A Quiet Road West: Hazelhurst to the Willow Flowage

Last Thursday didn’t begin with a plan. It was one of those fall mornings when the coffee tastes a little sweeter and the air feels crisp enough to nudge you out the door. Most leaves had already dropped — the hillsides no longer blazing with reds and oranges — but the tamaracks were still glowing bright gold, the forest’s last flash of color. After the fog lifted just past 10:00 a.m., my friends BK, Deb, and I climbed into the truck and headed west toward the Willow Flowage and Pier Lake in Tripoli.

I’d heard of this area for years — mostly through my friend Linda S., who told stories about her grandfather’s cabin out near Tripoli, and how a small community once formed around it: neighbors, hunters, and wanderers tucked beneath the pines. It always sounded like a quiet world just off the map. I’d never been, and it lingered in my mind as a “someday” trip.

Thursday became that day.

We started down Leigh Road (Charlie’s Cheese) and continued on Lower Kaubashine, rolling past the south side of Winter Park in Minocqua, where pavement gives way to wandering forest roads. The sky was a brilliant, clear October blue. As soon as we left town, the Chequamegon surrounded us — a small corner of the 800,000+ acres of public forest that stretches across northern Wisconsin. Even knowing the number, you don’t grasp the scale until you’re in the middle of it. Then it’s simply space. Quiet. Trees for miles.

And quiet it was — except for Deb and me, who talked nonstop.
(Realistically, that was the soundtrack of the trip.)

The route felt new, but Linda’s stories gave it a familiar undertone. Pines and golden tamaracks framed the road. With most leaves down, the woods felt more open — like they had settled in after peak season.

We spotted deer slipping between trunks and passed only two forest workers before running into a lone hunter — a good friend of BK’s — out preparing for the season. He was checking trail cams and stands, doing the quiet preseason work that comes before November fills the woods. The pace out here is unhurried, thoughtful.

After a warm wave and a quick gravel-pit chat, we set up for a little target shooting. There’s a fun focus to trying different setups — that moment when everything else fades. The echoes disappeared into a wall of trees, and the smell of leaves and gunpowder mixed into the cool air. Even in such a big forest, it somehow felt familiar.

Eventually hunger steered us back into the truck, and we made our way to Bucksnort Resort. If there’s a classic Northwoods afternoon, this might be it: a cold drink, a burger quiet-you-down good, and the chance encounter with a snow-white resident cat who moves through the bar like they’re in charge. I’ve decided I prefer a bar cat over the stereotypical bar dog; it just feels right.

After lingering awhile — and losing at pull tabs — we headed out.

West of there is Reel ’Em In, which we didn’t visit this time, though it’s well-known in in Tripoli for its high energy and enthusiastic “Who the *!%$ is Alice?” crowd sing-alongs. It’s a song that’s somehow become its own local landmark. Next time we’ll go in — partly for the music, partly for the people-watching. Check out the Video Below

A little deeper into the woods, we pulled off to explore the rapids and falls. The water ran lower this year, yet the rapids still tumbled with surprising energy — lively but peaceful, the kind of place where your thoughts drift and your shoulders unclench. We walked in a bit, stepping over roots and fallen leaves, just to take it in. The air was cool, and the sound of the river wrapped around us. No rush. No schedule. Just the river, the gold tamaracks, and our two-person chatter echoing between trees.

This part of the Chequamegon has an easy rhythm — gravel pits tucked behind pines, streams curving along mossy banks, quiet roads that seem to draw you farther. Plenty of places where you could camp or picnic and not see another person all day. Out here, nature is simply the main feature.

When the afternoon began to fade, we turned back toward Hazelhurst — windows down, catching the last crisp breeze of the day. The drive home always comes a little sooner than you’d like, even after a day that hits the right notes.

I’ll definitely be back — next time on a UTV. Open-air riding seems made for these trails: feeling the terrain beneath you, taking tight bends, then stretching out onto long forest roads. It’s just a different way to experience the place.

Sometimes the best days start without much of a plan: a truck, good friends, and a road you haven’t tried before. This corner of the Chequamegon gave us quiet scenery, good conversation, and the sense that there’s still plenty more to discover.

Getting There By UTV

Approx. 42 miles round trip with planned stops:

1. (Start) Northwoods Store — Hwy K & 51

2. (4.1 mi) to LaCanne’s Resort — Swamp Lake

3. (15 mi) to Bucksnort Resort

4. (22 mi) Back to Northwoods Store Hwy K & 51