Swing and a miss today attempting Three Foot Falls (Rd517) in Marinette County. These falls are on the Pike River about 1/2 mile away from Eighteen Foot Falls but there are no good formal trails to get there. First part is to find County Forest Road 517 at the intersection with 12 Foot Falls Road. Not very difficult but I forgot to download offline instructions beyond this step. Hiked/bushwhacked a bit but no luck. Read more below in the “hiking” section for details.
I hiked for some distance up another overgrown two track path about 1/2 way down Rd 517. Found a small (illegal) fire ring where people apparently come to drink in the woods but not much more. No falls this direction, only swampy and difficult river access.
Hiking
Here is a satellite image I pulled from onXmaps. White marker indicates where Rd 517 ends for normal vehicles. Blue marker is the falls. There is old overgrown two-track that ends maybe 1/4 mile from the falls and requires bushwhacking.
And here is the path I actually hiked. Notice my lack of planning in full display here. I made it to the river but no falls in sight. With no cell signal I decided not to aimlessly wander the dense woods. Next visit this should be a relatively easy task.
Here are the metrics from my GaiaGPS hiking app. As you can see it’s not too far of a hike. Mosquitoes were the biggest challenge other than my own stupidity to download offline maps (there is zero cell signal here).
Adam, love your comments… I’ve been there twice and failed both times! One time got so lost in the thick bush I had to rely on compass to find my way back! Very difficult area… maybe this year I’ll try 3rd time! Bob