The West end of the trail joins Hwy 371 at the Upper Ten Mile Lake
Road, just a few miles North of Hackensack, MN. East fourteen miles
it joins Hwy 5 just a few miles West of Longville.
2) Woodtick Fields (. 4 miles) .4 miles in from 371 you'll
see the the open Woodtick fields and homesites of settlers
who tried to farm in this area. Story goes that one of these farmers
bought a Model T Ford and needed to build a road to the farm. The
work was dirty, hot and lasted for days. The memories of building
this road lasted a lifetime. but the reason it was remembered was
not the heat or the back-breaking removal of brush and trees, but
the unbelievable number of woodticks that stuck to there bodies
during their ordeal. These road builders named the trail they built
the Woodtick trail and it has stuck to this day.
3) North Country trail (.7 miles) The Woodtick and North
Country Trails cross at this point and taking a right on the North
Country brings you to the Woodtick Impoundment a great place to
observe waterfowl during the spring and summer. The North country
Trail is an extension of a national trail connecting the Lewis and
Clark Trail with the Appalachian Trail in the East. Maps are available
from the forest service office.
4) White Spruce Plantation (1.3 miles) Left of this marker
you'll see a pine plantation that was planted in 1968. This was
not only planted for it's lumber, but to enhance the water quality,
habitat, plants and wild life.
5) Parking Area (2.2 miles) The North Country Trail is for
non-motorized vehicles and requires that you park your vehicle here
before use. The following activities are allowed on the trail: Hiking,
Biking, Skiing and Hunting.
6) Road Cut (3.3 miles) To the left of this area is a gentle
slope from which soil was removed to build the railroad grade on
the right hand side. This is also a great place to view eagles.
7) Diamond Lake Intersection (3.4 miles) This is the location
of the Diamond Lake back country campsite. Just take a left at the
intersection. There is no charge for these sites as they are primitive
and offer no services. This site has a tent pad, wilderness latrine
and a tent pad. This site is 1.6 miles to the left (North) off the
Woodtick Trail.
8) Cub Lake Road (3.4 miles) At this junction there is a
road leading to the right and it goes to Stoney Lake and County
Road 122. This is a shortcut to Hackensack and in the winter many
snowmobiles use this trail. Also at this junction is a small pond
used by the DNR for walleye rearing .
9) Webb Lake Swamp (4.8 miles) Here there is a swamp to
the right that was targeted to be drained last century. Fortunately
it was not and was left as a swamp This a great catch basin for
water and helps replenish the water table in the area. The Chippewa
National Forest has more wetlands than any National forest in the
country. Many, many plants and animals benefit from these area swamps.
10) Beaver Lodge (6.3 miles) The lodge you see here was
built in 1985. Look carefully as you may catch a glimpse of a beaver
working or swimming near the lodge. There may be other animal sign
here also.
11) Moccasin Lake Access (9.5 miles) This is a great lake
for pan fish and crappie fishing. Directly across the lake from
the boat landing is a camping site with a boat access.
12) Aspen Regeneration (9.9 miles) This area was clear cut
in 1976 and has regrown naturally. There are about 15,000 trees
per acre. Many of the native animals benefit from aspen growth such
as deer, grouse and beaver.
13) Goose Lake Trail (12.1 miles) There is a gate to the
right open during the summer months. You can drive to campsite on
Barnum lake if the gate is open. The gate is closed at other times
to restrict traffic for hunting and skiing.
14) Junction of Woodtick Trail and Co. 5 (13.1 miles) Taking
a right you will head back toward Hackensack. A left will take you
into Longville and another local experience including turtle races
in the summer.
