Hope you see this post Floodrunner, since you seem to know more about Hurley. I"m getting ready to take my annual atv vacation to Wisconsin and I can't wait to get to Hurley. Well this is why I need some info, I ride alone and I want to explore some of the trails I've read from you like trail 7 and 8 but riding alone I don't need to sink into the mud bogs even though I have a winch I prefere shallow mud to the bottomless holes. I received the snowmobile map, what part of trail 7 and 8 should I stay away from. Also any other trails on that map that are worth riding or I should I stay away from. Any info from anyone would be appreciated

Steve
98 Grizzly

 

Steve, it’s only by dumb luck that I caught your post. I don’t visit the “where to ride” threads very often. You can always email me personally from the button above any of my posts.

Without familiarity of the area I don’t know how much sense this is going to make to you but I’ll try. If you’re not into deep water and mud stay off of Trail 8 west of Trail 51. There are spots where it’s gravel road but mostly it’s one of the nastiest, muddiest (fun trails up there. The last ¼ mile or so of the north end of Trail 7, just before it hits Clements road, is all but impassable if you’re riding alone (just ask Chuck). You could spend a half-day there winching through it. Other than that north end, Trail 7 is a nice trail with some mud, but not what I’d call challenging. It’s a good long 2-track ride in the woods that’ll get you muddy though. Trail 6 between Upson Lake (west end) and Hoyt Road (east end) is one of the best trails in the state. Too bad it’s not longer. There are a couple 10 yard pools of water closer to the east end. Don’t be put off by them, they’re only about 18” at the deepest. Just charge right through the middle and you’ll have a lot less problem than the “tourists” who get stuck trying to get around them. Trust me. On Trail 6, stop at the Iron Belt Vista, the North-South Vista and the “unnamed” Vista. We call it Camp Vista because we camped up there one night but there’s no sign to identify it. You can recognize the vistas by the wood identification signs some of them have and by the new red signs at the beginning of the trail up to them that say “Walking trail only, no motor vehicles allowed.” These signs appeared less than a year ago and no one seems to know much about them or cares to enforce them. In 7 years I’ve NEVER seen anyone walking on Trail 6 who hadn’t suffered mechanical difficulties. Lately we’ve seen some mountain bike tracks in the mud but we’ve never actually seen the bikes. In that mountainous terrain that’s gotta be WORK. You can ride over the bulldozed hump of dirt at the bottom of the trail and ride up to the vistas but don’t tell anyone you had my permission. Walk up if you like, it’s worth the look. Don’t bother with Balanced Rock Vista, you can’t see much from there when the leaves are on the trees. Iron Belt and Camp Vista are the best two up there. There’s an old fire tower up there you can climb for an exceptional view but it’s tough to describe how to get to it.

Foster Falls is easy to get to and a real nice spot. Take Trail 7 north from where it meets Trail 6 just east of Upson Lake. Go west on Sullivan Road past where Trail 7 turns north again. Sullivan Road will cross the Potato River (not over it, through it) and it’s a good place to splash some of the mud off your machine. Foster Falls is only a quarter mile north of Sullivan Road on the Potato. You can get there from either the east or west sides. On the east side there’s a dead end road that ends at a popular camping spot above the falls. On the west side there’s just a 2-track trail that goes down below the falls. It’s a good spot for a campfire with easy pickin’s of driftwood for fuel.

There’s much more I could offer you but you wouldn’t be able to figure it out from that sled map. And I don’t know where you’re staying so it’s tough to tell you where to go in a day’s ride. When is your trip? We’ll be up there riding this weekend. We go up Thursday night, ride Friday and Saturday, and leave Sunday morning. Contact me personally if you want to get together. Are you taking the ferry across or driving around?

Good Ridin’!

 

FloodRunner,

I'll see you Thursday night my friend. My old two stroke is ready. Why that old dirty 99 Xplorer laid the smack down on that purdy new Magnum on the Red Top Trail last weekend. See you soon.


Odin