- October 4, 2026
The western end of the Tuscobia State Trail is part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. I’ve run this section before when I was running all of the Ice Age Trail in previous years. I remember this section vividly as it was in late June and featured extreme mosquitos and black flies! I was tired, but pretty much ran as fast as I could to keep the bugs at bay! I was grateful to be riding in the fall, with the beautiful fall leaves just turning, cool crisp air, and absolutely no bugs. It’s a perfect time of year to get outside in the Northwoods!
I left Tuscobia to head north through the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation. I’ve always admired the respect and relationship native peoples have had with the land. Programs like Knowles-Nelson help communities be good stewards of the land for its own sake and the the sake of future generations. After some quick and quiet road miles through LCO I rode to Mosquito Brook trailhead, part of the American Birkebeiner Ski Trail and Chequamegnon Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) trail system.
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation (ABSF) and CAMBA have been doing an amazing job building, maintaining, and expanding the bike and ski infrastructure in the Cable-Hayward area and it is really becoming a nationally-renowned recreation area in both the winter and the summer! And much of this development wouldn’t be possible without Knowles-Nelson funding and strong local partnerships. For example, ABSF has teamed up with Landmark Conservancy to protect over 500 acres around Mt. Telemark and keep the Birkie trail open for everyone to enjoy!
Today’s route featured a buffet of the different trail types available in the CAMBA/Birkie system – the grassy ski trail itself (recently mowed for the Cheq40 mountain bike race), gravel forest roads, minimum maintenance roads, some single track, and even some paved rollerski trail near the Hub! There is actually an amazing network of single-track mountain bike trails up there – I’m just too chicken to ride them on my gravel bike.
I met up with my husband, Ben, for a little company from Mosquito Brook to the Hub. If anyone else tried to get out and meet up, sorry we missed you and I hope you had a great ride! Getting out and riding the trails on your own or with company is really what it’s all about! It’s a great way to support the trails – use them! Come explore what the Northwoods has to offer for yourself! And feel free to donate to ABSF or CAMBA to support their growing infrastructure and dedication to supporting healthy lifestyles!
Finally, I would like to issue an errata to my post from Day 2 – William Johnson from the Frederic Area Historical Society reached out to inform me that my “fact” about the Gandy Dancer trail being named railroad workers who used tools from the Gandy Tool company was incorrect. The trail is named after the railroad workers who laid the tracks and they were called Gandy Dancers, but there was no Gandy Tool company and it’s unclear why they were called that – maybe just the coordinated swinging of hammers and pick axes. Thanks for correcting me William! And note to the WI DNR, you may want to update your website accordingly! 😀
– Sarah
Today at a glance
Day 4 | Rice Lake to Cable
Mileage: 97
Trails Covered
Explore Nearby
Cable, WI | Managed by: Landmark Conservancy
Landmark Conservancy used Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program funds to purchase Telemark Forest Preserve from the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation, protecting land along the famous Birkie ski trail and bordering Bayfield County Forest. The preserve is open year-round for hiking, skiing, birdwatching, fishing, and paddling.
Hayward, WI | Managed by: Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library
Tucked behind the Weiss Community Library, this forested nature park has a loop trail, a pond, and a StoryWalk for visitors to enjoy. The library partners with Landmark Conservancy to protect part of the land, and Knowles-Nelson funding helped bring the park to life!
