Dead Horse Run Motorized Trail
Dead Horse Run is a 63-mile ATV and UTV trail system threading through Sawyer and Ashland counties in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, running between the communities of Loretta and Clam Lake in the heart of Wisconsin's Northwoods — approximately 30 miles east of Hayward and 40 miles south of Ashland. The trail earns its name from the rugged logging-era history of this country, and the route's character reflects the original terrain: most of the system follows corridors about 14 feet wide with hard-packed, moderately rolling surfaces through a classic northern hardwood and mixed-conifer canopy of maple, oak, aspen, and birch. The cross-county routing connects two distinct communities and riding cultures, passing through habitat that supports whitetail deer, black bear, grouse, and eagles. Camp Loretta at the northern terminus serves as the primary staging area for trailered rigs, with parking large enough to accommodate multi-rig groups. The system connects to the Tuscobia State Trail to the south and the Flambeau River State Forest trail to the west, extending the rideable network beyond the 63-mile core. ATVs and UTVs up to 50 inches wide are the primary permitted class; check current width restrictions before visiting as they are periodically updated. A Wisconsin non-resident ATV/UTV trail pass is required; annual and short-term passes are available online. Primitive camping is available on national forest lands adjacent to the trail.
- Phone
- 715-264-2511
- Hours
- Open May 1 through March 14; closed during spring breakup and after heavy rain on soft sections
Get trail maps for Dead Horse Run Motorized Trail
GPS tracking, SOS alerts, fire monitoring, and community chat — free for riders.
Browse All ParksMore off-road parks in Wisconsin
Black River / Jackson County ATV System
The Black River State Forest and Jackson County Forest ATV Trail System comprises one of the largest connected OHV networks in Wisconsin — 100+ miles of trail through the Black River State Forest and Jackson County Forest in Jackson County, with an additional 135 miles of designated routes in adjacent Clark County accessible from the same system without a trailer move. The Jackson County network alone includes 92 miles of ATV and UTV trail and 31 miles of dedicated single-track motorcycle trail served by eight trailhead parking areas distributed across the county. The terrain reflects the geography of the Black River lowlands: rolling sandy-oak barrens on upland terraces, floodplain forest along the Black River and its tributaries, and some of the most productive grouse and turkey habitat in western Wisconsin. Sandy-loam soil means the trail drains quickly after rain and stays rideable longer into autumn than clay-heavy systems. Trail character spans easy-to-intermediate loops through open pine plantation to more technical wooded routes. Services in the communities of Millston, Pray, and Black River Falls support multi-day visitors; overnight camping is available at Crawford Hills County Campground within the trail system. A Wisconsin non-resident ATV/UTV trail pass and Wisconsin ATV registration sticker are required for out-of-state machines; annual passes are available online and at Black River Falls area vendors. The I-90/94 corridor passes through Black River Falls, making this one of the most highway-accessible major OHV systems in Wisconsin for riders from Minneapolis, Madison, and Chicago.
Flambeau Motorized Trail
The Flambeau Motorized Trail System covers more than 70 miles of multi-use motorized trail in the Medford-Park Falls Ranger District of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in Price County, Wisconsin — roughly 40 miles west of Rhinelander and 30 miles north of Medford. The trail is one of the most historically layered OHV routes in the upper Midwest: the corridor passes the Smith Rapids Covered Bridge spanning the South Fork of the Flambeau River — one of a handful of surviving wooden covered bridges in Wisconsin — and the Round Lake Logging Dam, a preserved relic of the 19th-century river-drive logging era that shaped this entire landscape. Beyond the historic character, the trail delivers consistent north-woods riding through maple, birch, aspen, and conifer forest on rolling terrain with wooden bridges over wetland crossings and occasional lake and bog overlooks. ATVs and UTVs up to 65 inches wide, off-road motorcycles, mountain bikes, and equestrian users all share the corridor — a true multi-use system with designated motor and non-motor sections on certain segments. Trail surfaces are hard-packed gravel and packed earth with seasonal soft spots after rain. A $5 day-use fee applies at developed trailheads; a Wisconsin non-resident trail pass is required. Primitive camping is available throughout the surrounding national forest. The Flambeau Hills State Forest trail system connects at the southern end, extending the rideable network significantly for riders based at the Park Falls or Phillips area trailheads.
Perkinstown Motorized Trail
The Perkinstown Motorized Trail is a 20-mile two-way corridor in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, running through Taylor County southwest of Medford, Wisconsin — approximately 45 miles east of Eau Claire and 30 miles west of Wausau. The trail is designed as a point-to-point connector rather than a loop system: the northern terminus anchors at the Chippewa Recreation Area on the shore of the Chequamegon Waters flowage — a reservoir popular for fishing and paddling that gives the northern trailhead a genuine resort-lake character — while the southern trailhead at State Highway 64 provides the highway-accessible entry point with parking, a vault toilet, and an information board. Between the two endpoints, the trail traverses rolling terrain through a mix of woodlands and wetland lowlands typical of Taylor County's glacial landscape: stands of northern hardwoods on upland ridges, tamarack and spruce in the bogs, and wooden bridges over the numerous small streams draining this lake-rich region. ATVs and UTVs up to 65 inches wide and off-highway motorcycles are all permitted on the full corridor; the two-way designation means riders travel in both directions on the same trail rather than a one-way loop, requiring awareness of oncoming traffic on narrower sections. The trail also serves as a snowmobile corridor in winter. A $5 day-use pass or $30 annual pass is required; Wisconsin non-resident trail pass required for out-of-state machines.