The Timberland Wilderness Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a 3.9-mile span of footpath between the Wood Lake Segment and a short road connection to the Camp 27 Segment. Its narrow lane of tread threads through the thick woods of a 35,000-acre State Legacy Forest on the far west end of Lincoln County in the North Central region of Wisconsin. Because legacy forests are privately held timber production lands there is no camping allowed along this segment. A notable feature of this trail is a massive complex of beaver dams which the trail uses to cross between wetlands.
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Timber is a highly valuable resource in the state of Wisconsin, so valuable that in the early 20th century nearly the entire state was clear cut. An important lesson was learned when that resource ran out and the northern forests have since been replanted. Timber harvesting remains a critical part of the state’s economy. It is always sad to come across a recently harvested area in the forest when hiking. But, it is also important to recall that the reason we have so much public land in Wisconsin available for recreation is due to the timber trade which requires vast amounts of land to be left alone for decades while forests regrow. Without the timber trade there are no national, state, and county forests – which are the very designated areas where the majority of the Ice Age and North Country trails have found clear long-distance passage.
The Timberland Wilderness Segment passes through a legacy forest. It is an actively harvested and privately owned forest that is meant to one day be harvested. With the legacy forest designation, however, it must always remain timberland. That gives us and the forest animals a chance to enjoy the young forest while it is growing.
Speaking of forest animals enjoying the forest, a few generations of beavers have been hard at work harvesting the timber and building the most impressive complex of dams and ponds I have ever seen. It is an amazing site to come upon as you hike the trail. After hiking through the tunnel of green woods that defines this trail you become accustomed to the natural mess of the woods. And, then suddenly there is an intentional reorganization of branches and trees. It took me a moment to comprehend what I was seeing as we rounded a bend to see a series of beaver dams that seem nothing short of intelligent engineering.
Aside from the beaver dams the other significant feature of this trail is its quietness. This trail is set fairly far from paved roads and traffic. Not hearing any cars for a few hours is a somewhat jolting experience and is unusual, even for hiking trails. There always seems to be the din of traffic in most places I go in life, its absence is always notable when I encounter it.
One tip. There really isn’t any parking at the south end of this trail. We did park our car in front of gate at the south end and hiked between there and our campsite at Wood Lake County Park, but that might be one of the only times I have ever resorted to parking in a gate. Parking in front of a gate is just asking to be in the wrong place at just the wrong time. There is a nice and large grassy off the road parking area at the New Wood/Timberland Wilderness trailhead. The parking area is about 1.5-miles up the road from the south trailhead, so you can make a loop by walking the very lightly trafficked Tower Road as a return to your vehicle.
Ice Age Trail Timberland Wilderness Segment
COUNTY
LINCOLN
COMMUNITIES
TIPOLI, CORNING, RIB LAKE
TOTAL MILES
3.7-MILE POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
1590 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1690 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
500 FT
POINTS OF INTEREST
Knob Creek
NEXT IAT SEGMENT EASTBOUND
CAMP 27 SEGMENT
NEXT IAT SEGMENT EASTBOUND
RIB LAKE SEGMENT
Directions and Trail Map
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Address for your GPS: 6099 Tower Rd, Merrill, WI 54452
| coordinates: 45.340515, -90.040193 |
| 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 Hours |
Photos
