Wisconsin NCT: Day Three

 Day Three

Monday, September 8, 2025 

Trail Junction Parking to Copper Falls State Park, estimated 19.3 miles

The second full day of hiking promised to be warm, but it was a chilly 37 degrees at the start.  Today was Matt's birthday, and we had a tiny cupcake celebration in the motel before heading out.  Matt was a good sport and wore his birthday hat and pin all day.  Prior to hitting the trail, we hit the Kwik Trip.  This was my first experience with a Kwik Trip, and I'd place it closely on the scale of a Sheetz.  Am I becoming a gas station store connoisseur?  We grabbed a few last-minute snacks, some breakfast sandwiches, and most importantly, coffee. Having stashed my car at Copper Falls State Park the night before, we just had a short drive into Wisconsin to get to our starting point.

The days started with a steep uphill climb on a connector trail to get to the NCT.  I didn't mind it one bit this morning, as it really helped to warm me up!  Once on the official trail, we settled in, hiking among the mushrooms and moss and slowly changing leaves.  Soon, we came upon an old gold mining area.  Some of the equipment had been left behind, as well as some deep holes that I am quite certain would swallow you up if you weren't careful.  This area was also quite rocky, providing a bit of a change in scenery from the day before.

The trail was single-track in this area, and the three of us spread out and enjoyed the morning.  Now and then we'd catch up to each other to tell a funny story or share an observance, and it was a lovely, peaceful start to the day.

We came to Gold Mine Overlook and paused briefly to take in the view.  The sun was warming the day quickly, and I imagined how this spot would be so beautiful at fall's peak.

Around 9am, we came to the Wren Falls area.  This was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.  To me, this section reminded me a lot of the Marquette section of Michigan, filled with giant rocks and fantastic views.  There were so many little side trails in this area, and it would be easy to spend a day here exploring.  I saw a little bridge in the distance, and soon enough, we were crossing it!  The falls were beautiful, and we had the whole place to ourselves.

Then we came to another logbook, and as you can see, Matt's hands were freezing!  It took him a long time to get his hands warm on this chilly morning.  Also in the book was this entry.  You don't see that kind of writing very often!  A ChatGPT search tells me it is written in runic script, resembling the Elder Futhark runes.  This was an early Germanic alphabet used from the 2nd to 8th centuries.  

The day was finally starting to warm up, and I hung out at the back of the pack, taking in the sights.  Tall, tall trees, berries, fantastic bridges, mushrooms, and moss all seemed to be competing for the spotlight.

There were even some gigantic ferns, and things got a little weird there for a second!

At Bad River Overlook, there was another logbook, and I opened it to find the neatest, most perfect handwriting I had ever seen!  This section definitely wins for unique logbook entries!

And then we were badly in need of a break.  We found a little resting spot with a couple benches, and it felt so good to relax for a few minutes.

We then traipsed through a section of trail that was not my favorite.  Tall, tall grass covered the trail, and I am still surprised that none of us got any ticks from that area!

Here and there, pops of color caught my eye, and I filled my time horsing around with leaves and mushrooms.

It had been a long day, but we were finally nearing Copper Falls State Park.  Matt claimed we were only about a mile from the finish (which could actually mean three or more miles), so we stopped to do a birthday Fireball shot.  Happy Birthday, Matt!

Copper Falls State Park was gorgeous.  How big is this park?!  There were so many different waterfalls, and several different trails within the park.  The tricky part was that the NCT was not marked here, so we relied heavily on our GPS maps.  We even got an overhead view of where Tyler Forks and Bad River combine.  If you're ever in northern Wisconsin, this would be a great camping location!

After nearly nine hours of hiking, we finished our day.  Thankfully, my truck was where I had left it, unticketed to boot!  

Our original plan for this night was to camp at Copper Falls State Park.  We had been watching the weather very closely, and a storm was predicted to hit overnight, with strong winds, lightning and potential hail.  It was a tough decision, but in the end, we decided to make the drive back to our motel and stay one more night in Ironwood.  Tomorrow we'd be switching gears and loading our packs for a three-day backpacking adventure.