A few things to note for 2022 with full details further down the page –
- NEW 80-mile start / 160-mile turnaround: Butternut Lake Lodge (on Butternut Lake – a short distance north of Northern Pines where we started in 2021) = MORE LAKE TIME!!!
- Drop bags at Ojibwa for 160 mile – No drop bags at the turnaround
- No drop bags for 80 mile
- Checkpoints may be outside only – be prepared for this!
- Checkpoints may be limited to water only
- Designated ‘bivy’ locations (where we encourage participants to bivy rather than at random spots along the trail).
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The event is held on the Tuscobia State Trail in northern Wisconsin, between Rice Lake and a few miles east of Park Falls, including a 4-mile section of the Wild Rivers State Trail connecting the town of Rice Lake to the Tuscobia State Trail. The 2022 course will include a section of road and a mile on Butternut Lake (same course as 2021).
Trail conditions will depend on snowfall in the weeks and days leading up to the event. Expect a mix of conditions along the trail with some rough snow, icy patches and even some dirt. The trail may or may not be groomed for snowmobile traffic, depending on snow depth.
Event HQ and finish line for all distances is the KC Hall in Rice Lake located at North St. & Nuun Ave.
80-mile: Starts at the Butternut Lake Lodge on Butternut Lake. You will get on the lake right away for 1.25 mile, then a road section for 2.5 miles (will be marked), then a right turn onto the Tuscobia trail for approx. 72 miles, stopping at the Ojibwa checkpoint (mandatory check-in). See map below for access to Ojibwa. After visiting the checkpoint, return to the Tuscobia trail and continue all the way to the end of the trail at Hwy SS. Cross the road and turn left onto the Wild Rivers Trail. See map below. Continue for 4 miles until you see the finish line on the right side of the trail! You won’t miss it.
160-mile: Starts at the KC Hall in Rice Lake. Continue north on the trail for 4 miles at which point you will turn right and cross County Road SS (just before the Hwy 53 underpass) onto the Tuscobia Trail and head east. It’s worth being aware that the first few miles heading east on the Tuscobia Trail are shared with the Ice Age Trail. Continue on the Tuscobia Trail for approximately 45 miles until the spur trail to the Ojibwa checkpoint (left turn on your outbound journey). See map below. After visiting the checkpoint (mandatory check-in), continue east on the Tuscobia Trail towards Park Falls. You will turn left off the Tuscobia Trail here – it will be clearly marked. You will follow roads for 2.5 miles (Kaiser Rd, Co. Rd B, Maple Ridge Rd., Tamarack Rd. Perch Rd.) then onto Butternut Lake for 1 mile to the checkpoint in Cabin #6. The road and lake section will be marked but please take a look at google maps and get familiar with the route. After visiting the checkpoint, turn around and repeat in reverse!
Tuscobia Trail – Wild Rivers Trail Junction Map
Ojibwa Checkpoint Map
Checkpoint Rules:
- Ojibwa Shelter: be prepared for outside only
- Butternut Lake Lodge: be prepared for outside only
- Make sure you check in and check out of every checkpoint! Give the volunteer the correct pull tag from your bib.
Bivy Locations:
- Butternut Lake Lodge (160-mile turnaround)
- Draper School Campground (no volunteers here) location map
- Ojibwa checkpoint
- Couderay Park location map
- Birchwood Bobcats Snowmobile Clubhouse location map
These are good locations that we designate as bivy spots to help you plan ahead.
Course Rules: All participants must stay on the Tuscobia & Wild Rivers State Trails at all times, unless course markings placed by event officials direct you otherwise (for checkpoints, or reroutes that may be necessary). Parts of the Tuscobia & Wild Rivers State Trails will cross roads, and will also run on roads, and you should follow the trail/road in this case. But diverting to a road that is near the trail is not okay. Of course, you may leave the trail to access a bathroom, gas station, bar, warm hotel room, etc. – just make sure you rejoin the trail at the same point you exited.
Approximate Distances between Checkpoints
- Rice Lake – Ojibwa = 45 miles
- Ojibwa – Northern Pines = 35 miles
Local Businesses: If you need to grab food/water along the way, you will have easy access to gas stations and bars (during their opening hours) in the following towns:
- Birchwood ~16.5 miles east of Rice Lake start/finish
- Radisson ~6 miles west of Ojibwa checkpoint
- Winter ~4.5 miles east of Ojibwa checkpoint
- Loretta / Draper ~20 miles east of Park Falls
Maps: Here is a Tuscobia Trail map which shows mileage between towns along the trail: Tuscobia State Trail Map
Spectators: The Ojibwa checkpoint is in Ojibwa County Park, 4 miles west of Winter and 1 mile east of Ojibwa, on the south side of Hwy 70. No participants or spectators are allowed inside the checkpoint. Feel free to walk out the spur trail and onto the Tuscobia Trail. It is a very pretty section!
