Ashland (more waterfalls)

Although today was predicted to be bright sun, fortunately, the clouds persisted until late afternoon.

I first drove south, to an area that was advertised to be good for fall color photography. Round Lake Logging Dam is historically significant. In the logging boom of the 1800s, dams were constructed deep in the wilderness to help float logs downriver, where they would be milled into lumber in mills on the Chippewa and Mississippi Rivers. It was a long drive, almost two hours, with only moderate results. Perhaps another week might make a difference, hard to tell. This is U.S. Forest Service land and unless you have some sort of interagency pass (In my case, the Lenior lifetime National Park Pass qualifies), it is a self pay of $5.00.

I then drove back up to Copper Falls State Park . This is a more curated experience, but well done. The price of a senior day pass was $3.00. A 1.7 mile loop trail takes you past two falls, Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls. The viewpoints are optimally placed and the trail well-maintained. Even on a beautiful Fall Saturday, it was not terribly crowded. The leaves were only starting to turn in this area. I’m not sure why it was so far behind other nearby areas - perhaps the elevation or the exposure. I did not have time to hike an additional 2.5 mile loop to Rd Granite Falls, which was described more as a series of rapids, as I wanted to make it to one more area.

I continued driving back and took a gravel road detour to Morgan Falls . This another U.S. Forest Service area, with the same payment requirements. Reaching the falls required another 1.6 mile out-and-back hike. As well, I had to scramble up some rocks to get a clear view. A few other people were on the trail, and I was grateful that one couple happened to be present to spot me climbing down, where the footholds were more difficult to see. Again, the Fall colors were just beginning in this area. You can continue on a longer (more than 4 miles out-and-back) and more difficult hike to St. Peter's Dome that is reputed to be a nice viewpoint. This would have been a larger undertaking that I did not want to begin in the late afternoon.

I made a final brief stop at Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge just down the road from my lodging, but is was very quiet.

A word about my lodging. I stayed at Mission Springs resort , basically a few cabins on the lake. Like most of these places, it is rustic and has a 70s vibe. However, it was clean and comfortable. I would stay here again.

 This was my last day in Wisconsin. Tomorrow I loop around the bottom of Lake Superior to spend a couple of days in Northern Minnesota.