Category: Area Attractions

The Town of Amberg is conveniently located on US Highway 141, just 40 minutes south of Iron Mountain, Michigan, and an hour and 20 minutes north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. It borders the Town of Wausaukee to the south; the Town of Athelstane to the west; the Town of Beecher to the north; and the Menominee River and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the east. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of only 726 people. With the town encompassing 72.7 square miles, it has a population density of 10 people per square mile. Part of the reason for the low population is because of the vast amounts of public land within the Town of Amberg – nearly 1/3 of the town is open to public use!

The majority of public lands within the town are Marinette County Forest Lands, with 10,200 acres. This includes Dave’s Falls County Park, which, according to the Marinette County website, “features a spectacular waterfall, picnic area with playground, trout fishing, and a bridge over the roaring Pike River. The park is just off Hwy 141, one mile south of Amberg. The entrance sign is right on the highway.”

Nearly 3,200 acres of the Town of Amberg are state lands, designated as the Pike Wild River and the Amberg Wildlife Area. The Pike Wild River is only one of the four within the state with this special designation. Lands around this river have been preserved to protect “the wild and scenic qualities of the river.” You can feast on berries on a journey through stands of mature timber, then rest on a rock outcrop and enjoy breathtaking views of the river. The Amberg Wildlife Area is mostly cedar swamp and provides some excellent deer hunting.

The Town of Amberg also owns over 150 acres along the Pike River, just west of the unincorporated community of Amberg. Amberg should have most of those odds and ends you forgot or didn’t bring enough of.

Other than Dave’s Falls, there are three other waterfalls along the Pike River in the Town of Amberg, consisting of Bull, Horseshoe, and Yellow Bridge Falls. Although the town doesn’t have many lakes, there are nine Class 1 Trout Streams, four Class 2 Trout Streams, and 1 Class 3 Trout Stream within its borders, providing ample opportunities for anglers.

The town does maintain two boat landings, with one on Town Corner Lake and the other on the White Rapids Flowage portion of the Menominee River. Town Corner Lake is a 174-acre lake with a maximum depth of 8 feet and an average depth of 6 feet. There are no wake restrictions on this lake, where panfish are common catches and northern pike and largemouth bass are present. White Rapids is 447 acres, with a maximum depth of 30 feet, with northern pike, walleye, and smallmouth bass common and largemouth bass and panfish present.

Much of the town can be accessed via snowmobile, either through trail corridors, trails, or routes. This includes Snowmobile Trail Corridor #1, which is called #1 for a reason! Although there are no ATV Trails within the town, many of the town’s roads are designated as Snowmobile and ATV Routes, allowing use of the road to access the trails.

If you’re looking for a place to enjoy nature away from crowds of people, the Town of Athelstane is just the place for you! With a total area of 107 square miles and a 2010 Census count of 504 people, the town had a population density of a mere 5 persons per square mile. Don’t let the low population mislead you – it’s because almost 41,600 acres, or 61% of the town, is public land!

A majority of the public land is Marinette County Forest Lands, which provide numerous locations to hunt for deer, grouse, turkey, waterfowl, and even bear. There are over 1,400 acres of state land within the Town of Athelstane too, dedicated as the Town Corner Wildlife Area, the Pike Wild River, and the Amberg Wildlife Area – all providing unique outdoor recreational activities.

The town has numerous lakes and streams. Five of the lakes have public access: Benson, Dolan, Duck, Glen, and Phillips. Glen Lake has an excellent panfish population, and also has northern pike and largemouth bass. It is a 49-acre lake with an average depth of 9 feet and a maximum depth of 22 feet. The other four lakes provide chances to catch panfish, pike, and bass as well, and also trout. If you don’t have any luck catching trout in one of the town’s lakes, you could try just about any stream within the town, as nearly everyone in it is either a Class 1 or 2 Trout Stream.

The Town of Athelstane has a fairly extensive snowmobile and year-round ATV trail system. These trails provide scenic and thrilling rides through the forests. Trail Corridor #5 runs centrally through the town and can take all the way up to the Florence County trail system.

County Roads A & C and Benson Lake Road provide easy access to the most remote portions of the town. The unincorporated village of Athelstane lies conveniently at the intersection of County A and County C, and has most of the amenities you should need or want. The Town of Athelstane is bordered by the Towns of Dunbar and Goodman to the north, by the Towns of Amberg and Wausaukee to the east, and the Towns of Silver Cliff and Stephenson to the south and west.

The Town of Beaver offers great outdoor recreational activities! Between its many rivers/creeks and lakes, there’s plenty of opportunities for anglers to catch almost every species of fish that Northeastern Wisconsin has to offer. Much of the town’s public lands are surrounded by farm fields and allow hunters chances at getting the trophy of a lifetime. And with three different ATV/snowmobile clubs maintaining trails within the town, there is a variety of trails to explore all-year long.

One of the more common species of fish found within the town are trout. The Town of Beaver has 7 Class 1 Trout Streams, 3 Class 2 Trout Streams, and 1 Class 3 Trout Stream within its borders. One of the Class 1 Trout Streams is the North Branch of Beaver Creek, which has over 1,100 acres of public lands along its shores, known as the North Branch Beaver Creek Fishery Area. Even 2 of the town’s lakes, Murphy and Bass, have been known to have trout in them.

Probably the most popular lake in the town, Left Foot Lake, has an abundance of panfish, plenty of largemouth bass, and even some northern pike and smallmouth bass. Gilas Lake is one of the largest in the town at 138 acres, and has decent northern pike, largemouth bass, and panfish populations. In addition to trout, Bass Lake (the one at the end of W. 10^th Road, not the one off of County P) also is known for largemouth bass and panfish. There are boat landings at each of these lakes, along with 4 other lakes within the town, including Nelligan Lake shown in the photo above.

Snowmobile Trail Corridor #5 runs centrally through the Town of Beaver, and is maintained by the Kumalong Sno-Riders. The River Road Riders Snowmobile Club keeps the scenic trails along the Peshtigo River in the eastern portion of the town in prime riding condition. Although a majority of their trails are in Oconto County near the White Potato Lake area, the Bagley and Brazeau Joyriders also maintain Snowmobile and Summer ATV trails in the western portion of the Town of Beaver.

The Town of Beaver is easily accessed by US Highway 141, State Highway 64, and County Highways P and S. The town had a 2010 Census Count of 1,146 people. With the town encompassing 69.5 square miles, a population density is 16 people per square mile. The Town of Beaver is bordered by the Town of Stephenson to the north; by the Towns of Lake and Grover to the east; by the Towns of Pound and Brazeau to the south; and by the Town of Brazeau to the west.

The Town of Beecher is a town in Marinette County, in Northeastern Wisconsin, that is dominated by public lands, trout streams, and trails. Nearly a third of the town is public land, almost every river or creek has trout in it, and the ATV/snowmobile trail system is one of the most scenic in the state!

There’s around 9,600 acres of public lands in the Town of Beecher. The majority (7,900 acres) are Marinette County Forest Lands, providing great hunting and fishing opportunities and plenty of woods to bring out the explorer in you. Over 1,600 acres are state lands, dedicated as the Pike Wild River, Miscauno Wildlife Area, and Menominee River Natural Resource. The Pike River is only 1 of 4 rivers in the state designated as a Wild River due to its untouched natural beauty. Unique to the town is the Miscauno Wildlife Area. Consisting mostly of the Miscauno Cedar Swamp Wildlife Area, it is a good bedding area for the deer as they wait for a chance to forage in the neighboring fields. Two Class 1 Trout Streams, the South Branch of Miscauno Creek and one of its tributaries known as Creek 24-5, meander through this wildlife area and have native brook trout. The Menominee River Natural Resource preserves the shores of this boundary water, and no journey to the area would be complete without taking a hike to enjoy Pemene Falls.

10 Class 1 Trout Streams are located within the town, providing every trout angler with the chance to fish in their preferred environment. If you’d rather fish from the comfort of your boat, the town also maintains 2 boat landings. One is on Upper Lake, a 21-acre lake with a maximum depth of 18 feet, where panfish are abundant and largemouth bass are common. The other boat landing is on Beecher Lake, a 34-acre lake with a maximum depth of 47 feet and an average depth of 18 feet, with northern pike and largemouth bass common and panfish present.

Snowmobile Corridors 1 & 3 meander through the Town of Beecher and provide access to most points in the county and beyond. Most of the trails in the town are maintained by the Pemene River Riders, including the winding snowmobile and ATV trails through Marinette County Forest Lands. Ranger City Riders keep the remainder of the trails in the town in prime riding condition.

The Town of Beecher is conveniently located along US Highway 141, and County Highways L and Z provide access from the highway to the western and eastern portions of the town. The town is over 31,600 acres and had a 2010 Census Count of 724 people, or 15 people per square mile. The Town of Beecher is bordered by: the Town of Amberg to the south; the Town of Dunbar to the west; the Town of Pembine to the north; and, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the east.

With miles of Year-round ATV/Snowmobile Trails and Trout Streams, the Town of Dunbar in Marinette County is an outdoor adventurer’s dream! The trail system within the town allows for exciting rides through Marinette County Forest Lands, and can take you many places beyond. Trail Corridor 5 runs north/south through the county, from Florence to Oconto County, and Trail Corridor 16 runs east/west through the county, from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to Forest County. Most of the trails in the town are maintained by the Dun-Good Riders, but those in the eastern part are taken care of by the Pemene River Riders and those in the southern part are taken care of by the Near North Trail Riders.

There are about 80 miles of classified trout streams within the Town of Dunbar. With nearly 60 miles of Class 1 and over 20 miles of Class 2 Trout Streams, the chances of catching brook, rainbow, or brown trout are excellent. The major streams include the Pemene and Pike Rivers, and just about every tributary to those rivers have good trout populations. There are five waterfalls in the town to provide scenic locations to try your luck. Access to these streams is easily gained through public lands, whether it is through county, state, or town lands.

Over 66% of the Town of Dunbar consists of public lands. Most of it is Marinette County Forest Land, almost 44,000 acres! This includes the scenic, 160-acre, 12-foot Falls County Park along the Pike River, with camping and picnic areas. It also includes Pike River Ruffed Grouse Management Area, which provides quality habitat for grouse and woodcock, and hunter walking trails through the east and west units. There are also over 850 acres of state lands with the town, all part of the Pike Wild River, a natural area that you soon won’t forget!

Not only does the Town of Dunbar have excellent trout fishing, but its lakes also give anglers a chance to pursue other species of fish. The town provides access to four different lakes. Boat landings are on Lily and Lindquist Lakes. Lily Lake is 24 acres with a maximum depth of 17 feet and an average depth of 7 feet, with panfish abundant and largemouth bass present. Lindquist Lake has panfish and largemouth bass common and northern pike present, and is a 69-acre lake with a maximum depth of 58 feet and an average depth of 22 feet. Kidd and Spur Lakes have walk-in access and provide scenic locations to go kayaking surrounded by Marinette County Forest Lands.

The Town of Dunbar is located in Northern Marinette County, just a few miles from Iron Mountain, Michigan. It had a 2010 population of 1,094 people, or 10 people per square mile. It is bordered by the Town of Goodman to the west; by the Town of Athelstane to the south; by the Towns of Beecher, Pembine, and Niagara to the east; and by Florence County to the north. US Highway 8 and County Highways L, O, and U help make traveling through the town easy.