NEWS |
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 After 16 months of surveys, land sales, discussions among landowners, land ownership research, and WAITING PATIENTLY, it has been found that the access road (aka Angler Access Trail) along Pikes Creek is a public road and open for public access. Many thanks go to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) real estate and legal staff for conducting exhaustive records research which determined that the "St. Paul Road" along Pikes Creek was never abandoned; therefore, the Town of Bayfield still controls the 66-foot-wide right of way for this road and it remains a public road. A small portion of the St. Paul Road right of way has been eroded by the creek, but the road remains wide enough for access and maintenance. The Town, in consultation with the DNR, has decided to re-open this up for non-motorized public access and motorized use for the purposes of maintenance and emergency response. The Town will be communicating with the adjacent landowner about removing signs, survey stakes, and other items they have placed on the right-of-way. In the meantime, PLEASE DO NOT TAMPER WITH THE SIGNS ETC. We will keep you posted as things progress. The trail can be accessed either from the Les Voigt Fish Hatchery parking lot on Highway 13 south of Bayfield, or from the main Mt. Ashwabay parking lot.  Click map image to enlarge. Mark your calendars for volunteer work days on the Pileated Woodpecker Trail on Friday, October 31 and Saturday, November 1 from 9 am to Noon - more information will follow.
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 Noah and Mike secure the boardwalk. Chainsaws, rogue hoes, and drills…oh my! On Friday and Saturday September 12th and 13th, fourteen Bayfield Area Trails volunteers teamed up with the Town of Bayview to reroute 200 feet of the trail away from the ravine edge and to manage drainage along the trail. The reroute will make winter hiking easier by avoiding icy conditions along the top of the ravine’s steep slope. Mike Bunch initiated clearing the new trail corridor, followed by chain sawyers Ted May, John Ipsen, Kris Wegerson, and Mic Pelech who then cleared trees and deadfall along the entire new route.
Noah Michaelsen led carpentry work that included building protective fencing in front of viewpoints into the ravine and three sections of boardwalk across dips along the new trail route. Bob Feyen commandeered the power wagon on loan from Bayfield County and Landmark Conservancy. It was used to transport gravel to the new trail to fill low spots where water could pool during spring and heavy rains. The rest of the crew created the hiking trail tread, blocked off the old trail with the material cut from the new corridor, and installed treated wood structures to manage water drainage.
 Ta da! Ted May, Gerry Miller, and Lindley Mattson take a rest after building 8 box steps. PHEW!!
Many thanks to volunteers John Ipsen, Nan Fey, Mark Filonowich, Ted May, Gerry Miller, Gene Lemmenes, Mark Peterson, and Kate Kitchell for their hard work on this very ambitious project! They were supervised by friendly dogs during the process. This project would not have been possible without tremendous support from Lindley Mattson and Sara Hudson from Bayfield County Forestry and Parks, including providing pre-cut lumber and rebar for the steps, shuttling materials and tools to the site, and mowing all of the existing trails. Kate Kitchell, BATs Committee Chair, noted that the footpath has been included in Bayfield County maps for at least 20 years—which explains the faded trailhead post at the Overlook. But beyond the post, there was overgrowth, eroded tread, a hazardous switchback down to a tributary, and a steep climb on the other side. No More! Using Rogue hoes and hard rakes to cut through soil and roots, John, Nan, and Kate restored the trail tread, widened the path, and reestablished side drainage. Gene took the lead in creating a crossing at the tributary using stepping stones and rock armoring.
Ted, Gerry, Lindley, Kate, Mark, and Nan installed a total of 16 box steps on the steep ravine on the south side and cleared the trail leading to the Jolly Long. The new path is a lovely, tree-lined trail along a steep ravine with views of a cedar stand and towering white pines. A Favorite Fall and Winter Trail
Jerry's Meadow Loop
One-third of a mile into the hike is Jerry’s Meadow Loop (.3 mi), followed by a forested trail that descends to Pikes Creek. At the base of the ravine, hikers can choose a shortcut to the creekside path or take a longer walk along the water. Pike's Creek
Pikes Creek is a high-quality trout stream, draining about 30 square miles and dropping 400 feet before entering Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay near the Les Voigt Fish Hatchery and the Salmo Trail. The creek usually runs clear and is especially stunning when reflecting the fall colors or flowing around snow-capped stones.
 Bob, Sue, & Bill unload the gravel. Every trail needs a little TLC after prolonged use. It may require ruts that need smoothing, overgrowth that demands pruning, or muddy spots that need filling.
In a matter of only two hours, the trail received a sprucing up that will be appreciated by countless trail users in the months and years ahead.
 Gerry waits for Ted to load the logs. Volunteers worked on July 11th to make a better walking experience on one of Bayfield Area Trails’ (BATs) newer trails - the Big Ravine Headwaters Trail.
While the trail was initially developed in 2023, refinements were made last year and again this month to make the walking experience even better. A popular destination of the trail is the viewing platform overlooking the pond and western hills. However, the ground around the platform was very uneven, making ankle-twisting a possibility. Wood chips were donated by arborist Bob Kelly to even out the mini dips and swales making for soft and easy walking.
 John, Doug, Neil, Steve, Gerry, and Kris all ready to rock and roll!
During the culvert installation, John, Kris, Jerry, Doug and Neil worked on cleaning out and restoring the water diversion channels that were added to the trail after last year’s storm.
Mark dispersed the dirt that was removed to install the culvert and separated rocks from the material that he, Gerry and Neil used to armor the ends of the new culvert. Mark then used a roller, loaned by Dan Maki, to smooth out tracks on the road and compress the gravel placed on the trail. The diversion ditches, new compacted gravel, and the new culvert should make this section of trail more stable during heavy rain and runoff as well as more durable to foot and bike traffic. On Saturday June 28, John and Kris along with volunteers Doug Welty, Gerry Miller, Steve Vircsik, Gene Lemmenes, Neil Howk, Bob Feyen, and Rich Metcalfe met at the end of Chequamegon Road to work on the Brownstone Trail near the Wild Rice Resort. They raked leaves from and deepened drainage ditches, cut back vegetation along the trail, and cleared debris from the box culverts in the trail.
All of that work will ensure effective drainage of water off of the trail so it does not erode and it can be traveled during wet periods.  The Most Dedicated Volunteers Receive Bayfield Area Trails Mugs as a BIG THANK YOU!! On Saturday June 7th, sixty folks gathered at the Bell Town Hall and Community Center in Cornucopia to celebrate World Trails Day at the Bayfield Area Trails annual trails forum. The day started at 7 am with a guided nature/bird hike led by Ted May and Neil Howk at the Siskiwit River Preserve. The Forum festivities began at 9 am where attendees had the opportunity to enjoy world-class baked goods and coffee while mingling around information tables hosted by Bayfield Area Trails Committee members and other partners. The Bell Town Hall was a fantastic venue for the event: many thanks to the Town of Bell for allowing the opportunity to host the Forum!
The 20 most dedicated volunteers and partners were thanked and recognized with cobalt-blue mugs adorned with the Bayfield Area Trails logo. The meeting hall resounded with applause and cheers. Thank you volunteers! We would be nowhere without you! The morning wrapped up with four break-out demonstration sessions where participants could take deeper dives into the following topics:
 Mike Passo, keynote speaker, chats with the audience. Thanks to the fabulous work of several volunteers on the planning, logistics, set up, and communications, the Forum was a SUCCESS! We were happy with the great turn out, especially on a day with so many other activities going on. It’s always wonderful to see our Bayfield Area Trails supporters; and 15 new people joined us at the event! To help make this a better forum in the future, we hope participants will take a few minutes to provide feedback to this online form.
 Saturdays crew by the new steps. Even though the first trail projects of the year started on Friday the 13th, a great crew of volunteers accomplished several priority projects before the start of the high-use period on the Big Ravine Trails in Bayfield. We were excited to have six new volunteers join the fun!
“We moved a lot of rocks during these projects. It’s good that the creek has an ample supply,” chuckled Gene Lemmenes, one of our stalwart volunteers, known for his propensity to mess around with rocks in the creek. Newcomer Pete Havlik from the City of Bayfield Parks and Recreation Committee joined the crew on both days, sharing the following thoughts “Connecting with neighbors I've never met while maintaining trails that keep us all connected (to each other and our surroundings) was pleasant and fun. I'm looking forward to participating more often and discovering new trails and friendships.” Make a note: Bayfield Area Trails is leading trail projects on Friday and Saturday mornings from 9 am to noon during the 2nd & 4th weeks of each month from June through October. Email reminders will come out the week prior. Upcoming projects will include:
Thank you volunteers!
By: Mary Anne Welch Lavin  Strike a pose birders!! Click any image in the post to enlarge. As part of National Trails Day on June 7, a nature/bird walk at the Siskiwit River Preserve was added to this spring’s series of walks co-sponsored by Bayfield Area Trails and the Chequamegon Audubon Society. We met our guides from the Audubon Society, Ted May and Neil Howk, at the trailhead.
Later in the hike, Neil added a few more bird “phrases”:
The land was placed into conservancy in 2018 by two families. Trails have since been established throughout the preserve by Bayfield County’s Department of Forestry and Parks, Bayfield Area Trails, and other community volunteers.
 Examining the beautiful forest floor.
In 2024, a severe flood deeply impacted this area, shortly after volunteers had finished refining the trail. Torrential waters rose above the banks, carrying sand and stones downstream. The force washed gravel from the path, stripped bark from cedar trees and vegetation from the red sandstone. A felled tree whose years-long spot on the river’s edge had seemed permanent was carried 40–50 yards downstream. Sand deposits made the kettle hole shallower, and the buildup of rock at a turn in the river is slowly altering the river’s meander toward the lake. It’s all still quite beautiful--and volunteers quickly restored much of the gravel! 
A hiker asked about the bat houses in the meadow. Neil said they get used and added that this was the weekend of the annual statewide bat count. They’ll count again in July after the pups are born. Numbers, he said, are slowly improving after being devastated by White-nose Syndrome.
Trail Notes The east trail to the river actually has three entrances:
Credits: Birdsongs and bird images are from the Cornell University’s Cornell Lab | Macaulay Library.
Helpful Resource: The Merlin app lets you ID birds by sound.  Grace Hogan and Alyssa Larsen present the donation check to Bayfield Area Trails. Photo credit: Steve Aggergaard On Saturday May 17th over 400 runners participated in the Madeline Island Marathon and Half Marathon, running along the Island’s shore and through the scenic forests. It was a perfect day for the runners: slightly overcast and not too hot. At Joni’s Beach the air was full of energy and live music as spectators cheered runners crossing the finish line where they could find water, warming blankets, brats and beer.
THANK YOU KYLE AND THE MADELINE ISLAND MARATHON!!! |
