Ride safely - Wisconsin Department of Tourism

In Amery, the trailhead is situated near
Hwy 46 and the ever-popular Apple River.
Heading east, you ride through some remnant
forest before encountering farmland
and prairie. Just east of Amery, the trail follows
Beaver Brook northwest toward the
hamlet of Joel, about six miles from Amery.
East of Joel, the trail dives into a thick
wooded section and cruises past rich wetlands
with an abundance of wildlife.
As you cross Hwy 63 and the
Polk/Barron County line, the village of
Turtle Lake welcomes you with fuel, food,
lodging and gambling action. For food and
fuel, head into town using Western
Boulevard. Roads are posted for ATV use,
but it’s always best to call ahead to make
sure where ATVs are permitted, (Turtle
Lake Police Department, 715/986-2942).
The trail cuts right through the heart
of Turtle Lake with access at Railway Park
just a block off the trail. The park includes
a picnic shelter and a loading area on the
north side of the trail. For those who plan
to stay in Turtle Lake, Country Lodge
(www.tlcountrylodge.com; 866/986-2070)
provides access to the trail. It is located on
the south side of U.S. Highway 8 directly
across from the St. Croix Casino & Hotel
(www.stcroixcasino.com; 800/782-9987).
The casino offers slots, blackjack, roulette,
craps and poker. It has three restaurants to
choose from and a 153-room hotel.
Turtle Lake is also home to Lake
Country Dairy (www.lumberjackcheese.com,
715/986-2893), a 60,000 square-foot
cheese factory that can turn 2 million
pounds of milk into 80,000 pounds of
cheese in a day. Visitors can see the
cheese-making process and buy a variety
of cheeses in their retail outlet.
After sampling these diversions in
Turtle Lake, saddle up and continue heading
east on the Cattail Trail. Just out of
town, the tree-lined trail skirts Mud Lake,
then bridges the creek between Upper and
Lower Turtle Lakes before crossing Hwy 8
on the final leg of the trail to the Barron
County Picnic Area in Almena. You’ll find
fuel and food and a chance to rest before
the return trip on the Cattail Trail.
For those with a continual need for
speed, motorsports abound in nearby
towns. The Kopellah Speedway
(www.kopellahspeedway.net; 715/566-
0646) in nearby St. Croix Falls hosts automobile
racing on its one-quarter mile,
semi-banked clay oval race track every
Friday night from early April through early
September. Or, head north to Rice Lake for
Saturday night racing action at the Rice
Lake Speedway (www.rlspeedway.com;
715/236-2002) where racing begins in
April and ends in September.
T
POLK CO
BARRON CO
Upper
Turtle
Lake
P
8
Turtle
Lake
Lower
Turtle
Lake
Almena
P
8
D
63
T
JJ
D
0 1 2 3 Miles
J
JJ
Wisconsin ATV Guide 21