Wisconsin North Woods - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 560

4. Hurley
“Hayward,Hurley,andHell,”midwesternerscommentedattheturnofthecentury,shaking
their heads at the hamlets where loggers and miners came to drown the memory of months
in the deep woods or the mines by spending long nights in the saloons. Hurley held on
to its rowdy reputation well into the 20th century. The Iron County Historical Museum
is worth a visit, and you'll find plenty of remnants of Hurley's checkered past on Silver
Street—still serving their cups of cheer, they now cater to snowmobilers and skiers lured
by heavy winter snowfalls.
Did you know…
The Iron County Historical Museum in Hurley is upper Michigan's largest mu-
seum. It sits on over 5 acres and has 75 major exhibits, including an 85-foot-
longglassdioramadisplayingundergroundmineworkand100miniaturepieces
carved to scale depicting a logging camp.
5. Ashland
Even before you see Lake Superior, you can smell the cool, bracing air that wafts from its
surface. FromtheoverlookonRte. 2onthewaytoAshland,thegigantic lake isbluetothe
point of blackness: a virtual ocean of the North.
Asaph Whittlesey, who founded Ashland in 1854, saw the lake not so much as a thing
of beauty but as a highway. In its heyday the town shipped out millions of tons of virgin
pine, iron ore, and brownstone, brought by rail to Ashland's docks. The commercial build-
ingsoftheSecondStreetHistoricDistrict standassturdyremindersofthetown'smercant-
ile roots, but visitors are more likely to pause for Big Top Chautauqua in Washburn or the
Northern Great Lakes Visitors Center.
6. Apostle Islands
The 22 Apostle Islands beckon to the northeast. To get closer, turn north on Rte. 13, fol-
lowing the shoreline of the Bayfield peninsula. Here you'll find Bayfield, another once
bustling, now quirky port town. The burghers' white clapboard mansions serve as bed-
and-breakfast inns, while the old county courthouse, built of locally quarried brownstone,
houses the visitor center for the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
On the islands, it's an intoxicating blend of water and wilderness: 50-foot sandstone
cliffs line secluded coves, and wildflowers brighten the forests above. The islands appeal