ATV Trail Status
7 Dec 2024
ATV Trail Status
06/07/2024: Please be advised that with the measurable rainfall in the last couple weeks, some areas of trails are very wet and soft. There is also a few areas that have deeper water holes that rides should use with caution. Please ride with caution and be safe.
03/08/2024: Washburn County ATV Trails are currently open and will remain open. There are two factors that could occur that would plan into trails closing. One, if we hear from the State regarding Very High Fire Danger, we will then release a statement with that information of closure. Two, if we feel trail conditions have become unsuitable for travel caused by warm weather a statement will will be relased at that time.
**ATTENTION**
With that being said: The Wild Rivers Trail section between Cty Hwy B, North to Cranberry Road will be closed starting Wednesday March 13, 2024 Through Thursday March 21, 2024. The Washburn County Highway Department will be conducting work regarding flood mitigation along the West side of the Trail. Please plan your travel accordingly.
05/18/2023: Wild River Trail (Trail 35) is back open with the decrease in Fire Danger.
**ATTENTION: Due to the Fire Danger being Very High, The Wild River Trail (Trail 35) is closed at this time until further notice.
**ATTENTION: We have a trail closure on the Wild River Trail (Trail 35) as of 4/12/2023. With the warm weather and fast melting snow, we have had a washout on a stretch of the Wild River Trail South of Spooner between Cranberry Rd and Cty Hwy B. This stretch of trail will be closed until further notice. Barricades have been place out and we ask people to please not go around the. We apologize for the inconvenience and issues that this may cause. We ask any riders on the trail to please be cautious as they may be other trial issues out there that we are not aware of at this time. If you come across any issues along the trail, please report it to the Washburn County Forestry Department. Thank You and be safe.
Washburn County ATV trails are generally closed at this time. The only exceptions to this spring closure are the Wild River Trail and the Railroad Grade to Shell Lake, which remain open unless DNR Fire Danger is rated at Very High or Higher.
Washburn County has significant investments in the development and maintenance of these trails and one of the main reasons that the spring closure is used is to protect trail surfaces during periods of wet, unstable soil conditions. Trails are frozen during winter months and the repeated traffic from groomers and snowmobiles drives frost deep into the underlying soils. These trails generally begin to thaw in mid March and sub-surface remain soft until the thaw is complete and water can filter through the soils normally. In a normal year, trail surfaces dry out and stabilize by mid to late May.
Springtime also brings periods of very high fire danger. ATV/UTV activity, and increased recreational use in general, increases risk of wildfire. Some of the largest and most devastating wildfires in Wisconsin have occured during mid May.
The Washburn County Code of Ordinances creates closure of ATV trails through the first Friday before Memorial Weekend. This same ordinance does grant our Department the ability to open trails early if conditions permit.
We are monitoring trail conditions and fire danger daily to determine if/when we can allow for an early opener. One rule of thumb that we, and the public can use is the amount of new leaves and vegetation in the wooded areas. This “green up” is generally an indicator of lower fire danger and more stable soil conditions on our trails.
We receive a lot of compliments on the quality of our trail systems here. One of the main reasons that our trails stay in good shape is our ability to close them during muddy and unstable conditions in the spring.
As a reference, you can monitor fire danger conditions at the following link:
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/forestfire/restrictions.html
Thank you for your patience and understanding
Mike Peterson – Washburn County Forest Administrator