Lincoln County High Point Trip Report
four areas - including Lookout Mtn (1,920+ ft)
Date: October 8, 2001
Author: Bob Schwab
I approached this area by driving 12 miles north from Merrill on Wisconsin 17 to the town of Gleason.
Continue north on Route 17 several more miles to a turnoff for County B. Turn left on County B and drive
about 0.5 mile to where the road bends sharply to the right. Straight ahead there is a dirt road that continues
west to the top of Lookout Mountain, but it is gated, posted and warns of serious consequences to
trespassers. Continue on County B for another 1.9 miles (2.4 miles from Route 17) as it winds past a gravel
pit that serves as a parking lot for ATV enthusiasts. Watch for Bear Trail Road and a sign pointing to Otter
Lake on the left. Turn left and drive down Bear Trail Road for about 0.3 mile to Turtle Lake Road (dirt).
Follow Turtle Lake Road and after crossing the lakes, watch for an intersection with an ATV trail.
This ATV trail is roughly 1.5 miles south of the Bear Trail Road intersection, and is an alternate access to
Lookout Mountain (area 1) and area immediately to the north (area 2). I turned left and could have driven
up the ATV trail for some distance, but decided to park in a meadow and hike. Keep left at the first two
junctions on the trail and continue until you cross the main ridge. Resist the temptation to immediately go
right and bushwhack up Lookout Mountain. If you continue on the trail, you will soon find an ATV route
that breaks off to the right (south) and goes steeply up to the top of Lookout Mountain. You will see two
radio towers and an old lookout on top. The BM is right under the old lookout tower which is clearly the
highest spot in area 1.
Return back down to the ATV intersection on top of the ridge, and head north into the woods. Follow a
faint road trace that goes up the ridge, then break to the left up to area 2, which is in the trees.
Areas 3 and 4 are quite a bit north on this same ridge, and can be best accessed by returning to your vehicle
and driving north on Turtle Lake Road. After crossing the lakes (going north), watch for the second ATV
trail that goes off to the right (east). This will be roughly 0.2 mile north of the lakes, or 0.5 mile south of the
intersection with Bear Trail Road. Once again, I found these trails to be in quite good condition, so I drove
in and parked my van near the first major split in the trail. Hike to the left and follow the trail as it winds
around and rises up an obvious ridge to a saddle where it makes a sharp bend left (north). At this point,
go south and follow the ridge to the base of a very steep hill. At the top there is a moderately large rock that
seems to be the high point of area 3. I did not detect any trails in this area, but there are two trees nearby
that are marked with red paint.
Return back down the steep hill and ridge to where you left the ATV trail at the saddle. Continue up the
trail as it ascends the ridge to the north. When the trail tops out in a semi-open area, note the strange
concrete patches on the left side of this ATV "trail." At this point, the ATV trail turns east, but there is an
older trail that continues north into the woods. Go left at this point and follow the trail as it gently ascends
into the woods. When the trail crests, go left and find the high point of area 4 which is also in the woods.
I did not encounter any signs or indications that these ATV trails were off limits for hikers. I found these
hikes to be very pleasant, but I didn't encounter any ATVs either. While Lookout Mountain may have the
most appeal because of the views, the northernmost spot (area 4) may rival it in height. There is no way to
sight from one area to another, thus I recommend that visitors take the time to visit all four areas before
claiming this county.