Taylor County

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Taylor County Attractions

Situated in North Central Wisconsin at the edge of the area once covered by a massive sheet of ice, Taylor County's landscape was gouged-out from ancient rock and soil by the Chippewa Lobe of the Wisconsin glacier and filled with the soil and debris carried by its rushing meltwaters. While the earth's crust has risen 160 feet since its passing, the topography left by the glacier remains. Rivers rush along trenches carved by the ice, conical hills called kames formed by soil deposited by meltwater streams dot the countryside, rolling hills scoured from once towering mountains surround kettle lakes now filled with crystal clear waters.

Today Taylor County remains heavily forested, crossed by rushing rivers and gentle streams, with dozens of lakes, ponds and wetlands teeming with wildlife. The area's museums and historic sites preserve, recall and re-create the County's historic pioneer lumbering days. The county's booming lumber economy and ethnic diversity are reflected in the architecture of its churches, commercial and public buildings. The remains of its mills and lumber camps, sloughs and dams scattered throughout the county stir memories of the lumbering past.

While the county's forests and wood products industry, the railroad, and the prosperous farmsteads built on its cut-over timberland almost a century ago continue to contribute to the area's economy, outdoor recreation has become one of the county's most important and most popular economic assets.

Taylor County is one of Wisconsin's favorite hunting and fishing destinations. Its forests, lakes, rivers, ponds and streams are teeming with wildlife. Fish fill its rivers, lakes and trout streams, most of which are easily accessible with launching ramps, piers and boat landings, walk-in trails for canoe or belly boat fishing, or short treks along access trails to the best trout waters. Lakeside campgrounds and resorts rent or provide everything from boats and tackle to up-to-the-minute weather and fishing condition reports.

Most of Taylor County's lakes, forests and grasslands are open to public hunting. Waterfowl take wing over lakes and ponds, grouse and pheasants rocket skyward from grassy openings and turkey strut, gobble and soar through the underbrush.

In season, hunters find whitetail deer, black bear, foxes, coyotes, rabbits, and squirrels enough to fill their quota with plenty left for their next outing.

One-third of Taylor County is publicly owned including the Taylor County tract of the Chequamegon National Forest, the Taylor County Forest and the Pershing Wildlife Area - hundreds of thousands of acres open for recreational enjoyment; hiking, camping, hunting, fishing and ice fishing, motorized and equestrian trail riding, cycling, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, nature walking, specimen gathering, and photography.

For close-up contact with its natural wonders, Taylor County is crisscrossed by well-marked, groomed and easily accessible trails, including the county's segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the Pine Line rail trail, the Rib Lake Hiking and ski trails, and hundreds of miles of logging trails, ATV and snowmobile trails.

With two courses open to the public, Taylor County golfers don't need to miss a day on the links; curlers will find a great indoor facility and sociable teammates to keep their skills up throughout the year; and ice skating enthusiasts enjoy the county's indoor arena where there is open skating six months of the year.

The people of Taylor County's towns and villages - Lublin, Gilman and Jump River in the west, Dorchester, Rib Lake and the city of Medford in the east, and Perkinstown deep in the Chequamegon Forest - reflect both the generous old world spirit of their immigrant founders and their pioneering attachment to this outdoor wonderland.

Taylor County's family restaurants, cafes, bistros and supper clubs feature a variety of menus in many different settings including carry-out sub and sandwich shops; family operated home-style dining rooms featuring home cooking better than grandma's; pizzerias with genuine Italian cuisine and old world hospitality; authentic Chinese and European fare served in classic style; establishments with traditional and eclectic menu options; steak and chop houses; and a range of quality fast food outlets.

At day's end, Taylor County offers weary visitors a variety of lodging accommodations including primitive campsites under the stars along the forest trails, tenting grounds with water and vault toilets, full service campgrounds complete with restrooms, showers, electrical and RV hookups, camping resorts, housekeeping cabins deep in the woods, full service lakeside resorts with family cabins, boats, motors, bait and beaches, and motels with all amenities.

Located in the north central part of the state, Taylor County features some of the most spectacular scenery in the state and is paradise for outdoor fun and adventure.

Museums and Historic Sites back to top

Taylor County Historical Society
845 E. Broadway Ave., Medford
715-748-3808
Taylor County's colorful past comes alive in this museum's sizable collection of artifacts and exhibits, including a covered wagon that brought settlers here; a pioneer's log cabin; an old school house; logging equipment, tools, clothing and photographs of lumberjacks at work and play taken at the peak of the area's great timber boom. In addition to telling the story of the people who lived here, the museum has a fine wildlife collection displaying the creatures that once habituated the great woods and waterways. Open Thurs. & Fri. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. year around.

Parks and Nature Centers back to top

Chequamegon National Forest
Taylor County
715-762-2461/715-264-2511

The Chequamegon National Forest has 855,000 acres of diverse landscapes and ecosystems. Located in Taylor, Price, Sawyer, Ashland and Bayfield Counties, the Forest offers rolling terrain dotted with crystal clear lakes, rushing rivers and meandering streams, a variety of scenic landscapes, rock formations, highland outlooks, varied forest environments, hundreds of wildlife species; and, hundreds of miles of easy-going to rugged hiking, mountain biking, cycling and snowmobile trails, five public and four private campgrounds.

Backcountry camping is permitted throughout the forest on public land located at least 30 feet from any trail or waters' edge. Families with young children, and others looking for short and easy paths through the forest will find several trails with interpretive stations. All are easily accessible and can be enjoyed in as little as half and hour.

Skyscraping towers, cliff-lined gorges and seventy foot waterfalls are found along the forest's more challenging trails, including the North Country National Scenic Trail, part of a 3,200 mile trail linking the Appalachian Trail in Vermont with the Lewis and Clark Trail in North Dakota.

Mountain bike enthusiasts will find hundreds of miles of mapped and marked trails developed and maintained by the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association. CAMBA trails are well marked, "impossible to get lost on," and follow a variety of paths including logging roads, firelanes, snowmobile trails, ski trails and single tracks.

Hundreds of miles of excellent trail systems allow snowmobilers to travel the uncrowded solitude of the forest, over well-groomed logging roads, firelanes and converted railbeds with 200 to 585 foot bridges. In the heart of the forest, the Forest Service maintains an extensive network of trails that are open for horseback riding. The 12-mile Horseshoe Lake Saddle Trail, suitable for riders of all abilities, has two adjoining loops of varying lengths to explore. The U.S. Forest Service also maintains a number of cross-country ski trail systems in the forest, groomed for both classical and skate skiing.

In the northern sector of the forest, families will enjoy canoeing the Namakagon River as it flows south from Lake Namakagon and the north flowing White River. The Namakagon offers light rapids with occasional picnic grounds and camping areas along the shore. The White is a slower, meandering river with a deeper basin. Forest lakes and streams provide fishing thrills for novice and expert alike. Lake Namakagon is one of three Wisconsin lakes managed for trophy musky production; regularly yielding 40+ inchers. Lake Owen has walleye, too, and is known for its outstanding bass and northern yield. Forest streams yield brook trout, rainbows and browns. Crappies and other panfish are plentiful in all of the forests waters, including the many wilderness lakes that are only accessible by foot and best fished by belly boat. In winter, of course, the fish are available through the ice. Ice fishing equipment is available for rent in nearby boat, bait and tackle shops.

Forest woodlands offer great hunting with little competition from others. In season, whitetail deer, black bear, ruffed grouse, and waterfowl are most commonly hunted. But the forest also yields woodcock, gray squirrel, snowshoe hare, fox and coyote.

Private campgrounds located on the shores of the Forest's lakes offer boat ramps, sandy beaches, boat, motor and canoe rentals, electrical hookups, water, showers and flush toilets.

Pershing Wildlife Area
Ellis Rd. & Sunnyside Dr., South of Jump River
888-488-5537
This 7,000-acre area, managed for Sharptail Grouse and waterfowl, features nine ponds, marsh and grassland habitats.

Gerstberger Pines County Park
Cty. Hwy C and Fawn Ave. Rib Lake
715-748-4729
This twenty-acre park contains one of Wisconsin's last stands of majestic virgin timber, including yellow birch, hemlock, red oak and towering white pine.

Wood Lake/Camp 8 of Taylor County Forest
Wilderness Ave., Rib Lake
715-748-4729
Located on the northeastern edge of the County, the Wood Lake/Camp 8 Area of the Taylor County Forest offers a boat landing, camping facilities, swimming, picnicking, drinking water and toilets.

Taylor County Trails
Taylor County
715-748-4729/1-800-257-4729
Taylor County's hiking, cycling, motorized, equestrian, snowmobiling and cross country ski trails provide close contact with spectacular beauty and a plentiful array of Taylor County's plants and wildlife. On these spectacular trails you will see glaciated landscape, moraines, eskers, kettles, lakes and streams, stands of magnificent virgin timber, and hear the music of whispering boughs, critters rustling across the forest floor, fish jumping, frogs peeping in spring and croaking in summer, crickets chirping and waterfowl calls echoing across the waters in autumn. County trails include:

The Perkinstown Motorized Trail
From the trailhead located about 14 miles west of Medford on State Highway 64, this two-way traffic trail winds for 20 miles through the Chequamegon National Forest's Perkinstown Hills to its northern terminus, located approximately one mile from the Chequamegon Waters Campground. The trailhead provides parking and toilet facilities, and the trail is marked with orange diamond and motorcycle silhouette signs.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail
From the parking area near the junction of State Highway 64 and County Road F about 24 miles west of Medford, this scenic hiking trail meanders diagonally through the Taylor County portion of the Chequamegon National Forest, crossing moraines and eskers, passing around kettle holes and lakes created by the last great glaciers to cover this land. Camping and drinking water are available along the trail at the Mondeaux Flowage. Camping is also available at Jerry Lake and Lake Eleven and permitted 50 feet off other portions of the trail. There are numerous access points along the way for those who prefer to take the trail a section at a time. Near Rib Lake, the trail connects with the Timms Hill hiking and ski trail and the Rib Lake Jaycee Trail. This section of the trail is groomed in winter for excellent cross country skiing.

The Pine Line Trail
This converted rail-trail follows the route traveled by the Wisconsin Central Railroad from 1876 through 1988, hauling millions of board feet of timber to distant marketplaces. Named for the great timber harvest transported along the original railbed and the magnificent stands of pine bordering the converted trail, the Pine Line stretches 26.2 miles from Medford in Taylor County to Prentice in Price County. From April 1 to November 30, the Pine Line is open for hiking cycling and jogging. From December I through March 31, it is open for snowmobiling (weather permitting) and ATVing.

Rib Lake Hiking and Ski Trails
Hikers and cross country skiers will find trails aplenty from Rib Lake north to the Taylor County line and beyond, including a segment of the Ice Age Trail, the Jaycees 10k community trail, the Timm's Hill Trail and the Tote Road Trail, all open for hiking and jogging, Spring, Summer and Fall and tracked and groomed for cross country skiing after the snow flies. Parking for the Jaycee Trail is located on State Highway 102, where the trail begins and ends, in Rib Lake. Except for the newly added flatlander beginners trail, trail, these ski trails range in difficulty from intermediate to advanced and are not for beginners.

Points of Interest back to top

Swinging Bridge
Gilman
888-488-5537
The Western Taylor County Village of Gilman nestles along both banks of the rushing Yellow River, bridged by five spans. In Gilman you will find the only remaining functional swinging bridge in Wisconsin, a romantic, planked pedestrian crossing into the Village Park.

Miller Dam
Cty. Hwy. G, Gilman
888-488-5537
First constructed in 1880 by the Yellow River Lumber and Boom Company, this dam was named for Jonathan Miller, who oversaw its construction.

Wisconsin Rustic Road No. 1
Northeastern Taylor County
1-800-819-5253
Drive through topography carved by ice and rushing meltwaters along Wisconsin's very first rustic road. Skirting kettle lakes, over drumlins and eskers, Rustic Road #1 winds for five miles through spectacular forested landscapes. Located west of State Highway 102 north of Rib Lake, and designed for a quiet, relaxing drive, this rustic road is a visual treat in every season of the year.