Scenic Drive around Apostle Islands Country (WI)
When high winds canceled my Apostle Islands Boat Ride, I decided to make the most of the day and take the dogs on an adventure day!
I found this scenic drive in my new favorite travel book: National Geographic’s Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways. Seriously this book is pretty much 45% of how I plan my paths across the country nowadays.
My Route
I started in Cornucopa, a little old fishing town on the coast and drove along Hwy. 13 toward Ashland.
& here’s my noteworthy stops that I recommend.
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
Around 9am, I stopped here, ($5 parking) and walked along Meyer’s Beach with the dogs.
Then we took the Lakeshore Trail Trailhead for a 4 mile roundtrip hike. The trail was really well maintained and ended up being my favorite hike we did in the area! We saw some beautiful autumn leaves, a really jaw-dropping sea cave, and gorgeous cliff sides along Lake Superior.
Red Cliffs & Chipewa Land
Back on Hwy. 13, I drove through a Chippewa Tribal Land, where Copper Crow Distiller is open on Fridays and Saturdays and I’m told is the only indigenous-owned distillery in the US. I didn’t make it in (between driving and dogs it wasn’t possible), but I’d love to when I come back and can stay closer.
Bayfield
I stopped in Bayfield, a REALLY CUTE little port town spotted with cute shops, fish markets and great looking restaurants. Whitefish is the local fish and you can get a BANGING sandwich here for under $10 that was swimming a few miles away within the last day or two. Also, whitefish livers are reportedly the local treat here.
Farm Shop in between:
I met Chris inside who was messing around with apples and told me all about the billions of mushrooms he’d forages and gave me some lovely apple cider while we chatted. I think it was called Weber Orchards and you HAVE to stop here and pick up apple butter when you come.
Houghton Falls
On the left side of the road, there’s about a 3 mile round trip hike over to the shore. The waterfall’s dried up right now, but the other-worldly scenery in its place is still worth the stop & the shore is a beautiful sight.
Washburn, WI
I needed the day in my favorite town, Washburn. Here’s some of my favorite places here:
South Shore Brewery/Taphouse - I’m a big fan of anywhere that has a real brewery vibe, not the ‘AppleBee’s with 20 taps’ vibe. & this place is literally a brewery with a taproom inside. I can bring my dogs inside, enjoy the great WiFi, and the company of the lovely owner Beau/Bo. Also, when’s the last time you bought a beer for $4?
Patsy’s - Fish Fry Fridays, pretty good food with a couple vegetarian options and $5 beers here. A little dive-looking bar/pub from the outside, that’s clean and friendly inside. I sat at the bar both afternoons I stopped in and left with new friends each time.
