Norwich Road to Old Victoria hike narrative

Peter Wolfe Chapter
North Country Trail Association

Recommended NCT Day Hike

Norwich Road to Old Victoria

This hike is nearly 14 miles long, and involves many ascents and descents of ridges, but is probably the most interesting and certainly one of the most spectacular hikes on the NCT in the western U.P. It is for hikers in good physical condition, and should be considered a full day trip. It also requires that a vehicle be placed at each end of the hike.

Recommended maps are the NCTA's 1:100,000 map of the NCT from Cascade Falls to Alberta (available through the Online Trail Shop or by calling NCTA at (800) 454-NCTA; cost is $3.50), or the online maps for segments 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The printed NCTA map is a better choice for in the woods, in part because it's more durable and water-resistant. It also gives you a better picture of the trail as a whole, and of the surrounding countryside. For one thing, you'll be able to identify more of what you're looking at from those high blufftop overlooks. The segment 12 map, however, might be handy for finding your way as the trail twists around in the Victoria area. You may also want to consult the following webpages for current trail conditions:

Segment 8 Segment 9 Segment 10 Segment 11

For some photos from this segment, follow this link and click on photos from segments 9 and 12.

The hike could be done in either direction. The following narrative, however, is for a west to east hike.

Mile Narrative

0.00 Norwich Road. Trail starts across the road from the NCT parking lot, just north of the junction of Norwich Road and FR 630. The the trail heads south-southeast and at mile

1.29 a panoramic view to the west unfolds. Much of the central portion of the Trap Hills is visible from this overlook, and you may get a view of Lake Superior to the north as well. At mile

2.03 you will encounter a trail going north, over a hill that once hosted a fire tower, to the south end of FR 642. FR 642 is not suitable for low-clearance vehicles, and 4WD is recommended. In fact, it is sometimes impassible due to deep ruts. An interpretive trail dealing with the former Norwich Mine, a highly-successful mid-1800's copper mine, is planned for this area. Continuing east, the trail drops into a sizeable valley at mile

2.28 , where a trail (former road) goes south to an old road at the bottom of the hill. Follow the old road downhill for a short distance. A right at the bottom of the hill (don't do all the way down unless you're exploring!), followed shortly by an unmarked trail to the left, leads to the old Norwich Cemetery. The right also leads, in 0.4 miles, to Norwich Road at the former Norwich townsite. Heading east on the NCT (watch for this left turn!), the trail reaches a great view to the south at mile

3.09 , in an area of open red pine. There are other great views off-trail to the south between the turn and the red pines. It then heads north into the valley of an intermittent stream, up another ridge, and right to another great view at mile

3.44 . From here, the trail meanders north and east, down into the valley of Whisky Hollow Creek. 1/4 mile before the creek, in an area of open hardwoods where the slope is becoming more gentle, at mile

3.83 it encounters a white-blazed trail which goes north-northeast for 0.8 miles to a parking lot on Victoria Road. No sign marks this junction, and the white-blazed trail may be indistinct, but a sign is planned for late 2004. The junction is on a portion of the trail with blue plastic diamond blazes, but a few hundred feet to the east, blue rectangular paint blazes begin. The NCT continues east, down a ravine, and turns left when encountering Whisky Hollow Creek. A small cascade is located just downstream from where the creek is first encountered. It's a nice spot for a break. The NCT continues up the creek from this point, crossing it at mile

4.18 , ascends a ravine, crosses a small flat and an old road, angles up to a road which currently receives some ATV traffic at times, crosses that road, and makes an ascending S curve to climb a long rocky ridge. Views on this ridge are among the best in the Trap Hills, and continue to improve as one climbs. One can see the ridge itself, the east end of the Norwich Bluffs area, and for tens of miles to the south. There's even a peek at Lake Superior at one point. The ridge ends at about mile

4.9 , but there are still more occasional views as one follows a ridgetop east to follow an old road in a valley, then crosses a road occasionally used by ATV's and descends steeply to

5.53 Gleason Creek. Gleason Creek has cut three gorges as it descends southward to the West Branch of the Ontonagon River. The trail crosses between the first and second gorges, just above the start of the second gorge. Just after crossing the creek, the NCT meets a white-blazed side trail which follows the east side of the gorge downstream, before descending steeply to Gleason Falls. The 20 foot falls does not have a great deal of flow except in spring, but the setting is pretty. The opening in the bluff next to the trail on your way down the gorge is an old exploration adit (horizontal opening) made by miners exploring for copper in the mid-1800's. It only goes in about 15 feet, but it's a nice place to hide out from the rain. There are no dropoffs to worry about, but watch your head and watch your footing for "tripping rocks". Continuing east on the NCT, the trail ascends a ridge, passes near the end of a late 1990's logging job, and reaches a panoramic viewpoint at about mile

6.5 . It then descends to the start of a rocky ridge at about mile

6.7 , which features a long view east down the ridge, to the ridges near Victoria Dam, and of a rocky knob 1 1/4 miles ahead. Ascending this knob is an option when you get close to it on the NCT. Watch for hawthorns as you descend this fairly open ridge. (This viewpoint is not obvious if westbound; just turn around as you enter the maple woods at the top of the ridge) After leaving the ridge, the trail descends in to the valley of an intermittent stream, crosses it, and descends again to cross another, somewhat larger intermittent stream at about mile

7.0 , at the top of a rocky gorge in a pretty area of hardwoods and hemlocks. Going upstream at this point, you'll find a conglomerate rock outcrop, and the a small, pretty falls. Beyond the falls, the stream enters a box canyon. Except in very dry weather, some water can be found somewhere along this stream. Continuing on the NCT, descends steeply, turns left, and follows a series of flat areas below bluffs and talus slopes, crossing one intermittent creek and reaching a more permanent creek at about mile

7.7 in the bottom of a narrow valley, where you'll spot a large yellow birch as you descend. The trail leaves the valley, follows another flat, and ascends slightly to cross two talus slopes beneath the rocky knob you saw 1 1/4 ago, at mile

8.31 . After leaving the second talus slope crossing, the trail follows a sidehill for a while, then curves left to the end of a smooth rocky ridge. A small, intermittent stream comes in from the left just beyond the end of the ridge. Beyond this point, the NCT ascends onto a flat area with numerous conifers. If you wish to ascend the rock knob, keep bearing left around the end of the rocky ridge, keeping the ridge close on your left. This is an unmarked route. Basically, you just keep climbing until you encounter a notch in the ridge on your left (you'll encounter some small ones, but this one is deeper than the others. It's the last notch before topping out in the saddle north of the rock knob. If you reach the top of the saddle and start going down, retrace your steps east and take the first notch to the right. Enter the notch, and climb steeply up to the right. Continue ascending all the way to the top of the knob (again, watch for hawthorns!). This panoramic view is one of the best in the western U.P. To return to the NCT, just retrace your steps. Back on the NCT, continue east, across a flat area, and a rock bluff will appear on your left. Just as you veer right and downhill, leaving the bluff, a short walk to your left, near the end of the rock bluffs, you will find

8.63 the entrance to a small mine, the United States Mine, which operated in 1845. You can't go in far today, and it's unlikely this was a major mine when it was operating. Continuing east, the NCT crosses a road which receives occasional ATV traffic, and enters a flat area with abundant young aspen. Soon a larger road is crossed, and later a couple more roads (none normally open to vehicles other than ATV's), and then begins a steep climb to a summit with a spectacular view to the south at mile

9.95 . The trail then slowly descends the ridge to the east, drops slowly down a low ridge with nice hardwood/hemlock forest, crosses a small stream, and ascends yet another ridge. At the east end of this ridge, it drops very steeply to a recent, gated, very rocky road, turns right (downhill), turns left partway down the hill, and makes its way to the top of another bluff, turns left, and reaches

12.04 Lookout Mountain, a spectacular view point of Victoria Dam and Reservoir. From here east, the trail currently follows a route frequented by ATV's and sometimes snowmobiles, until reaching Victoria Dam Road. An attempt is being made to secure a route for a parallel, non-motorized route. After intersecting

12.45 Victoria Dam Road (a possible parking spot in summer), the trail crosses the road, angles left, recrosses the road back to the west, and follows an old tram railroad grade for nearly 1000', then turns left, mostly in young aspen, gradually angling toward an east-west powerline. Eventually, the trail turns right, crosses the powerline, angling a bit to the northwest as it does. The powerline may be partly brushy or partly overgrown with berry bushes. Then the trail enters open hardwoods, goes downhill to the right, then up and down some more until intersecting a

12.73 white-blazed trail which goes left. There's a sign at this junction. This side trail forms a loop with the NCT, and is an alternative way to get to Old Victoria. Staying on the NCT, the trail descends, turns left, then right, and intersects

12.83 Victoria Road. Turn left, following the road for a few hundred feet. The large house on the right was the mining captain's house for the copper mining operations here which gave rise to the supporting community of Victoria. Most of the newer community of Victoria is to the right where the trail first met the road. Just past the captain's house, turn right (follow the blue blazes; don't go in the yard of the captain's house). The trail passes much evidence of former mining operations, as it twists and turns, left, then right, to intersect a narrow gravel road. Turn right on this road. On the left is the sealed entrance to the mine, followed by

12.95 an obvious path to the left to the top of a huge pile of mine waste (the "Rock Pile"). Wander out there for a great view north to Lake Superior and east to the hills at Rockland. Back on the NCT, continue east on the gravel road, then angle right, into and through a roofless stone building (the only place on the NCT where the trail goes throught a building, apparently), out the back door, and descend via a winding route, passing a copper exploration opening at one point, to a flat, old road, which you take to the left. You'll soon reach a rocky road, which you angle across to the left, then follow another old road, past the remains of a number of old log buildings, in an area known as the Sawmill Location. Where the old road peters out, the trail angles right, and soon intersects

13.17 the other end of the white-blazed loop trail, with another sign. Continue straight ahead, and at mile

13.35 you'll enter the Old Victoria Restoration site. Take the opportunity to visit Patty, who gives tours of the site, and explains the history of this fascinating area. The trail continues east, through the wooded, then grassy area behind the cabins, and drops down a small hill. You may wish to check out the Old Victoria backpacking shelter, which is in the woods shortly after descending the hill. It has bunks, a screened front to keep bugs out, and is available for use by NCT hikers.

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Last modified: August 13, 2004

Mile	Narrative
0.00	Norwich Road. Trail starts across the road from the NCT parking lot, just north of the junction of Norwich Road and FR 630. The the trail heads south-southeast and at mile
1.29	a panoramic view to the west unfolds. Much of the central portion of the Trap Hills is visible from this overlook, and you may get a view of Lake Superior to the north as well. At mile
2.03	you will encounter a trail going north, over a hill that once hosted a fire tower, to the south end of FR 642. FR 642 is not suitable for low-clearance vehicles, and 4WD is recommended. In fact, it is sometimes impassible due to deep ruts. An interpretive trail dealing with the former Norwich Mine, a highly-successful mid-1800's copper mine, is planned for this area. Continuing east, the trail drops into a sizeable valley at mile
2.28	, where a trail (former road) goes south to an old road at the bottom of the hill. Follow the old road downhill for a short distance. A right at the bottom of the hill (don't do all the way down unless you're exploring!), followed shortly by an unmarked trail to the left, leads to the old Norwich Cemetery. The right also leads, in 0.4 miles, to Norwich Road at the former Norwich townsite. Heading east on the NCT (watch for this left turn!), the trail reaches a great view to the south at mile
3.09	, in an area of open red pine. There are other great views off-trail to the south between the turn and the red pines. It then heads north into the valley of an intermittent stream, up another ridge, and right to another great view at mile
3.44	. From here, the trail meanders north and east, down into the valley of Whisky Hollow Creek. 1/4 mile before the creek, in an area of open hardwoods where the slope is becoming more gentle, at mile
3.83	it encounters a white-blazed trail which goes north-northeast for 0.8 miles to a parking lot on Victoria Road. No sign marks this junction, and the white-blazed trail may be indistinct, but a sign is planned for late 2004. The junction is on a portion of the trail with blue plastic diamond blazes, but a few hundred feet to the east, blue rectangular paint blazes begin. The NCT continues east, down a ravine, and turns left when encountering Whisky Hollow Creek. A small cascade is located just downstream from where the creek is first encountered. It's a nice spot for a break. The NCT continues up the creek from this point, crossing it at mile
4.18	, ascends a ravine, crosses a small flat and an old road, angles up to a road which currently receives some ATV traffic at times, crosses that road, and makes an ascending S curve to climb a long rocky ridge. Views on this ridge are among the best in the Trap Hills, and continue to improve as one climbs. One can see the ridge itself, the east end of the Norwich Bluffs area, and for tens of miles to the south. There's even a peek at Lake Superior at one point. The ridge ends at about mile
4.9	, but there are still more occasional views as one follows a ridgetop east to follow an old road in a valley, then crosses a road occasionally used by ATV's and descends steeply to
5.53	Gleason Creek. Gleason Creek has cut three gorges as it descends southward to the West Branch of the Ontonagon River. The trail crosses between the first and second gorges, just above the start of the second gorge. Just after crossing the creek, the NCT meets a white-blazed side trail which follows the east side of the gorge downstream, before descending steeply to Gleason Falls. The 20 foot falls does not have a great deal of flow except in spring, but the setting is pretty. The opening in the bluff next to the trail on your way down the gorge is an old exploration adit (horizontal opening) made by miners exploring for copper in the mid-1800's. It only goes in about 15 feet, but it's a nice place to hide out from the rain. There are no dropoffs to worry about, but watch your head and watch your footing for "tripping rocks". Continuing east on the NCT, the trail ascends a ridge, passes near the end of a late 1990's logging job, and reaches a panoramic viewpoint at about mile
6.5	. It then descends to the start of a rocky ridge at about mile
6.7	, which features a long view east down the ridge, to the ridges near Victoria Dam, and of a rocky knob 1 1/4 miles ahead. Ascending this knob is an option when you get close to it on the NCT. Watch for hawthorns as you descend this fairly open ridge. (This viewpoint is not obvious if westbound; just turn around as you enter the maple woods at the top of the ridge) After leaving the ridge, the trail descends in to the valley of an intermittent stream, crosses it, and descends again to cross another, somewhat larger intermittent stream at about mile
7.0	, at the top of a rocky gorge in a pretty area of hardwoods and hemlocks. Going upstream at this point, you'll find a conglomerate rock outcrop, and the a small, pretty falls. Beyond the falls, the stream enters a box canyon. Except in very dry weather, some water can be found somewhere along this stream. Continuing on the NCT, descends steeply, turns left, and follows a series of flat areas below bluffs and talus slopes, crossing one intermittent creek and reaching a more permanent creek at about mile
7.7	in the bottom of a narrow valley, where you'll spot a large yellow birch as you descend. The trail leaves the valley, follows another flat, and ascends slightly to cross two talus slopes beneath the rocky knob you saw 1 1/4 ago, at mile
8.31	. After leaving the second talus slope crossing, the trail follows a sidehill for a while, then curves left to the end of a smooth rocky ridge. A small, intermittent stream comes in from the left just beyond the end of the ridge. Beyond this point, the NCT ascends onto a flat area with numerous conifers. If you wish to ascend the rock knob, keep bearing left around the end of the rocky ridge, keeping the ridge close on your left. This is an unmarked route. Basically, you just keep climbing until you encounter a notch in the ridge on your left (you'll encounter some small ones, but this one is deeper than the others. It's the last notch before topping out in the saddle north of the rock knob. If you reach the top of the saddle and start going down, retrace your steps east and take the first notch to the right. Enter the notch, and climb steeply up to the right. Continue ascending all the way to the top of the knob (again, watch for hawthorns!). This panoramic view is one of the best in the western U.P. To return to the NCT, just retrace your steps. Back on the NCT, continue east, across a flat area, and a rock bluff will appear on your left. Just as you veer right and downhill, leaving the bluff, a short walk to your left, near the end of the rock bluffs, you will find
8.63	the entrance to a small mine, the United States Mine, which operated in 1845. You can't go in far today, and it's unlikely this was a major mine when it was operating. Continuing east, the NCT crosses a road which receives occasional ATV traffic, and enters a flat area with abundant young aspen. Soon a larger road is crossed, and later a couple more roads (none normally open to vehicles other than ATV's), and then begins a steep climb to a summit with a spectacular view to the south at mile
9.95	. The trail then slowly descends the ridge to the east, drops slowly down a low ridge with nice hardwood/hemlock forest, crosses a small stream, and ascends yet another ridge. At the east end of this ridge, it drops very steeply to a recent, gated, very rocky road, turns right (downhill), turns left partway down the hill, and makes its way to the top of another bluff, turns left, and reaches
12.04	Lookout Mountain, a spectacular view point of Victoria Dam and Reservoir. From here east, the trail currently follows a route frequented by ATV's and sometimes snowmobiles, until reaching Victoria Dam Road. An attempt is being made to secure a route for a parallel, non-motorized route. After intersecting
12.45	Victoria Dam Road (a possible parking spot in summer), the trail crosses the road, angles left, recrosses the road back to the west, and follows an old tram railroad grade for nearly 1000', then turns left, mostly in young aspen, gradually angling toward an east-west powerline. Eventually, the trail turns right, crosses the powerline, angling a bit to the northwest as it does. The powerline may be partly brushy or partly overgrown with berry bushes. Then the trail enters open hardwoods, goes downhill to the right, then up and down some more until intersecting a
12.73	white-blazed trail which goes left. There's a sign at this junction. This side trail forms a loop with the NCT, and is an alternative way to get to Old Victoria. Staying on the NCT, the trail descends, turns left, then right, and intersects
12.83	Victoria Road. Turn left, following the road for a few hundred feet. The large house on the right was the mining captain's house for the copper mining operations here which gave rise to the supporting community of Victoria. Most of the newer community of Victoria is to the right where the trail first met the road. Just past the captain's house, turn right (follow the blue blazes; don't go in the yard of the captain's house). The trail passes much evidence of former mining operations, as it twists and turns, left, then right, to intersect a narrow gravel road. Turn right on this road. On the left is the sealed entrance to the mine, followed by
12.95	an obvious path to the left to the top of a huge pile of mine waste (the "Rock Pile"). Wander out there for a great view north to Lake Superior and east to the hills at Rockland. Back on the NCT, continue east on the gravel road, then angle right, into and through a roofless stone building (the only place on the NCT where the trail goes throught a building, apparently), out the back door, and descend via a winding route, passing a copper exploration opening at one point, to a flat, old road, which you take to the left. You'll soon reach a rocky road, which you angle across to the left, then follow another old road, past the remains of a number of old log buildings, in an area known as the Sawmill Location. Where the old road peters out, the trail angles right, and soon intersects
13.17	the other end of the white-blazed loop trail, with another sign. Continue straight ahead, and at mile
13.35	you'll enter the Old Victoria Restoration site. Take the opportunity to visit Patty, who gives tours of the site, and explains the history of this fascinating area. The trail continues east, through the wooded, then grassy area behind the cabins, and drops down a small hill. You may wish to check out the Old Victoria backpacking shelter, which is in the woods shortly after descending the hill. It has bunks, a screened front to keep bugs out, and is available for use by NCT hikers.