Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
jousting, ax throwing, chopping, all with Yanko the camp cook doing his spiel of gabbing
and singing. Show times are at 7:30pm Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, with matinees at
2pm Wednesday and Friday, early June-late August.
Tucker the kiddies out at the wonderful
Wildwood Wildlife Park
(W. WIS 70, 715/
356-5588, 9am-5:30pm daily in summer, fewer hours spring and fall, $16 adults), a cross
between a petting zoo and educational center. More than 110 species of fauna are dispersed
acrossthespaciousgrounds.Boatrides,naturehikes,andeducationalprogramsareoffered.
Others prefer to witness wildlife rehabilitation and wilderness return facilitation at
the
Northwoods Wildlife Center
(8683 Blumstein Rd. and WIS 70 W, 715/356-7400,
10am-4pm Mon.-Sat., free), designed as equal parts hospital and education/research center.
Free, but they could use a few bucks, right?
Or check out one of the planet's largest and most high-tech cool-water fish hatcheries,
the
Art Oehmcke State Fish Hatchery
(WIS 47 and Hwy. J, 715/358-9213, 8am-4pm
daily,free)inWoodruff.Thehatcherygoesatarateofalmost50,000peryear.Kingmuskie
holds court here—it ought to, since the hatchery developed methods to “farm” these fish.
Guided tours are given weekdays at 11am and 2pm.
Both the Rainbow and Willow Reservoirs offer thousands of acres of true wilderness
areas, which are dwindling in the state. Between them lie 10,000 primeval water acres and
150 miles of unadulterated shoreline.
Rainbow Flowage
has an almost unheard-of concen-
trationofeaglesandosprey,withupto20pairsofospreyalone.
Willow Flowage
hasnearly
a dozen pairs of osprey and an almost equal number of eagles; it also has the county's only
waterfall—
Cedar Falls,
on the Tomahawk River. To get there, take Cedar Falls Road out
of Hazelhurst. You may even see the odd wolf pack. The state of Wisconsin plunked down
nearly $10 million to buy the Willow Flowage to retain its wilderness status.
Scenic Drives
WestofMinocquaalongWIS70bringsyoutoMercerLakeRoad,oneendpointforanother
grand Rustic Road. It loops for almost 10 miles to U.S. 51 along innumerable lakes and
hardwood spinneys before crossing the remains of the old railroad tracks that carried in the
early throngs of tourists (now the Bearskin State Trail). Mercer Lake Road eventually links
with Blue Lake Road (head east) and crosses the Tomahawk River; in the middle is an op-
tional length of Sutton Road, which leads back to WIS 70. Along this section look for the
remains of early-20th-century cabins built by homesteaders.
