Dynamic Beginnings
7 FALL 2023 VOL . 05 / ISSUE 01
SNOWGOER . COM 8 necessarily . But we enjoyed some of the best trail riding Wisconsin has to offer – and that ’ s saying something for a state we consider to have one of the best trail networks in the entire country .
That area , near the center of the state , is located in and around Jackson County and its seat , Black River Falls . Even from the freeway , this seems like a great place to explore , with rocky outcroppings , steep rolling hills and a very rural nature . It has become a hot spot for ATV riders in the summer and fall , but its status as a snowmobile destination has waned during the last 10-15 years as less
consistent snow has forced some riders to select sites further north .
With abundant snow in the area one recent winter , we didn ’ t want to miss the opportunity to ride in the Badger State ’ s most rugged terrain . We weren ’ t disappointed . Surely we didn ’ t need longtracks to conquer the closest thing that Wisconsin has to a mountain range , and rejetting and reclutching weren ’ t
Dynamic Beginnings
Jackson County has one of the more diverse landscapes you ’ ll find in the Upper Midwest . Its terrain was carved thousands of years ago by a combination of prehistoric lakes , volcanoes , massive rivers and other factors . Some parts were also formed by glaciers , while other sections are interesting specifically because the massive glaciers missed them and didn ’ t scrub the land flat .
This county of 1,000 square miles of land has about 300 miles of snowmobile trails that take riders through a wide variety of terrain . And it ’ s another man-made feature – the path of Interstate 94 that cuts the county almost in half diagonally – that serves as the best way to envision the landscape .
Our ride started close to the interstate , at a county building just east of Black River Falls where we met Jon Schweitzer , then the assistant administrator for the Jackson County Forestry and Parks Department . We asked at the DNR office who we should talk with to learn about local trails , and they directed us to Jon , who enthusiastically rides , grooms , enforces and administers – and also happened to be very helpful .
Jon was unable to go joy-riding with us on this day , but he pulled out a map and an orange highlight marker and drew us a route that would show us the unique character of the county . With the dam over