Douglas County: Trails, Waterfalls, and the Lake Superior Shore

Douglas County has about 300 miles of shared recreational trails. Waterfalls, coastal landscapes, and seasonal events add further highlights. When planning your trip, it helps to decide whether hiking and water activities, Lake Superior, winter trails, or cultural events will be your focus.

Trails, Protected Areas, and Water

The roughly 300 miles of recreational trails in Douglas County are intended for multiple uses. Pattison State Park also has more than seven miles of hiking trails. A 0.5-mile path there leads to short trails with several views of Big Manitou Falls from both sides of the river. These different figures provide a practical guide for choosing between an extensive trail network and a named hiking trail with waterfall views.

The Douglas County Wildlife Area, also called the Bird Sanctuary, covers more than 4,000 acres and is managed as a brush prairie habitat. The Douglas County Wildlife Management Area has about 14 miles of designated horseback riding trails. The Wildlife Area hosts six or seven Birddog field trial events each fall. Along with trails, habitat and seasonal events are among the nature-related features you can consider when planning.

Amnicon Falls State Park features waterfalls and rapids along the Amnicon River. The park has long been regarded as a place where a significant geological event and the associated rock formations can be observed and studied. The upper Bois Brule River offers easy canoe trips; more challenging sections include Little Joe Rapids, a moderate Class II rapid upstream of the Bois Brule canoe landing. Lyman Lake Boat Landing has a concrete boat ramp and a pier outside the entrance gate of Anna-Gene County Park. There is also a canoe landing on the nearby Amnicon River.

Lake Superior and Winter Trails

Douglas County’s mainland shoreline along Lake Superior is about 103 miles long. Wisconsin Point covers 229 acres and has almost three miles of Lake Superior shoreline. Together with Minnesota Point, it forms one of the largest freshwater sandbars in the world. These figures describe two different scales: the county’s long mainland shoreline and Wisconsin Point’s area and shoreline measurements.

For the cold season, there is the Douglas County Cross-Country Ski Trail System. It includes more than 10 miles, or 17 kilometers, of trails between Solon Springs and Gordon, east of Highway 53. The trail system is maintained and groomed seasonally. The named communities and its location east of Highway 53 can help you factor this winter option into your travel plans.

Museums, Events, and Planning Your Stay

The Fairlawn Museum is a 42-room Victorian house museum built in 1889 by Martin Pattison. A tour of the SS Meteor takes you from the pilot house to the cargo holds. The Gordon-Wascott Historical Society Whalen House Museum in Gordon is open Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Check visiting hours before you arrive. Music in the Park, an annual outdoor concert series, takes place in the amphitheater at Gordon Dam County Park on the shores of Lake St. Croix.

You can also plan your accommodations around your interests: Douglas County Forest has three developed campgrounds, Lucius Woods County Park, Gordon Dam County Park, and Mooney Dam County Park. If you’re looking for a hotel, use the destinations that matter to your trip as a guide when choosing a location.

Discover more destinations: Superior, Vernon County, Shawano County, Polk, Crawford County, Kewaunee County, Taylor, Clark County

For the main travel overview: Wisconsin.