Date of Report: May 25, 2022
Area Report:
All Sawyer County and Federal Forest ATV trails are open for use.
COMING UP: Wisconsin DNR National Trails Day is coming up – June 4-5, 2022. Come ride the trails for this free weekend! ATVs, UTVs and off-highway motorcycles are exempt from registration requirements. Resident and non-resident all-terrain vehicle operators do not need a trail pass to ride state ATV trails.
May 25, 2022 Trail Report:
Seeley Hills Area Trails: The local ATV club has not yet graded these trails so expect some rough areas throughout. I personally like the trails this way; a mix of smooth sailing, rustic winding trails, periodic mud and water, as well as rocky/hilly terrain to navigate. Hungry? Sawmill Saloon and Wayside are both off Trail 63, the old RR grade which runs along Hwy 63. Go a little further west to Tagalder Rd to reach the Nelson Lake area for more stops. Going north on either 77 or 8 will take you up to gravel Rock Lake Rd (8) which you can head east to get over to the Bayfield County Namekagon areas. Offshoot trails from Trail 8 will take you north into the Cable area as well. Trail 15 off 77/Phipps Firelane will take you over to Hwy 77 where Hayward Power Sports, and Blackiron Grill is located. Head south on Trail 31 to get into Hayward or head to the LCO Loop trails for more fun.
LCO Loop: Starting at the Casino on Hwy B & K, this loop will give you some adventures. Trail 30 heading south from Casino always has some pretty good water holes throughout. Trail 29 will take one over to the Little Round Lake area but the route/trail ends there. Trail 30 hooks up with Trail 3 – head east on 3 to find Trail 777; 2 challenging sections – one with some deeper water holes, and the other with steep, rock-laden hills. Make it through that over to the Chief Lake area or south to the Tuscobia. If you head west on Trail 3 at the 30/3 intersection, you’ll come out at the Little Casino/gas station and can road ride down Hwy K for lunch at Trail’s End, Bernie’s, The Boulevard or Angler’s Haven, or you can road ride down Hwy E to Gurno Lake Rd to bypass the challenging 777 trail on your way to the Chippewa Flowage area.
Chippewa Flowage Area: You can reach many of the southern flowage destinations from the LCO Loop. The River Rd area resorts on the north side of the flowage can be reached from FR 319 Trail system coming from the Moose Lake Area.
I haven’t been out to the far eastern part of the county yet this spring, but be aware that Trail 5 has been re-routed near Wolf’s Eagle Lodge. Follow the recently-installed signs when you get there, some will be road routes for short stretches. Sections of Trail 5 had been recently graded as well.
Tuscobia/9-mile Loop: Grading has been ongoing and its quite a process as the grader must make several passes. It may seem rougher than normal to you, but your riding will help us pack down the dug up dirt clots – so have at it! So many destinations can be had from the Tuscobia – too many to list here. Recent rains should help keep dusty conditions down for your Memorial Day riding.
I didn’t mention every single area or trail – its impossible to list all the opportunities our beautiful Sawyer County Trails offer to riders!
Keep your lights on – and please watch your speed and noise when road riding on routes through residential neighborhoods – do you realize these routes are renewed on a yearly basis and we can lose them if we get too many complaints? We work tirelessly to open new routes and trails, and sure don’t want to go backwards here, so PLEASE help us keep the ones we opened so far! Enjoy!
Please contact the Chequamegon National Forest’s District Recreational Info at 715-634-4821 for additional questions. For the Flambeau State Forest call 715-332-5271.
Non-Resident Trail Passes are required for ATVs. (WI residents do not need a trail pass, but are required to display their registration sticker.)
State law requires ATVs to operate with headlights on at all times.
Sawyer County allows the use of Side by Sides on ALL ATV TRAILS, including those in the Chequamegon National Forest.