The Alps of Wisconsin? Yep, if you were around 500 to 600 million years ago (give or take a few), this was the place to be for world-class mountaineering and gnarly skiing. The 80-mile-long Penokee Range (also known by its Ojibwa name, Gogebic Range) is one of the world’s oldest, predating animal life on land. These hills once soared to more than 10,000 feet, with snow-covered summits and deep, verdant valleys, and the ridges of the Penokee are still among the highest in Wisconsin, rising about 800 feet above Lake Superior’s surface.
Two hundred million years of erosion sculpted what we see today, accompanied by glacial artistry that left behind a handful of lakes and spruce-tamarack bogs. This is a very special place indeed, filled with rich forests of birch, aspen, and maple mingling with balsam fir, white pine, cedar, spruce, tamarack, and cedar. Bogs and grasslands border the higher hills, and animal life like you saw in the wilderness areas to the west settle here in abundance.
This hike is another of my go-to favorites for adventure and breathtaking scenery, with two calendar-shot waterfalls way down in deep, rocky gorges on an exhilarating loop trail. North Country rugged mixed with old-time charm fills the air every step of the way. The picnic area and main grounds near the trailhead are dotted with log buildings masterfully created by Civilian Conservation Corps members in the 1930s, surrounded by rich forests of hemlock, pine, sugar maple, birch, and basswood. Within the woods are dozens of wildlife species including tiger swallowtail butterflies, frogs, deer, pileated woodpeckers, and loons.
Start this fun hike at the parking area and immediately cross a short footbridge over the Bad River. At the top of a gradual rise is the junction with the trail to the observation tower. Lots of stairs climb the steep ridge and a few more take you to the top of the tower for beauteous views of the forest unfurling in all directions and Lake Superior way out there to the north.
A wide, manicured stretch of trail leads to an overlook of Copper Falls, dropping about 29 feet in a collection of mini waterfalls flowing over jumbles of boulders. From here, the trail rises to another overlook with stellar views of Brownstone Falls shinnying through 100 feet of sandstone and black shale. Continue hiking along the ridge above the steep walls of Devil’s Gate to a flight of stone steps descending to the river. This is a great spot to wander on sandbars and get up close to the river.
Follow the bridge over the river and turn back eastbound, climbing back up to the top of the northern ridge and past the junction with the North Country Trail’s arrival to the park’s main attractions. A little farther on is a short spur trail leading to yet another overlook above the river, this time with great views of the confluence of the Tyler Forks River’s confluence with the Bad, Brownstone Falls, and the Tyler Forks Cascades. Keep hiking along the river to a bridge just upstream from the cascades, and loop back past a couple more overlooks on the homestretch to the trailhead.
Why this place matters
In addition to the 500-acre Copper Falls State Natural Area surrounding its namesake falls, this state park is veritable who’s who of celebrity wildlife. Fishers join white-tailed deer, fishers are plentiful and elk now live nearby. More than 200 bird species live or pass through the park, including pileated woodpeckers, bald eagles and loons. Watch at ground level and water as well for the likes of wood turtles, snakes (non-poisonous) and swallowtail butterflies.
