weight by this time. But, fortunately, there was a good excuse to release the pack as we had reached the Upson Lake Overlook. This grand overlook is stationed on a bald rock outcropping and has long views down to the lake and the forest covered Gogebic Range beyond it. This 46-acre lake is large enough for boating and there are a couple of boat ramps to it. These Boat ramps are also parking areas which have access to the Upson Lake Side Trail which joins the NCT.
From the overlook the trail begins to descend, and that is when me and my friend began to discuss our favorite foods. It was becoming evident that we were hungry and that it was past dinner time. The sun was dropping, and we had to decide whether to camp on the trail or push on to the Foster Falls campsite where we had left a car. We decided to stop for a meal at the next campsite. I think that hunger made this section of the trail seem long and my legs tired. Luckily, the trail here is easy and very scenic as it crosses several streams on new bridge decks and through fern floored gullies beside the Potato River that ran lazy rapids beside the trail.
Nestled beneath pines on the riverbank, the Tilted Gabbro Campsite was picture perfect. A run of rapids terminates at the site and slows to form a wider pond. When we arrived at the site and saw that it was stocked with split firewood and piles of kindling, we were sold. We had an hour of light to get tents erected, a fire lighted, water filtered, and food cooked. And, just as darkness fell, we were digging into bags of rehydrated backpacker meals and hot apple cider.
The darkness of the night was so complete that it was as if the bubble of light from our fire had a definite boundary beyond which was a void of nothing. We heard one owl hoot in the distance, and this is the only wildlife we heard on the trip. Earlier in the hike we even remarked on the lack of songbirds. If not for the rushing of the Potato River through the rapids it would have been an eerie silence. There were no chorus frogs or crickets, just silence. The fullish moon rose over the tree line across the river and streamed bright moon beams through the forest and I cannot recall a brighter moon. The downside is that this bright moon wrecked our chance to see a sky full of stars.
The next morning, we had a campfire and a long breakfast before packing up. It was a short 1.5-miles before we reached the end of the trail and forded across the river to our other car. We stopped to jump around the rocks at Foster Falls and take pictures and video which can in no way capture how awesome Foster Falls is. If you have been to the Dells of the Eau Claire then you know what it is like. A large rock formation spans across from both banks and sends the Potato river roaring down separate chutes. You can get out into the middle of it all and climb all over the rock formation and maybe even find a sculpted niche to lay back in and read a book if you are inclined. It is picture perfect scenery and you will want to stay and spend some time enjoying the scene.
Finished with this section of the NCT we drove around to Potato River Falls in Gurney and Superior Falls just across the state line before departing for home. Not bad at all for a one-night trip and very doable if you are driving from Southern Wisconsin to set out at 9am on a Saturday and expect to return before dark on Sunday. If you intend to do this section solo, keep in mind that you can circle back to Wren Falls via 4-miles along county forest roads which I expect would take two hours with a pack.
I will be back on this trail. And, I would love to do a three-night trip from Copper Falls to Foster Falls once the new section of trail is complete between Highway 169 and Wren Falls. If you’re feeling as good about this potential route as I am then pony up some donations so the Heritage Chapter can get that last big bridge constructed.
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North Country Trail beside the Potato River |
North Country National Trail - Wren Falls to Foster Falls Section
COUNTY
IRON
COMMUNITIES
ANDERSON, GURNEY, UPSON
TOTAL MILES
8-MILES POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
MODERATE
LOWEST ELEVATION
1241 AMSL BILL THOMAS BRIDGE
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1607 AMSL UPSON LAKE OVERLOOK
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
1272
TOTAL ELEVATION LOST
-1299
NEXT NCT SECTION EASTBOUND
MICHIGAN STATE LINE
NEXT NCT SECTION WESTBOUND
COPPER FALLS SECTION
POINTS OF INTEREST
Wren Falls, Foster Falls, Casey Overlook, Upson Lake Overlook, Gold Mine, Tyler Forks River, Potato River, Upson Lake, Iron County Forest
CAMPING
This trail is entirely within the Iron County Forest and permit and fee free primitive camping is allowed anywhere along its length 50 feet from a trail or point-of-interest. Established Primitive Sites at Wren Falls, Tyler Forks, Gold Mine, Tilted Gabbro, and Foster Falls.
Directions and Trail Map
WREN FALLS TO FOSTER FALLS BROCHURE AND OFFICIAL MAPUSGS TOPOGRAPHIC MAP - GURNEY QUADRANT
USGS TOPOGRAPHIC MAP - SAXON QUADRANT
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.
DIRECTIONS: Turn onto Vogues Road off Highway 169. Follow Vogues Road to an intersection with Casey Sag Road and Wren Falls Road. Take Wren Falls Road to Wren Falls Parking Lot. To get to Foster Falls, continue from Vogues Road at the hairpin turn onto Casey Sag Road and after a mile veer to the left onto to Sullivan Fire Road. Take the fire road and 300 feet before the Potato River there is parking to the left.
Beware that GPS may try to route you to Foster Falls on Sullivan Road from Highway 122 ... that will put you on the east side of the river, across the river from the trail.
Beware that Wren Falls road is a very rough and narrow road that becomes rougher the further you go, oncoming traffic will be nearly impossible to negotiate, and there is no cell service to call for a tow... you may consider Foster Falls an easier to reach parking choice. Or consider parking at the three-way intersection and hiking down Wren Falls Road for 1-mile.
| Wren Falls Coordinates: 46.399116, -90.504839 |
| Foster Falls Coordinates: 46.421030, -90.460527|
| From Milwaukee | 5 Hours |
| From Madison | 4.5 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 4 Hours |
| From Wausau | 2.5 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 4 Hours |
| From Chicago | 6.5 Hours |
Photos
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The Bill Thomas Bridge crosses the Tyler Forks at Wren Falls and
connects to an area of trail that is being constructed in 2020-2021 |
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A large campsite at Wren Falls has space for many tents and has a fire
ring and latrine. It is a close walk to the parking area. |
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| Looking across Tyler Forks at the Wren Falls Campsite that sits on top of a steep stone cliff |
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| At Wren Falls the Tyler Forks River is very scenic |
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Just across the Bill Thomas Bridge a new primitive campsite is being
built |
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The new primitive campsite at Wren Falls is on a river bank above the
Tyler Forks. Looks like good fishing. |
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Looking back from Wren Falls at the new Bill Thomas Bridge |
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| Starting down the trail towards Foster Falls, you won't have to worry about wet feet, There are brides across every stream. |
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A short section of two track troad leads away from Wren Falls |
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| After passing a wetland look for the trail to go off the road on to single track footpath |
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| The trail climbs a couple of steep hills to start off. One of the hill climbs pays off with a rest at Casey Overlook |
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After the Goldmine Campsite you will cross through an old gold mine
where pumps and equipment remain |
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Be aware of pilot holes and mine shafts at the gold mine. The holes
are filled with water, but are 100 feet deep |
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A long section of climbs pays off at the Upson Lake Overlook |
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| More well constructed bridges on the NCT cross frequently over soggy terrain beside the Potato River |
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| Tilted Gabbro campsite is a picturesque campsite, but small |
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There are a few tent pads, Tilted Gabbro can support 4-6 small tents.
Large groups should continue on to the Foster Falls site. |
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Tent pad at Tilted Gabbro Campsite |
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| Tent pad at Tilted Gabbro Campsite |
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| Tilted Gabbro Site has a couple benches, table, and fire circle set close to the Potato River |
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| Tilted Gabbro Campsite |
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| Latrines are located at the Wren Falls, Foster Falls, Gold Mine, and Tilted Gabbro sites |
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| Morning Campfire before departing Tilted Gabbro |
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Boardwalk after Tilted Gabbro |
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Foster Falls is a large rock outcropping in the Potato River with
several water chutes |
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| Foster Falls |
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| Foster Falls |
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A very large primitive group campsite is available on the East bank of
the Potato River at Foster Falls |