Off-Road Trails Near Wausau, Wisconsin

Harrison Hills is a 47–50 mile loop trail system through Lincoln County’s Harrison Hills forest, built largely on old logging roads. The terrain is heavily forested and hilly, interspersed with bogs, small lakes, rock outcroppings, and prairie strips. Lincoln County Forestry Land and Parks Departm...
Learn more about Harrison Hills ATV West Branch

Easy driving through rolling hills and forest. Most of the trail will fit two lanes of traffic, but there are many tight corners to watch for. This is mostly a gravel trail, so it will get dusty once the area dries out. There are a few turnout spots to take a break from the day and stay out of the w...
Learn more about Half Nelson - West

This is a mostly single-lane gravel trail. Will be dry most of the time, but even after a rain, there won't be much if any mud to find. Some areas of the trail have a pretty tight vegetation canopy, which makes larger vehicles tougher to pass. This trail connects Nelson Fire Lane to West Elcho Road ...
Learn more about Nelson Fire Shortcut

Small trail loop near the Parrish Trail Head. Easy going, with a nice stop at the shelter located lakeside that has a water pump and bathroom. On a slow ride, this should only take 15 to 20 minutes to complete and breaks up the day with a more curvy trail.
Learn more about Parrish Mini Loop

The east half of Five Cent Road. This trail passes through open forest and private land so be respectful when passing through. This is not one that travels fast, but will make plenty of dust during the dry season. This road is open to all traffic, but does see a lot of ATV/SxS traffic in the summer ...
Learn more about East Nickel

Short route to keep off of the dirt road of West Elcho. Access directly from the County T trailhead. Winding trail is narrow in some spots, which requires pulling off to the side allowing traffic to pass. Mostly gravel/dirt trail with a few of the steeper hills being loose rock. There are a few gras...
Learn more about West Elcho Bypass

Beginning at County Road T trailhead, the West Elcho Trail runs north and south with many branches that can be taken. Mostly dirt road crossing low spots that will flood over the trail in the spring or with heavy rain. The ground will be soft in those areas, so slowing down will help prevent erosion...
Learn more about West Elcho

Approximately 10 mile route from West Elcho Rd. to Moccasin Lake Rd. Access to Horseshoe Lake from the main trail is narrow, but it is a great spot to take a break. The majority of the trail is dirt with some rolling hills consisting of loose rock and gravel. Some of the tighter corners are narrow, ...
Learn more about Horseshoe Lake

Nice dirt trail spur going from West Elcho Road to Lily Mill Fire Lane. Most of the trail is easy one-lane traffic with some turnouts and wider spots to accommodate meeting other traffic. Plenty of rolling hills and tight bends make this a fun trail in the area to take your time passing through.
Learn more about West Elcho/Lily Mill Pass Through

Trail starts by getting of the pavement at the intersection of County Rd. T and Brady Ln. The dirt road lasts just a short bit before getting onto the winding dirt trail. A mixture of dirt, and rock washouts on the slight hills is not difficult to navigate, but some areas are narrow making 2-way tra...
Learn more about Brady Trail

Narrow winding dirt trail that goes right past the small Minito Lake State Natural Area. A short walking trail takes you down to the water side. The majority of this trail is narrow with a few wide spots to allow for oncoming traffic to pass. This trail is best taken at a slower pace, enjoy the scen...
Learn more about Minito Lake

To get you off pavement and onto this rocky, winding trail you will cut through Enterprise Lake Road in Elcho and Old Elcho Road in Pelican Lake. Most times the trail has many low wet spots, but none of them are usually deep. Most corners are pretty tight, but oncoming traffic can usually be seen. T...
Learn more about Pelcho Cut Across

Part of the Langlade OHMV trail system, this permit-only trail is an easy loop that leads to Hemlock Ridge. Hard park dirt and gravel with minimal trail features. It is divided up into North Hemlock and South Hemlock, but they tie together at the trail head of Hemlock Ridge, and both lead to the acc...
Learn more about Hemlock North/South

The Norway Lake Loop is a point-to-point trail that picks up on the eastern end from Porkey Lake Loop. It is primarily a dirt two-track with several sections of rocks and mud sections to cross. Expect a few mud holes, loose rock, and a few moderately steep sections.
Learn more about Norway Lake Loop

Steep hills with small to medium-sized rocks, some larger rocks here and there, the hills are pretty slippery after a rain. A good amount of off-camber areas where a locker would be helpful. This is a through trail that ends at a T-intersection, to the right at the intersection is Hemlock North, and...
Learn more about Hemlock Ridge

The Porkey Lake Loop is part of the Langlade OHMV trail system and is rated as an "Access Trail". It is a mellow, easy trail that brings you to the trail head for "No-Eye-Deer (Rock Crawl)" and "John's Rock Crawl". It features small hills, few rocks, and a few horseback trails.
Learn more about Porkey Lake Loop

This is a well-maintained trail courtesy of Polar Blazers. Primarily open dirt roads, this trail goes through active logging operations. The logging company graciously continues to allow access to this trail. Please stay on the trail. Maintain safe speeds especially when crossing through logging are...
Learn more about Wolf River to Junction 22A

This trail runs next to the road and then dives into the woods for half of it. The east side of the route has some nice elevation changes with a few lower areas that have the potential to be muddy after rain. The west half goes into the woods where you can find a good number of shallow water holes o...
Learn more about South Pelican

The best trail to take that conjoins Post Lake with Pelican Lake, which can then lead to the Harrison Hills system. The trail is mostly a gravel road, but has a small section of dirt on the Pelican Lake side. Along the way, there are excellent views of the woodlands and a stream. Good chance to see ...
Learn more about Pratt Junction

Route picks up from Sparta and travels north through the central sands and ends in the Clam Lake Area. The first part of the route has lots of sugar sand, which can be hard on two wheels (a few wet days before riding can be helpful). Much of the route is shared with UTV/ATV traffic. The middle part ...
Learn more about Trans Wisconsin Adventure Trail (Central Portion)

Harrison Hills is a 47–50 mile loop trail system through Lincoln County’s Harrison Hills forest, built largely on old logging roads. The terrain is heavily forested and hilly, interspersed with bogs, small lakes, rock outcroppings, and prairie strips. Lincoln County Forestry Land and Parks Departm...
Learn more about Harrison Hills ATV West Branch

Easy driving through rolling hills and forest. Most of the trail will fit two lanes of traffic, but there are many tight corners to watch for. This is mostly a gravel trail, so it will get dusty once the area dries out. There are a few turnout spots to take a break from the day and stay out of the w...
Learn more about Half Nelson - West

This is a mostly single-lane gravel trail. Will be dry most of the time, but even after a rain, there won't be much if any mud to find. Some areas of the trail have a pretty tight vegetation canopy, which makes larger vehicles tougher to pass. This trail connects Nelson Fire Lane to West Elcho Road ...
Learn more about Nelson Fire Shortcut

The east half of Five Cent Road. This trail passes through open forest and private land so be respectful when passing through. This is not one that travels fast, but will make plenty of dust during the dry season. This road is open to all traffic, but does see a lot of ATV/SxS traffic in the summer ...
Learn more about East Nickel

Harrison Hills is a 47–50 mile loop trail system through Lincoln County’s Harrison Hills forest, built largely on old logging roads. The terrain is heavily forested and hilly, interspersed with bogs, small lakes, rock outcroppings, and prairie strips. Lincoln County Forestry Land and Parks Departm...
Learn more about Harrison Hills ATV West Branch

Easy driving through rolling hills and forest. Most of the trail will fit two lanes of traffic, but there are many tight corners to watch for. This is mostly a gravel trail, so it will get dusty once the area dries out. There are a few turnout spots to take a break from the day and stay out of the w...
Learn more about Half Nelson - West

This is a mostly single-lane gravel trail. Will be dry most of the time, but even after a rain, there won't be much if any mud to find. Some areas of the trail have a pretty tight vegetation canopy, which makes larger vehicles tougher to pass. This trail connects Nelson Fire Lane to West Elcho Road ...
Learn more about Nelson Fire Shortcut

Small trail loop near the Parrish Trail Head. Easy going, with a nice stop at the shelter located lakeside that has a water pump and bathroom. On a slow ride, this should only take 15 to 20 minutes to complete and breaks up the day with a more curvy trail.
Learn more about Parrish Mini Loop