Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Polk County, Wisconsin: Hittin' the Trail, #3

By Rob Bignell

Imagine a place where you can walk amid majestic evergreens and blue freshwater lakes, across 1.1-billion-year-old rock formed in the violent rending of a continent, past peaceful dairy farm pastures, over a landscape carved by a mile-high glacier, through small towns seemingly torn from the pages of yesteryear. The place is real: It's called Polk County, Wisconsin.

Now comes the only complete guide to the county's great day hiking trails: "Hittin' the Trail: Day Hiking Polk County, Wisconsin." With one tap of the screen, you can:
>>Plan a day of fun family-friendly activities
>>Learn the best places for walking the Ice Age National Scenic Trail
>>Discover the National Park Service's only scenic riverway
>>Find directions, parking lots and more!

With the "Hittin' the Trail" ebooks, you'll never need another hiking guide to any of your favorite destinations. We'll see you on the trail!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rob Bignell
• Release date: Jun 3, 2013
• ISBN: 9780985873998

Rob Bignell

Rob Bignell is the owner and sole editor at Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the editing and proofreading needs of writers both new and published. During the past five years, he's helped more than a hundred novelists, poets and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams. Several of his short stories in the literary and science fiction genres have been published, and he is the author of the popular and highly acclaimed nonfiction "Hikes with Tykes," "Headin' to the Cabin," and "Hittin' the Trail" book series, the novel "Windmill", and the poetry collection "Love Letters to Sophie's Mom". For more than two decades, he worked as an award-winning journalist, with half of those years spent as an editor. In addition, for seven years he served as an English teacher or a community college journalism instructor. He holds a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in journalism and English. He and his son live in west-central Wisconsin and are active in boys basketball and Cub Scouts.

Book preview

Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Polk County, Wisconsin

By Rob Bignell

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HITTIN’ THE TRAIL: DAY HIKING POLK COUNTY, WISCONSIN

Copyright Rob Bignell, 2013

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television or online reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Atiswinic Press

Ojai, Calif. 93023

hikeswithtykes.com/hittinthetrail_home.html

ISBN 978-0-9858739-9-8

Cover design by Rob Bignell

Cover photo of Osceola Creek, Polk County, Wis.

Manufactured in the United States of America

First printing June 2013

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Dedication

For Kieran

Our adventure is just beginning

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Communities

Attractions

How to Get There

When to Visit

Maps

St. Croix River Area Trails

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

Ridge View Trail (Osceola and Chisago loops)

Indianhead Flowage Trail

Other Riverway Trails

Osceola Bedrock Glades S.N.A.

Ridgeview Trail

Wisconsin Interstate State Park

Lake O’ the Dalles Trails

Ice Age Interpretive Center Trails

Pines Group Camp Trails

Downtown St. Croix Falls Trails

Gandy Dancer State Trail

Ice Age National Scenic Trail

Other Area Trails

North County Area Trails

Straight Lake Wilderness State Park

Straight Lake Wilderness Trail

Other Area Trails

Central Area Trails

Balsam Branch Cross Country Ski Trails

Southeastern County Area Trails

Cattail Trail

Clear Lake-Clayton Trail

Stower Seven Lakes State Trail

Other Area Trails

Across the Border Trails

Washington County, Minn.

Chisago County, Minn.

St. Croix County, Wis.

Burnett County, Wis.

Barron County, Wis.

Washburn County, Wis.

Best Trails Lists

Bonus Section: Day Hiking Primer

Selecting a Trail

Clothing

Equipment

Navigational Tools

Food and Water

First-aid Kit

Hiking with Children: Attitude Adjustment

Family Dog

Rules of the Trail

Trail Dangers

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Introduction

Imagine a place where you can walk amid majestic evergreens and blue freshwater lakes, across 1.1-billion-year-old rock formed in the violent rending of a continent, past peaceful dairy farm pastures, over a landscape carved by a mile-high glacier, through small towns seemingly torn from the pages of yesteryear. If living in Wisconsin, Minnesota, northern Illinois or eastern Iowa, such a place is within only a few hours drive. It’s called Polk County, Wisconsin.

Located northeast of Minneapolis-St. Paul, for many Polk County is the gateway to Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Largely flattened by a glacier during the last ice age, kettle lakes formed by melted hunks of frozen ice dot its landscape.

The St. Croix River forms Polk County’s western border with Minnesota. The small towns of St. Croix Falls and Osceola sport some of Wisconsin’s most impressive scenery. The county’s opposite side, especially its southeastern corner, is largely farm country with the recreational towns of Amery, Clear Lake and Turtle Lake. The county’s central area of Balsam Lake and Milltown marks a transition between that farmland and the Northwoods. Upon reaching Luck and all points north, which includes the village of Frederic, you’ve entered the Northwoods.

Ojibway Indians called what is now Polk County home when settlers from the East Coast and Europe arrived in 1837. St. Croix Falls became the first village settlers built, with Osceola, a center for grain milling and steamboat manufacturing, soon following. When Wisconsin gained statehood in 1848, Polk County was part of St. Croix County. Named after U.S. President James K. Polk, Polk County was formed in 1853, though it stretched to the north until new counties were cut out of it. Inland settlement of Polk County during the mid- to late-1800s focused on logging, with the cleared land used for farming.

Communities

Polk County is a true escape from the big city. None of its communities sport a population of more than 3,000.

Along the county’s eastern edge, St. Croix Falls offers among the largest collection of day hiking and backpacking trails in Wisconsin. Just a few miles to the south is the county’s most populous community, Osceola.

In the county’s Northwoods, the village of Luck once was headquarters to the Duncan Toys Company Yo-Yo factory. A few miles north is Frederic, the largest town for the next 60 miles until reaching Superior.

At the county’s geographical center is Balsam Lake, the county seat. To the north is the slightly smaller village of Milltown.

Amery is the largest city in the southeast farm country. With its scenic lakes and location along the Apple River, it has become a popular summer vacation spot. To