Brule River State Forest Conditions

Conditions as of Thursday, March 11, 2010:

• Camping
• Trails
• River
• More Information

The warm weather has created numerous changes in the northland lately. Skunks and raccoons are out of their dens looking for a bite to eat and some bears have been forced out of their dens due to the snow melting in on them.

Afterhours Ski Trail

The warm weather has put a damper on winter recreation. All winter recreational trails under the management of the Douglas County Forestry Department have been closed for the season, and unless there is a new dumping of snow, the Afterhours Ski Trails will not be groomed anymore due to the soft conditions.

The Afterhours Ski Trail has a new brochure [PDF 500KB]. An updated ski trail map is featured on it along with the new snowshoe trail map.

Trail passes for 2010 are available; daily passes are $4 and annual passes are $20 (which are good for all Wisconsin State Trails through December 31, 2010).

Snowshoe Trails

There are now also some snowshoeing opportunities at the Afterhours trails. Two snowshoe trails are available for those who wish to hike the winter woods. The Coyote Loop is 2.2 miles long and the Fox loop is 0.8 miles long. The new snowshoe trails are becoming popular. These trails are gentle enough for a beginner and easy enough to follow with the trail markers.

Snowmobile Trails

For snowmobile trail updates, see the Brule River Riders trail conditions [exit DNR] page.

River

See the U.S. Geological Survey's page about the river [exit DNR] for provisional data about stream discharge, water level, precipitation, and water quality.

The Bois Brule River River will open for fishing north of Highway 2 to Lake Superior on Saturday, March 27.  With the opener it is wise to keep VHS in mind.

Camping

Both campgrounds are open year-round. Brule River State Forest campgrounds are first-come, first-served. Sites are designed to accommodate no more than two vehicles and six people.

Camping is limited to the two campgrounds. Back country camping permits (required for the North Country Trail) are available at the Brule office. Camping is not permitted on the beach along Lake Superior in the Bear Beach State Natural Area.

Map [PDF 251KB]

There is a nightly fee (per site) for camping, and campers also must have daily or annual vehicle admission stickers. The camping fees are:

Instructions for registering are at campground entrances.

Special Notice: Due to the potential of carrying harmful emerald ash borers [exit DNR], firewood from out of state or from more than 50 miles away is not allowed on Wisconsin State Park or Forest properties. A change to this law is expected to be in force by May 2010, reducing the distance to 25 miles. Also, firewood that has been in the Wisconsin emerald ash borer quarantined area [PDF, 102KB] is not allowed on properties outside of the quarantined area. Please buy firewood at or near the park or forest where you are going. Call the DNR toll-free Firewood Hotline, (877) 303-WOOD ((877) 303-9663) for information before packing for a trip. Several businesses in and around Brule sell firewood from local trees. Buying local firewood is the best way of slowing the spread of exotic forest pests from coming into the Brule River State Forest.

More Conditions

Fire danger conditions
Road Conditions [exit DNR]
Weather [exit DNR]

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Brule River State Forest Information: Phone (715) 372-5678 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or e-mail Catherine Khalar.