Peter Wolfe Chapter North Country Trail Association

This page covers options for ski and snowshoe day trips involving the NCT between highway M-64 and the Old Victoria area.

Please see the Trap Hills page for general info on winter use in the Trap Hills, and for some important safety precautions you should take before venturing into the woods in the Trap Hills in winter.

    Links to online maps of the NCT are provided below.  However, 1:100,000 scale maps of the NCT are available from NCTA at $3.50.  Try the NCTA Online Trail Shop or call NCTA at (800) 454-NCTA.  These maps are water resistant and durable, so are a better choice for out in the woods.  They're also better for helping you get to trailheads, and for seeing what else is in the area. The map covering the M-64 area, Cascade Falls to Ironwood, is scheduled for printing in May, 2002.  For other areas, use the currently available map Alberta to Cascade Falls.

M-64  The trail west of M-64, while not in the Trap Hills, is suitable for either cross-country skiing or snowshoeing.  Click here for an online map of the trail west of M-64.   Note though, that the Big Iron River and the West Branch of the Big Iron should not be considered crossable in winter until the current bridge at the Big Iron is replaced, and a bridge at the West Branch is built.  That will likely occur either late in 2002 or early in 2003.  Contact the Ottawa National Forest (906) 932-1330 for current info on these bridges.  Regardless, the round trip from M-64 to the Big Iron River, 7.1 miles, is plenty long for most folks if you're breaking trail one way!
    East from M-64, the NCT climbs 700 vertical feet at an increasing grade, until reaching the summit of Bergland Hill.  Click here for an online map of the trail east of M-64.  The steep run back down to M-64 would be difficult and potentially dangerous in places for many skiers, especially near the top of the hill.  Snow conditions would dictate whether the run could be made safely.  Once at the top of the hill, a loop could be made going northeast down the unplowed road to Old M-64, then south on unplowed Old M-64 (watch for snowmobiles!) to the NCT, then west (right) on the NCT to Bergland Hill (this involves some steep upgrades, which could be quite difficult if done downhill!).  Round trip from M-64 to Bergland Hill is 2.8 miles.  Including the loop to Old M-64, the trip could be lengthened to 4.2 miles.  This may not seem long, but one should allow several hours for it, unless snow conditions are idea and no trailbreaking is necessary.

Norwich Road
    For areas both east and west of Norwich Road, click here for an online map.
    West of Norwich Road, the NCT runs through flat to rolling country for 3.71 miles to Forest Road 630.  Under ideal snow conditions, this would make an excellent ski.  Mason Creek is bridged.  Two caveats, though.  Under certain conditions, there may be a small amount of open water at the stream crossing at the northernmost point of this segment, and an alternative crossing spot may need to be found.  Second, in some recent clearcuts on the west half of this route, you may have to look very carefully for blue NCT blazes.  The ski/snowshoe could be done as a 7.42 mile round trip, or one could go one way on unplowed Forest Road 630 and a short stretch of Norwich Road.  FR 630 will likely have some snowmobile traffic at times.  Round trip using FR 630 is about 6.5 miles.  The recommended skiing direction is normally to do the NCT first, as the wind is less likely to be in your face on FR 630 if you ski it west to east.  Also, there are nicer views eastbound on 630.  However, I recommend you check the east end of FR 630 to make sure it has not been plowed for a logging operation before starting on your trip.
    East of Norwich Road, the NCT climbs, in ups and downs, to the Norwich Bluffs area.  There are some great views, but most skiers would find this route somewhat difficult in places.  The 2.6 mile round trip to an excellent view to the west would be plenty for most skiers unless conditions are ideal and no trailbreaking is necessary.
    One can extend the round trip to about a 4 miles by exploring south from the NCT to the top of the Norwich Bluffs, just north of Norwich Mine site before returning to your starting point via the NCT.
    Longer trips could be done by returning via Forest Road 642 and Victoria Road (5.1 miles) or by the white-blazed side trail near Whisky Hollow Creek and Victoria Road (about 6.7 miles).  If snow conditions are good, a great downhill (northbound) run on part of FR 642 is possible.  It is unlikely FR 642 will be snowmobiled, though Victoria Road will be snowmobiled, sometimes heavily.  If doing the FR 642 loop clockwise, make sure you don't turn south off Victoria Road too soon.  A tempting road leads uphill to the right 0.55 miles east of Norwich Road.  FR 642 is 1.35 miles east of Norwich Road, just before the crossing of a small stream, Whisky Hollow Creek, in a low area.  To reach the NCT from the south end of FR 642, continue straight, up a hill to a former fire tower site, and then south beyond the tower site to the NCT (there may not be a sign; watch for blue blazes).  If doing the 642 loop counterclockwise, note that the junction of the NCT and the trail to FR 642 is easily seen in summer, but may not be obvious in winter until a sign is placed there.  Sign placement is scheduled for summer, 2002, but ...  The loop involving the white-blazed trail from the NCT to Victoria Road is spectacular in part, but would be a real workout for even advanced skiers with good snow conditions (it's a great day hike without snow, though).  The trail has almost constant up and down, and there may be water where the side trail crosses Whisky Hollow Creek, necessitating, perhaps, a search for a better crossing spot.  If attempted, this loop should be considered an all day trip, and is probably best done on snowshoes.
    Another good option, particularly if two vehicles are available for a shuttle, is to begin at the NCT trailhead on Norwich Road near FR 630, take the NCT for 2.28 miles to a very obvious old road in a major valley which drops, at a gentle grade where the trail meets it, to the south-southwest.  (The NCT will cross this road, follow a ridge a few feet high across the valley for a short ways, and then climb the other side of the valley.)  Turn right on this old road and descend (expert ski run if snow is fast!) to an east-west trail at the base of the hill.  The old road drops 200 feet in 1500 feet, a 14% average grade, but a 25% grade toward the bottom.  Turn turning right at the base of the hill will take you, in 0.4 miles, to the entrance to the Norwich Mine site, where a vehicle could be spotted along Norwich Road.  This trip has a total length of approximately 3 miles, and would make an excellent choice for snowshoeing.  Adding a side trip from the NCT to the top of Norwich Bluffs would add about a mile to this distance. Alternatively, one could continue east on the NCT past the old road mentioned above for 0.8 miles to a great blufftop view to the south in an area of red pine.  Returning via the NCT to the old road and then to Norwich Mine site would add 1.8 miles to the trip, but the view is worth it.  From the old road to the blufftop overlook could be done on skis, but it has lots of up and down.  These trips could be done either starting or ending at the NCT trailhead on Norwich Road.  With fast snow, one might want to start at Norwich Mine.  It should not be too hard to find the east-west road at the base of the hill in the northeast part of the mine area (there's a sign there, too, saying the road is closed to vehicles such as cars and trucks).  Finding the old road going uphill to the NCT should not be difficult, as it's the first obvious old road angling up and to the left.

Victoria area
    As mentioned above, the best places to park in winter are at Old Victoria and at the somewhat inconvenient parking spot near Victoria Dam.  In early winter, before snowbanks have narrowed the road, it may be possible to park at the Lookout Mountain trailhead.  Depending on your vehicle and snow depth, it may also be possible to drive Victoria Road to the trailheads on the west side of Victoria, but parking on Victoria Dam Road near the junction of the Victoria Road will allow you to get to within 1000 feet of these trailheads anyway.
Link to webpage for trail info in this area
Link to trail map for Victoria vicinity
Link to map for detailed trail map of Victoria area

    If parking at Old Victoria, you have several options, particularly if you have a second vehicle:
1.    Go east to the next trailhead on Victoria Road (at the top of the steep hill coming up from the Ontonagon River).  End at that point (1.64 miles) or return to Old Victoria (3.28 miles).  This trail segment has a few short, steep hills, but the vast majority of it goes through gentle to rolling terrain.  Assume that with decent snow conditions it is suitable for intermediate skiers, though some sidestepping on hills will be necessary.
2.    Go east beyond the next trailhead.  Two reasonable turnaround points are a high bluff overlook of the valley of the West Branch of the Ontonagon River (along a power line, which will likely be snowmobiled), and at the river itself.  From Victoria Dam Road at the top of the hill to the bluff overlook is suitable for all skiers if snow conditions are decent, as there are no significant hills.  Beyond the bluff overlook, the route is easy for a while, but then drops steeply down a closed road, which might be snowmobiled), to the flume road by the power plant.  This hill is suitable for most intermediate skiers if the snow is not fast, but is unlikely to be suitable for beginners unless the snow is very slow.  With fast snow, or just a snowmobile track, some intermediate skiers might wish to sidestep part of the hill, or walk on the snowmobile track if it's hard enough.  Beyond the flume road, the route is easier, with just a moderate grade (though fast if icy) most of the way to the top of a 20 foot high,  steep bank that decends to the river's floodplain.  Here, sidestepping will be necessary, but once on the floodplain, going will be easy.  It is extremely unlikely that crossing the river will be safe or desirable.  Round trip from Old Victoria to the blufftop overlook is 5.2 miles, and to the river is 6.52 miles.  Each of these trips can be shortened by 1.64 miles by ending at the trailhead on top of the hill east of Old Victoria, or by 3.28 miles by starting and ending there.  If parking at the top of the hill, make sure you park far enough east of the hilltop that cars coming up the hill will see you in plenty of time.
3.    Go west from Old Victoria, taking the interpretive loop trail and the NCT.  This is a 1.1 mile loop, that can be shortened to about 0.9 miles by skipping the part of the loop south of Victoria Road and using Victoria Road to go from the interpretive loop to the NCT, or vice versa.  This loop is considered suitable for intermediate skiers if done in the clockwise direction (i.e., return via the white-blazed trail).  This way, the steep hills are mostly uphills.  Doing it the other way results in one steep, very winding downhill on the NCT portion of the loop after going through the open-roofed building east of the rockpile.  One alternative is to do the loop counterclockwise, but after checking out the roofless building, retrace your steps back to the west, past where the trail turns left, and turn right on the road which descends below the rockpile.  This route is snowmobiled, so use caution.  The descent could be a bit scary for some skiers if the snow is fast or if confined to a snowmobile track.
4.   Go west from Victoria, taking the above loop, but continuing west on the NCT beyond the loop to Lookout Mountain, and return.  This is a 2.5 mile round trip.While there is a very steep downhill (sidestep!) on the return just before the Lookout Mountain trailhead, the rest of the trail is a moderate grade.  The view is worth it.  If the trail to Lookout Mountain has been snowmobiled, the downhill run to Victoria Dam Road could be a little fast for some skiers.  As mentioned above, parking at the Lookout Mountain trailhead is not recommended in winter unless the snow is shallow enough that you can get fully off the road with your vehicle.  The road is narrow and moderately steep at this point.
5.    Continue west from Lookout Mountain as part of your trip.  Much of this route would make an excellent ski (or snowshoe).  However, a 5 or 10 minutes west of Lookout Mountain, the trail will ascend steeply on an unplowed road, then turn left up a very steep climb.  Continuing north on this road, instead turning left uphill on the NCT, will take you to Victoria Road in just a few minutes.  Victoria Road is unplowed, and can be skied back east without difficult (watch for heavy snowmobile traffic, though).  Continuing west on the NCT instead of going north to Victoria Road provides some excellent ridgetop runs for intermediate skiers, but there are also some very steep uphills and downhills, some unskiable in places.  The next view worth seeing west of Lookout Mountain is a spectacular one on the ridge shown on this map on the summit of the ridge just north of the letter "t" in the word "Lookout" in "Lookout Mountain Scenic View."  This trip is not recommended for anyone but in-shape advanced intermediate or expert skiers.  The round trip is almost 7 miles, with many steep runs and several unskiable sections.  One might consider skiing north from the end point of the trip to Victoria Road, and returning via the snowmobile trail, if energy or time becomes a factor.  Regardless, this should be considered an all-day trip.