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    Bear Caves State Natural Area

    5.0 (2 reviews)

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    8 months ago

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    Marinette County Waterfalls - This would not be a good place to slip into the water, so wear shoes that grip and watch your step!

    Marinette County Waterfalls

    4.0(1 review)
    42.8 mi

    Marinette Waterfalls - there's Good News and there''s Bad News. On top of that, we need to know The…read moreGood, The Bad and The Ugly. The Good News: Marinette County bills itself as the "Waterfall Capital of Wisconsin" and judging from the amount of fast water on the rivers in the county, there is plenty of evidence to back up that claim. The county tourism people would like you to come visit and tour the waterfalls. The Bad News: No one publishes a dedicated map to help you find the waterfalls and plan out a route to see them. There are too many to see in one day, possibly even two days. Without a map or a plan, you're liable to take three or four days to see them all and do a great deal of criss-crossing and back tracking to accomplish your goal. Incidentally, Marinette County does publish a map on their website that has waterfalls in the legend. It is one of six maps on the website and is not identified as a "waterfalls" map. It is the first of three maps listed as "Marinette County Waterfalls, Recreation & Snowmobile Maps" but once you print it, there's so much detail you can't see much of anything. It is next to useless as a PDF file, too. Now for the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. The Good: Some of these waterfalls are breathtaking and well worth the effort to see them. The Bad: Others, not so much. The Good: Some are easy to reach without an real hiking experience. The Bad: Many are at the end of unimproved trails and will require some creative hiking to reach them. The Ugly: Some of the trails are a bit dangerous and downright scary to reach. A few caveats for potential waterfall hunters: 1) Most are off the beaten path, several miles from main highways. 2) Most of the access is on narrow, gravel roads, shared by enormous logging trucks. If you like your car to be kept in pristine condition, waterfall hunting in Marinette County is not for you. Drive with care! 3) Most of the waterfalls are in county parks. A nominal daily fee is required, however, once the fee is paid for the day, the permit is good in all the county parks. 4) Plan your day(s) before you head for Marinette County to go waterfall hunting. 5) Many of the waterfalls are actually whitewater rapids, very popular with rafters and kayakers but not so exciting for people looking for dramatic drops. I took a few hours and located the waterfalls on a map app and located the GPS coordinates. I was surprised how many of them are actually close together, but how far out some of them are. You actually have to go to Michigan to see waterfalls on boundary waters. My own favorites? Dave's Falls, Four Foot Falls, Horseshoe Falls, Twelve Foot Falls, Strong Falls and McClintock Falls. There are others that I need to go back to Marinette County to see.

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    Marinette County Waterfalls
    Marinette County Waterfalls
    Marinette County Waterfalls

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    Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

    Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

    5.0(3 reviews)
    42.5 mi

    (Bagley Rapids Campground)…read more One of the best campgrounds in the state, in my opinion. This is a semi-wilderness campground, and that's why I love it so much. No electricity is provided, something I love about this place, but you can pump fresh water from the well, and outhouse toilets are on site. The best sites are along the river, but only a few of them offer any real privacy or seclusion. Site 21 has the thickest surrounding vegetation and offers the best privacy of any site along the river. However, if being on the river is not as important to you as it is to some, the sites along the back loops offer the most privacy, and most people choose not to use those sites. On more than one occasion I arrived to find all the river sites full and had to stay in one of the back sites. Most of the time I was the only camper in the back loop, giving me the ultimate feeling of being truly alone. The rapids offer some great swimming in certain areas, but fishing on the river doesn't offer much. I also wouldn't recommend floating down the river, especially not along the campsites. There are areas along the river that are potentially very dangerous or deadly if you are not a good swimmer, so I advise caution at all times. Bagley also offers some fantastic hiking trails for those of you who love to be out in the thick of it. I would advise against wearing shorts if you decide to hike through any part of the forest that is not a trail. Poison oak and poison ivy are everywhere. If you are looking for an extremely peaceful and relaxing camping trip, one where you're not surrounded by campers, RV's, and loud annoying music, then I highly recommend giving this place a try.

    Classic forested lake country. There are a ton of mosquitoes, but not particularly voracious. On a…read more sunny day hard to beat for natural beauty anywhere in the lower forty eight. Unlike Boundary Waters, a gentle, inviting woodland, however, the infernal combustion engine arrived long ago. The campsites are thankfully primitive. There are, to my knowledge, no rip off 'family' type campsites, the crash commercialism of which has become so widespread in recent years.

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    Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
    Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
    Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

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    Bear Caves State Natural Area - parks - Updated May 2026

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