Bikepacking has been rapidly growing in popularity in the Chequamegon area. The long, interconnected trails and the vast area forests make the CAMBA trail system a natural for this activity.

If you’re familiar with the trails or have all the maps it shouldn’t be too hard to put together a good route. Local bike shops and CAMBA staff can help outline potential routes.

In 2016, the Wisconsin Bike Fed “literally put Wisconsin bikepacking on the map” with its inaugural Tour de Chequamegon Bikepacking Weekend. A description and map of the 110-mile route that begins and ends in Cable can be found at this link.

Depending how far you can cover each day you should be able to find good camping along the way. In most areas, trailside camping is permitted, provided you camp away from the trail and observe all rules with regard to fire, etc.  In Sawyer County Forest (Hayward, Seeley) there is a permit policy that you can find out about online.

The national forest has some of the best options with several primitive sites along the trails. These are not formal, maintained sites, but have seen regular traditional use. These sites are listed under Camping on this website.

There is limited access to water along the CAMBA trails.

Drinking water is available at:

  • Hatchery Creek Trailhead
  • Gravel Pit Trailhead (.25 mile north at Birkie Trail)
  • OO Trailhead
  • Boedecker Rd. Birkie Trailhead
  • High Point Food Station/Birkie Trail – just off Firetower Trail
  • Timber Trail Road Food Station/Birkie Trail – Ojibwe Trail .25 north of C28
  • Cable – 2 miles north of North End Trailhead
  • Namakagon Town Hall Trailhead.

Otherwise, you will need to carry sufficient water for your trip, or get water from one of the lakes along the way. However, in parts of the trail system there are few lakes.  The highest concentration of accessible lakes is in Namakagon. Water should be filtered, boiled or treated before consuming.

In addition to camping, there are three rustic yurts available for rent, constructed in 2016,  located in the Bayfield County Forest. One yurt is at the North End Trailhead in Cable and two are at Mt. Ashwabay in Bayfield. Further information can be found at  http://www.bayfieldcounty.org/908/Yurts.

A good resource for “how-to” information and recommended equipment and supplies is the Bikepacking 101 link at bikepacking.com.