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•Bicycling
The
Shell Lake Area presents many opportunities for cyclists to enjoy
their sport.
Shell
Lake is the home of the 28.5 mile WiSport Sanctioned Town &
Country Days Bicycle Road Race. The race will be held during
the city's Town & Country Days festival, which is held during the
Labor Day weekend. The race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on
Saturday, September 4, 2004.
Spooner, located just 6 miles north of Shell Lake, hosts the Fat
Tire Stampede, an off-road bike race held during the Spooner Rodeo
weekend in July.
For
more information on these races,
Click Here
to visit the Washburn
County Register's cycling information pages.
For
those who wish not to race, the area is home to many nice roads to
explore, both paved and not. One scenic, and very easy ride is
Lake Drive, the loop around Shell Lake. The road is paved,
relatively flat, has a speed limit of 30mph, and the whole loop is
about 9 miles in length - a good ride for the entire family.
For
those who like to ride off-road, there is plenty of public land in
the area to explore. Just a couple of miles south of Shell
Lake is a large block of public county forest land with several
forest roads and unimproved trails. Except for the main forest
road, no motorized use is allowed in the area.
 About
35 miles to the north is the extensive CAMBA off-road trail
system, boasting over 300 miles of marked and mapped trails in the
Chequamegon Forest. For more information on the CAMBA trail
system, please see
www.cambatrails.org.
Another
off-road trail is located in the Spooner City Park. Yet
another is being developed in Washburn County forest land about 10
miles east of Shell Lake near Long Lake. Watch for more
information on this trail when it becomes available.
Riverbrook Bike & Ski, a bike shop in Spooner, located on Hwy 70
two blocks east of Hwy 63, is a good place to go for any bicycling need,
or for info about local trails, rides and
events. Visit their site at
www.riverbrookbike.com
.
Your web hosts love to bike and ski - if you have any questions,
please contact us at
info@shelllakeonline.com and we will see what we can do for
you. |
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•Hiking / Walking
With
all the natural beauty of the Shell Lake area, hiking / walking
opportunities abound!
The
City of Shell Lake itself is a great place for a walk - the town
is quiet and the traffic light. The City's Main Street has
recently been renovated - new street lights provide a well-lit
evening setting. Memorial Park and the lakefront are also a
wonderful place for a stroll.
For
those who would like a little more nature and a little less
development, there are several miles of interlaced walking trails
(Sawyer Brook Trails) through forests within the city limits on
land belonging to the City and School District. The trails
are located behind the Indianhead Arts Center and include such
attractions as the headwaters of Sawyer Creek, a Class A trout
stream, and a prairie restoration project, by the school, on an
old football practice field. The trails can be a bit rugged
and there are several hills.
Click Here for a
map of the trails.
For a flatter, shorted walk, there is the south side walking
trail. The trail basically circles the industrial park - and
while that may not seem like much of a nature trail, it really is!
The trail follows the old railroad bed south of Recreation Park, then goes around behind the industrial
park and returns to Recreation Park from along the airport.
**Note: Due to construction in the south portion of the industrial
park in 2003, the path of the trail may be altered. New
information will be posted as it becomes available. |
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•City Parks
•Memorial
Park is located on the lake at the foot of Main Street.
The park is home to Shell Lake's municipal Beach. The beach
includes a dock and swimming rafts, and is staffed with life
guards during the summer months.
There is also a
basketball court and playground equipment located near the
swimming area. Swimming lessons area available - please call
City Hall at (715) 468-7679 for more information.
In
addition to the beach and playground, Memorial Park is home to a
historic log enclosed shelter house with fireplace, along with an
open shelter. There is a rental fee to use the enclosed shelter
house. There are plenty of picnic tables, benches and cooking
grills, and there is drinking water. The park is a great location
for your family reunions, parties, weddings, etc. - Call City Hall
at (715) 468-7679 for more information or to book the shelter
house.
New in
2003 is the Shell Lake Pavilion! Located between
Memorial Park and the Municipal Campground, the Pavilion includes
a covered performing arts stage (great for outdoor concerts),
modern restrooms and concession areas. The building is
available to rent for any occasion by calling City Hall at (715)
468-7679. The restrooms are available for use anytime by
users of the beach and Memorial Park.
Click Here for a page dedicated to the Shell Lake Pavilion.
•Recreation Park is located a few blocks south of Memorial
Park near the intersections of Highway 63 and West Lake Drive (Tiptown).
Here you will fine paved and fenced tennis courts, sand volleyball
courts, playground equipment and softball fields. During
Town & Country Days,
a volleyball tournament, horse pull and tractor pull are held at
Recreation Park. |
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•Boating / Sailing /
Canoeing
For
more info about the Shell Lake Sailing Club, visit their web site
at home.bellsouth.net/p/pwp-sailshelllake .
More on boating activities to come...
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•Nordic (Cross Country)
Skiing
There
are several opportunities for the cross country skier in the Shell
Lake area. Shell Lake is home to two cross country ski
trails. The Sawyer Brook Trails are located on School
and City property near the Indianhead Arts and Education Center
(former High School). While not groomed at this time, the
trails remain clear and are great for backcountry skiing and
snowshoeing. The trails are challenging with lots of hills and
turns. Click
here for a map.
Other trails in the area include the Spooner City Trails, located
in Spooner's City Park. Part of this trail is lit for night
skiing! The Beaver Brook Trails are a few miles east of town
and are a great for the less experienced. A few miles
further east, near Long Lake, is Nordic Woods, a more extensive
trail system. These three trails are maintained by the Glide
and Stride Ski Club. See
www.riverbrookbike.com
for more information on the club.
To the
southwest of town is Timberland Hills - a great place for all
experience levels. The trails are wide and groomed for both
striding and skating. Part of the Timberland system is lit
for night skiing.
North
of Spooner are the Trego Lake and Totogonic Trails.
If you
are willing to drive even further, there are several more trails
near Hayward and Cable, including the Birkie Trail, used for the
nation's largest cross country ski race held in late February.
For
current cross country ski conditions and more information on the
trails mentioned above, including maps, please visit
www.norwiski.com.
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•Golf
There
are several golf courses within an easy drive from Shell Lake.
What follows are the four closest courses to Shell Lake.
•Clam River Golf Club
(715) 468-2900 (Open to the Public)
Located 6-1/2 miles west of Shell Lake on Hilltop Road off US Hwy.
63
18-hole, par 72, 6145 yard course - new in 1995.
Club house, snacks and pro-shop supplies.
Gas and pull carts for rent.
•Butternut Hills Golf Course
(715) 635-8563 (Open to the Public)
Located on County Hwy B about 12 miles east of Shell Lake.
18-hole, par 70, 5563 yard course.
Pro shop, riding carts, club rentals and snack bar.
www.butternuthillsgolf.com
•Spooner Golf Club
(715) 635-3580 (Open to the Public - Tee-times required)
Located on County Road H northwest of Spooner near Spooner Lake.
18-hole, par 71, 5004 to 6416 yard course.
Pro shop, driving range and PGA professional.
Cocktail lounge & restaurant - for reservations, call 635-3877.
www.spoonergolf.com |
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•Snowmobiling
Washburn County operates 220 miles of State
funded snowmobile trails. Trails are maintained and groomed by
local snowmobile clubs. These clubs also groom numerous, unfunded
club trails. Trails cross County Forest and private lands.
One of
the trails travels through Shell Lake from north to south.
To the north, the trail takes two different routes towards
Spooner. They reconnect just before intersecting the Wild
Rivers Trail on the south Side of Spooner. Going south, the
trail travels through Public Washburn County Forest Land on its
way to Barronett.
Please
respect these lands as you ride in order to ensure the future of
the snowmobile trail system. Information about snowmobile trails
conditions can be obtained by contacting the Washburn County
Forestry Department at (715) 635-4490.
•For a
trail map of Washburn County, please
Click Here.
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•ATVs
While
there are no official ATV trails near Shell Lake, Washburn County
offers plenty of opportunities for ATV riders. Many area
township roads are also open to ATVs. In addition, ATVs are
allow to use the "old railroad bed" through Shell Lake, with the
exception of where the trail goes past Memorial Park and the
campground. To bypass those areas, ATVs are directed to use
city streets and alleys as marked - please follow the ATV route.
For
more information on ATV use in Washburn County, please
Click Here to visit the County ATV site.
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•Camping
Shell Lake has two campgrounds, the Municipal Campground on
the lake near downtown, and the Red Barn Campground located about
2-miles east of town on US Hwy. 63. For more information on
these two campgrounds, please see the
lodging-camping page.
There are several other public campgrounds in the area - here are
a few:
•Sawmill Lake - Located about 15 miles east on County Hwy
B, then 5 miles south on Birchwood Fire Lake. It offers
primitive camping with 20 sites, table and fire rings. There
is no electricity. Also available is a dock, open shelter,
vault toilets and a hand pump for water. The cost is $5 per
night. For more information, please call (715) 635-4490.
•Totogatic Park - Located west of Minong on Hwy 77, then on
County Hwy. I. Located on the Totogatic Flowage, is features
20 sights with electricity and 50 sites without. There is
water, firewood, flush and vault toilets, dumping station,
boating, swimming, fishing and picnicking. $10 per night
plus $3 for electricity with a 9-day maximum. Call (715)
635-4490 or (715) 466-2822 for more information.
•Trego Town Park - Located just north of Trego along Hwy
53. It is on the Namekagon river and features 50 sites with
water, electricity, showers, firewood, flush toilets, swimming and
picnicking. $12 per night and $3 for electricity. Call
(715) 635-6075 for more information.
•Doolittle Park - Located in the village of Birchwood on
Birch Lake. Features 40 sites, electricity, flush toilets,
showers, dump station, swimming, firewood, boat docking,
playground and picnicking. $14 per night. For more
information, call (800) 236-2252 or (715) 354-3300. |
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•Hunting / Fishing
Coming Soon! |
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•Ice Skating
Coming Soon! |
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•Ice Age Trail
One of
only eight national scenic trails in the United States, the Ice
Age Trail will be a thousand-mile walking/hiking trail located in
and unique to Wisconsin. About 600 miles of the Trail are now
available for use. It has been featured in National Geographic and
Backpacker magazines.
The
trail passes by Shell Lake to the south about 5 miles through a
block of Washburn County Forest Land, sometimes referred to as the
Welch Lake area.
Please
visit the Ice Age Trail web site for maps and other important
trail-use information. To visit the Ice Age Trail web site,
Click Here.
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•Hunt Hill
To
visit Hunt Hill's web site,
Click Here.
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•Crex Meadows
To
visit Crex Meadow's web site,
Click Here.
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•Miscellaneous
Coming Soon!
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