The last couple of days I’ve gone to the trail system on the grounds of Tamarack Health-Hayward, better known as the Hospital Trails. If you live in the area and like to get outdoors, I’m sure you’ve been there. In an area that’s roughly one mile square, the hospital, CAMBA, and HASTA have designed and built six or seven miles of ski trails, six miles of mountain bike /fat bike trails, and four miles of snowshoe trails. The whole system is genius, because even though you’re in town and never more than half a mile from a road, you feel like you’re in the middle of the woods. This time of year I’m a huge fan of the snowshoe trails.
It didn’t surprise me that no snowshoes were needed. We’ve only gotten about half a foot of snow this year, and the trail gets a lot of use to pack it down. I could have run the snowshoe trail, either in my Icebugs or in regular trail running shoes, but I chose to walk it.
The snowshoe trail leaves from the east end of the parking lot on Hospital Rd. Don’t go through the metal gate which leads to the ski trails; just walk right into the pine trees.
You can see from the map that it’s a stacked loop system, which means you have a series of cutoffs where you can head back to the trailhead. Do the first loop around the pine plantation and you get a mile. Add Darrell’s Loop and make it two miles. Add the White Pine Loop and it’s a generous three miles. Add the Far Out Loop and get all four miles. Each loop has its own character, and while I’m on each loop I always think “This is my favorite part.”
The first loop doesn’t have a name on the map. We’ll call it the Plantation Loop, because it circles a tall and peaceful pine plantation. Like the other loops, it’s full of deer, rabbit, and squirrel tracks. Look at the picture and imagine yourself crunching along on that trail, breathing cold, pine-scented air.
Darrell’s Loop still contains a lot of pine but also begins to mix some hardwoods in. I like to go up the east side of Darrell’s Loop and save the gorgeous lake views on the west side for the return trip. This is a good time to mention that at the Visitor Center I do hear stories of people getting lost on the Hospital Trails, but I don’t see how. There are maps and trail markers everywhere. Here you can see both a map and a marker at the northern end of the White Pine Loop.
As you head up the east side of White Pine Loop, you feel yourself entering a different kind of country. It’s a mix of trees, but underneath the canopy it’s more open. You can see farther through the woods. At one point you can see Olson Rd. and a glimpse of Trussworks, but otherwise it’s just you and the trees.
The intersection at H70 to divert onto the Far Out Loop would be easy to miss because the Far Out Loop doesn’t get as much foot traffic. Fortunately, there’s a map and a sign that says H70. Turn right there and head north, because the Far Out Loop is worth the small extra effort. It’s the only part of the snowshoe trails with some rolling hills; the rest is flat. I always crest a hill slowly, in hope that I will see deer on the other side.
After about three-quarters of a mile, you loop back south and onto the White Pine Loop again. As you head south through mixed trees, you often come upon a huge red or white pine, as in the picture here–some of them must be four feet in diameter. You also begin to catch glimpses of the lake to your right.
At H72, turn right (west) and follow Darrell’s Loop along the shore of the lake. At one point there’s a pair of benches on the lake shore. Shortly after that you come out of some trees and the trail takes a hard left, but I’d advise you to turn right first. Walk the few yards out to the end of the peninsula and enjoy the view of the lake. Then go southeast on Darrell’s Loop again. Where you see a metal gate, turn right and follow the snowshoe trail all the way to H74. (There’s a spot before H74 where you might think you pop out onto the ski trail, but don’t. It’s not cool to walk on a groomed ski trail.) At H74 you’ll go through the gate by the mailbox (which contains envelopes for donations to support the trail) and out to your vehicle. If you’re a fast walker it maybe takes you a little more than an hour. If you’re like me and you want to stop and look at everything, the whole four-mile system might take you two hours. If you try it and love it as I do, don’t thank me—thank the hospital, the Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association, and the Hayward Area Ski Trail Association.