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Run With the Wolves in Wisconsin

Share your solitude with wolves and beavers in Wisconsin's Porcupine Lake Wilderness.

Photo: Josh Webb

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Keep an eye out for the resident timber wolf pack on this extra squiggly, point-to-point stretch of the North Country Trail. The hike wanders through resplendent pine-and-hardwood forest and beaver dams to Porcupine Lake, which teems with panfish, bluegills, and trout. Stake out one of the dispersed campsites for a blissfully quiet night, then spend the next day looping around Eighteenmile Springs and the wishbone fork of Lake Owen.

Distance: 14 miles

Difficulty: 3/5

Overall: 4/5

Duration: 2 days

Turn-by-turn from CR D Trailhead

  1. Head southwest on North Country Trail.
  2. Arrive at Porcupine Lake. Throw down a tent and listen for wolf howls. Next day, follow the trail around Eighteenmile Springs.
  3. Pass Lake Owen Picnic Ground on the lake’s northern shore. 
  4. Hike the rollers in in the Drummond Ski Trail cluster.
  5. Wrap it up at the Drummond convenience store.

Permit None Contact North Country Trail

GPX here

Photo: “North Country Trail” by Pictured Rocks NPS is marked with CC PDM 1.0

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