ATV and UTV trails around Spooner.
Spooner is one of those towns where the garage says a lot about the owner, and in Washburn County the garage often holds an ATV or a UTV. The county maintains more than 100 miles of trail through the county forest, linking into the Wild Rivers and Tuscobia state trail corridors, and the riding starts minutes from downtown. Here is how the network works and how to ride it right.
All Spooner field guidesThe network
How the county rides connect.
Washburn County manages roughly 116 miles of ATV trail, mostly across the county forest, and the tourism folks round that to over 100 miles once you add the connectors and the state trail miles. It is a figure that undersells the experience: those county miles tie directly into the Wild Rivers State Trail, whose 104-mile rail corridor carries ATVs year-round, and south toward the Tuscobia State Trail, which opens up travel across the region.
The trails are built and maintained by the local clubs working with the county, which means the people grooming the trail are the people riding it. That local ownership shows: washouts get fixed fast, signage stays up, and the riding community is one of the friendliest corners of the outdoor scene here. For the property at N6101 9th St, the heated garage and the trailhead are two of the reasons the previous owners could not imagine living anywhere else.
Where they go
County forest loops and the long corridors.
The day-to-day riding is loops and connectors through the county forest: gravel and grass two-tracks under pine and aspen, crossing streams, popping out on quiet forest roads, and dropping back in. It is exactly the riding Northwoods buyers picture, and it is more family-friendly than the open-road reputation of the sport suggests.
When you want to go somewhere, the Wild Rivers State Trail is the expressway: head south toward Rice Lake or north along the old railbed, stop for lunch where the trail meets a town, and ride back the same day. The link between county loops and the state corridor is what turns a Saturday ride into a genuine route, and the official Washburn County ATV and snowmobile map shows every connection. Pick up the map, or print the PDF, before your first ride.
Riding right
Registration, seasons, and respect.
- Register the machine. Wisconsin requires ATV and UTV registration, and riding the state trail corridors calls for the proper trail pass where required. The county map and the DNR pages carry the current sticker requirements.
- Seasonal common sense. Trails open when the ground allows: mud season and wet spring cuts close sections, and late fall hunting season means sharing the forest with folks walking quietly. Watch the county trail conditions page and give hunters a wide, loud berth.
- Stay on the route. The trail exists because the county and the clubs built it, and going around a mudhole or cutting a corner is how public trails vanish. Stay on rubber, pack out what you carry in, and close every gate.
- Helmets and lights. The law wants helmets for riders under 18, and locals wear them regardless. If you ride at dusk, lights matter on a forest road more than anywhere else.
Keep exploring
More of the lake country.
Winter in the Spooner country
The same corridors lace together for the snowmobile season, with 240+ groomed miles.
Read onOutdoor recreation, four seasons
Fishing, trails, hunting, snowmobiling, ATVs, and paddling around N6101 9th St.
Read onA local's list for a Spooner day
Where the town gathers between rides: drive-in burgers, the fish fry, and the museum.
Read onCome see it for yourself.
The best guide to Spooner is a day spent in it. If you are house-hunting in the area, send a note and we will map your afternoon around what you love.
Ask a local