Best Places To Ride A UTV In Wisconsin
Mar 17th 2019
Wisconsin Trail Guide: The Ultimate Resource For Off-Roading In Southern, Central, And Northern Wisconsin
From the year-round, dual-use, ATV/Snowmobile trails of Wisconsin’s Iron County in the north, to the beautiful cheese trails around Monroe and Lafayette County in the south, Wisconsin is really ahead of the game with its state-wide trail system. Grant county ATV maps are available for free from the county, just give them a call at: 608-822-3501 or email contact@grantcounty.org to request an official printed map. A lot of local businesses have trail maps as well. Many UTV roads and trails in Wisconsin won’t be on any gps software, so you’ll be glad if you stop at a gas station or local establishment for a good old fashioned map. If you’re riding in Wisconsin for the first time, make sure you have registered your machine with the state. The website to do that is GOWild.com. But enough of the bureaucratic BS, let’s jump into the pest places to ride a UTV in Wisconsin.Best Places To Ride In Southern Wisconsin
The Cheese County Trails (CCT) in South Central Monroe are well known among Polaris Ranger owners in the midwest for their great scenery and lack of dust. This network of ATV and UTV roads / trails is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike, and is lined with periodic bars, pubs, and restaurants to give riders a much-needed reprieve from long days on the trail. And considering that there’s really nowhere else to ride inside of a 3.5-hour drive from southern Wisco, these township and county roads are designated UTV trails and are great for leisurely trips from town to town. You can dip into Northwest Illinois if you want as well, but your Wisconsin vehicle registration won’t apply in most townships. For detailed maps of Southern Wisconson and the Monroe area, email info@tricountytrails.com or visit www.tricountyatv.org.
If you’re running the cheese trails, have a quick look at the map below. In red are the CCT (cheese county trails). All the green roads are ATV trails -- all ATVs are allowed. They are all marked with signs also. Great scenery, farms, creeks, windmill farms, small towns, you name it. Very peaceful cruising. No dust. UTVs are not allowed on the other non-green roads. If you run them you can get a ticket.
Best Places To Ride In Central Wisconsin
If you find yourself in Jackson County Wisconsin, Black River Falls -- and the surrounding Black River State Forest -- offers some exceptional UTV trails with unbeatable sights and attractions. Also in Central Wisconsin -- North of Green Bay and adjacent to South-Eastern section of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest -- is Oconto county. This and the surrounding Lakewood Wisconsin area is simply breathtaking, with camping areas as well as many places for food and drinks. Click Dusty Trails ATV Club for a detailed map of the area.
Best Places To Ride In Northern Wisconsin
Be it Douglas County, Burnett County, Sawyer County, or Polk County, Northern Wisconsin is full of great places to ride your Polaris Ranger. Dungood Trails are stunning and come highly recommended, and the trails around Hurley are awesome as well. Trails run from Saxon Harbor on Lake Superior to Mercer and are open all year. Bring your sled, tracked out side-by-side, or even a wheeled Ranger and you’ll have a ball.
Mercer -- the seed city of Iron County -- is of particular note for hosting an annual ATV rally race known as the Pumpkin Run. This rally-style poker run is for all riders, showcasing both the great trails in Wisconsin as well as the local hospitality. Held in October, this family event has different sections, including a pull competition and a parade. So even when you’re off the trails, there are countless activities to take part in and enjoy.
Northern Wisconsin and the upper Michigan area also offer many opportunities for hunting. At night you’ll often either hear coyotes or sometimes a few wolves. There are Turkeys in people’s yards, lakes and rivers for fishing, and thousands of miles of trails to ride. Although the Winters are long sometimes and pretty tough -- especially along Lake Superior to the north and Lake Michigan to the south -- locals consider themselves lucky to live in such a pristine environment.
Wisconsin Trail Resources
Get on discoverwisconsin.com and learn about good camping along the UTV trails, non-UTV activities, and the best ways to ride from the parking lot of your hotel into town for food and gas or straight to the trailhead. Check out WATVAas well to find good riding places in Wisconsin. And if you find yourself in the Hayward or Seely area, the sawmill in Seely across the road from the Saloon has cheap firewood, so if you stay at the Hayward KOA, hit them up for a great bonfire.