Taking further advantage of the unusually low snow totals for this time of year, I explored a bunch of the 140 islands, many with campgrounds, on the 15,000 acre Chippewa Flowage here in northern Wisconsin. As I mentioned in last week’s Wallpaper Wednesday post from the Turtle Flambeau Flowage, the upper midwest is experiencing another rare winter with very little snow. Normally we would have at least two feet on the ground. One of the few upsides to the low snow levels is we can ride almost anywhere, including frozen lakes.
On my last short ride, I managed to pedal past or around 20 islands. I’ve mapped all the campgrounds on RideWithGPS in case anyone else wants to explore them. Check that out by clicking on the RideWithGPS link in map embedded below. I left elevation display in the embed code as a joke, because the route is totally flat of course!
Every year the Sawyer County Snowmobile & ATV Alliance stakes a route around the Flowage, like most larger lakes in my area. They do this to mark a safe route and to connect local resorts and other businesses on the shore for visiting snowmobilers. They even put up signs on the lake directing people to businesses and public landings. Private businesses are allowed to put up their own signs too, like the Chippewa Pines Resort sign my Milwaukee Bicycle Company Buck Shot is leaning against.
It has been pretty cold the last few days, with nighttime temps dropping to -29°F and daytime highs of -15°F some days to single digits at best. There is a warm-up beginning today though, and someone shook the snowglobe. Another inch of snow is flocking the forest as I type, but I think the lakes will continue to be easily traversed for the foreseeable future. Not great news for Birkie skiers or area businesses that depend on hordes of snowmobilers, but it means fat bikers will continue to be able to ride virtually anywhere, including the local CAMBA trails. CAMBA just hosted their Seeley Big Fat race this weekend, so I include this little CAMBA winter overview video below that includes a ride around the Spider Lake chain.
The Chippewa Flowage, like the Turtle Fambeau, has campgrounds on the islands created from high ground when the Chippewa River was flooded in 1921. That story is another sad tale from our history that has created the Flowage that we celebrate today as one of Wisconsin’s biggest outdoor recreation resources. The first video below from 2011 highlights the native perspective on how the Ojibwe people were forced off their traditional lands and ends with some positives about how the La Courte Oreilles tribe has adapted, taking over management of the dam powerplant, restocking exponentially more fish than they harvest and helping to manage the flowage with the WDNR, including managing some of the campgrounds.
The 2022 Discover Wisconsin video below misses that important history, but provides a really good overview of how the flowage has become a recreational paradise, no matter what the season. The tourism video is very motorsport focused, but gives a pretty good overview of the area in case you are considering visiting to ride fat bikes, mountain bikes or ski.
Nice post, Dave! I enjoy the added details you include in your Wallpaper Wednesday stories. I learn something every time!
Thanks buddy, I enjoy learning about and sharing the history of my new home territory.
That’s looks pretty sweet, just added another map pin on my winter bucket list
Thanks!
Happy to hear my explorations gave you some stoke Reinhold. If you are planning on riding either the Turtle Flambeau or Chippewa, my RWGPS maps of the campsite locations might help, but honestly, you can just ride from island to island by site. And the on-lake signs for area taverns and resorts direct you to places to grab food and drink. The snowmobile routes are flagged across the lake on the Chippewa, but were not on the Turtle when I was last there. If you get out there, report back with another comment or email to me @ [email protected].