In the Douglas County Wildlife Area – locally known as the Bird Sanctuary, the North Country Trail cuts a path towards the famed St. Croix National Scenic River. The St. Croix Flowage above Gordon Dam and its surrounding wetlands provides a lush and vibrant stage for proliferating birds and wildlife. The segment between Gordon Dam and Rovers Lake is an easy and flat 5.25-mile footpath that meanders through woods, restored prairie, and along boardwalks and bridges through wetlands. Campsites pin each end of this segment – with a campground at Gordon Dam and a primitive site at Rovers Lake.
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| Rovers Lake Primitive Campsite on the North Country Trail - Rovers Lake to Gordon Dam Segment |
My early spring hike on this segment was a chance for me to shake off the dust and try out a new hammock for backpacking. I chose this short trail segment with easy access at Gordon Dam. It’s always amazing how out of shape I become over the long Wisconsin winters – but I am reminded by the weight of my backpack when I first set out in spring.
The trail is easy and delightful. It begins on a spur crossing the Gordon Dam and runs out to a trail intersection. From there the meandering path wiggles its way around a smattering of trees and wetland terrain. Boardwalks in this section are frequent and miles long.
The trail then dumps out in the wildlife preserve which endured some severe logging in the recent past. Rather than bringing back the forest, it appears to be a managed prairie with annual controlled burns. The sun is hot in this section and when I spotted Rovers Lake on the horizon, I was grateful to be nearing a place to rest.
The first thing about the Rovers Lake site is that Rovers Lake is not a great place for filtering water. It just screams – drink at your own risk. I had to do it though as I was out of drinking water and I filtered and double boiled the water I fetched from the muddy banks of that beaver pond. The only saving grace for me is that it wasn’t summer otherwise I’d expect to find a full coverage film of toxic blue green algae. There are better drinking water sources at streams in the wetlands as you approach the wildlife area.
Otherwise, the campsite is nice and set into a thin woods on the top of a windswept hill. It’s nice to have a site with a grass floor to sit and lay on. I whipped up a quick dinner and campfire and relaxed into the night in my new hammock. Then I made quick work on the return trip. I could see myself stopping in again, to camp at the lovely Gordon Dam Flowage Campground.
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| Boardwalk through wetland on the North Country Trail Rovers Lake to Gordon Dam Segment |
North Country National Trail - Rovers Lake to Gordon Dam Segment
COUNTY
DOUGLAS
COMMUNITIES
SOLONG SPRINGS, GORDON
TOTAL MILES
5.25-MILES POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
1010 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
11100 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
575 FT
NEXT NCT SECTION WESTBOUND
ST CROIX RIVER SEGMENT
NEXT NCT SECTION EASTBOUND
BIRD SANCTUARY SEGMENT
CAMPING
GORDON DAM COUNTY PARK AND CAMPGROUND, ROVERS LAKE PRIMITIVE SITE
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:7201 Co Rd Y, Gordon, WI 54838
| coordinates: 46.25341747500383, -91.92806827549985 |
| From Milwaukee | 5.5 Hours |
| From Madison | 4.5 Hours |
| From Green Bay | 4.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 2.5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 7 Hours |
Photos
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| The trail starts by crossing the dam at Gordon Dam Flowage Campground |
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| Gordon Dam Crossing |
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| At the end of the spur trail is a 4-way trail intersection |
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| The St. Croix National Scenic River |
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| Much of this segment is swamped in wetlands and there are many miles of boardwalk |
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| The trail weaves through some older stands of woods |
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| A few good size streams flow through the wetlands and there are good bridges on the trail at water crossings |
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| A large section of the trail crosses logged land where it appears from controlled burns to be a prairie in the making |
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| Rovers Lake on the horizon |
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| I had to filter water from Rovers Lake and I questioned its safety. This is a beaver pond and likely covered in blue green algae in summer months |
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| The campsite is on the top of a windswept hill and is wide and grassy. |
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| The Rovers Lake Campsite |
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| Rovers Lake Campsite |