The North Country National Scenic Trail cuts a 212-mile route through Wisconsin between Upper Michigan and Minnesota. The Wisconsin length can be broken down further into unofficial sections. This article describes a 6-mile-long section linking The NCT Ruth Lake Section with the NCT Brule River State Forest section.
The Erick Lake section leads westbound from a trailhead and parking area on Bayfield County A and courses through Bayfield County Forest till it reaches the Erick Lake primitive campsite after 4.75-miles of easy hiking. An additional mile west the section meets the Brule River State Forest section at Morris Pond where there is a second primitive campsite. For backpacking enthusiasts this pair of campsites provides an opportunity to recharge on the long hike between the Rainbow Lake Wilderness and the Brule River State Forest – a connecting length where there are few chances for scenery, drinking water, or other established campsites.
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| Along the NCT approaching Erick Lake in the Bayfield County Forest |
After hiking many North Country Trail sections through the great Chequamegon National Forest the Erick Lake Section felt a bit underwhelming. I started the trail at the parking lot on County A and hiked it out-and-back to Morris Pond. From County A the trail quickly became enclosed by young regrowth following extensive timber extraction. These kind of green tunnels of thickets are mentally draining to walk through. You can’t see the sky or sun, nor any depth into the forest.
Following these thickets, the trail opened into apocalyptic scenes of massive clear gut grids. You’ll hear me preach over and over in other articles that timber is an essential economic resource in Wisconsin, especially Northland Wisconsin. But knowing this is little comfort, when you are day hiking under a hot sun and everything in view is a bleak wasteland.
As I approached the riparian edge of some ponds that foreshadow the larger Erick Lake I got back into some shade and forest diversity. This is the drumroll to reaching Erick Lake and its primitive campsite. The site is on a slope just off the trail and with a clear view and easy access to the lake itself. The site is sloped and not as picture perfect a campsite as I was hoping for. There is a picnic table, fire circle, primitive toilet, tent pads, and the reliable water filtering source from Erick Lake.
Fifteen minutes further up the trail I came to a spur trail leading to the far side of Morris Pond. Here there is a much better campsite with dappled sunlight falling onto a grassy, flat, and large cleared area. I could really picture myself hanging here for the afternoon and overnight. This larger site includes the same amenities; however, I’ll note that there is no easy access to Morris Pond for grabbing water to filter. It can be done but will require some bushwacking to get to the pond edge. If you are looking for a fishing spot your better option is the campsite at Erick Lake.
On my way back to my car I passed a second entry to the Erick Lake campsite and realized there is a small backup campsite. Essentially there is one tent pad and bench beside a tiny area for a cooking fire. There is also a connecting trail to the Erick Lake primitive toilet. It’s good thinking to provide this secondary camp area as the main Erick Lake campsite, being a lakefront site, is often already claimed by backpacking groups. This backup gives solo backpackers a second chance to bed down for the night on a busy weekend. I’ll take this opportunity to explain that the primitive campsites along the NCT are first-come-first-severed and do not require a reservation or permit. Primitive camping is allowed anywhere along this section in the Bayfield County Forest.
No need to dwell further on this section of the NCT. There is little scenery, but it’s a short hike to reach some phenomenal backcountry campsites and a footpath link between the Chequamegon National Forest and Brule River State Forest.
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| View of the primary Erick Lake campsite and Erick Lake beyond |
North Country Trail Rainbow Lakes Wilderness Through Drummond Woods
COUNTY
BAYFIELD
COMMUNITIES
HUGHES, DELTA, IRON RIVER
TOTAL MILES
4.75-MILE POINT TO POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
1130 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1370 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
1900 FT
CAMPING
Primitive sites at Erick Lake, Morris Pond, Dispersed camping allowed anywhere in the Bayfield County Forest 50' from the trail/ 100ft from water.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Bayfield County Forest, Erick Lake, Morris Pond
NEXT NCT SECTION EASTBOUND
RUTH LAKE SECTION
NEXT NCT SECTION WESTBOUND
BRULE RIVER STATE FOREST SECTION
Directions and Trail 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: Ruth Lake Trailhead Iron River, WI 54847
| coordinates: 46.494439, -91.438227 |
| From Milwaukee | 6 Hours |
| From Madison | 5 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3.5 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 3 Hours |
| From Chicago | 7 Hours |
Photos
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| Parking Lot at the Ruth Lake and Erick Lake Trailhead on Bayfield County A |
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| Heading Westbound on the NCT towards Erick Lake |
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| The entire length of this trail section has seen alot of logging and the resulting regeneration is a thicket that creates a claustrophobic tunnel |
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| Bob Norlin Overlook might lend to long views of Lake Superior in winter. |
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| Logging has left us desolate barrens. A forester or ecologist might point to the density of life regenerating here, but as a hiker these landscapes wear on my soul rather than enrich it ... even if I know and agree that timber is an important ecnomonic resource to our state. It is just hard to spend the whole day walking through this, and its hot. |
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| Another not-overlook overlook. |
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| The riparian edges seem to have evaded the chainsaw. |
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| As we approach some wetlands and ponds near Erick Lake the forest appears more thriving. |
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Along the NCT approaching Erick Lake in the Bayfield County Forest |
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| A view of Erick Lake from the North Country Trail |
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| A view of Erick Lake from the North Country Trail |
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| The Erick Lake campsite is a wilderness primitive site that is first-come-first-served and fee free. It features a fire ring, bench, picnic table, a wilderness toilet, slanted tent pads, trees for rigging hammocks, and views of Erick Lake. Erick Lake is the water source. |
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| The wilderness toilet at Erick Lake |
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| View of the primary Erick Lake campsite and Erick Lake beyond |
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| If you arrived at Erick Lake and the site is already full, there is a secret additional site around back. There is a bench, a tiny fire ring, space for a single tent and an access trail to the Erick Lake wilderness toilet. |
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| The side trail to Morris Pond Campsite diverging off the NCT |
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| A view of the Morris Pond campsite |
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| The Morris Pond Campsite is an ideal primitive site with soft flat ground elevated above Morris Pond. The site features a fire ring, picnic table, wilderness toilet, and Moris Pond as a water source. It is difficult to access the pond edge, so try to fill up with filtered water from Erick Lake before making your way over to Morris Pond. |