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'Forest bathing' trail opens
Plus: Park passes, lumberjack champions, and sharp-tailed grouse
Forrest Koslowski
July 23, 2026
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Mornin’ and hope you’re breathing easier after last week’s record-breaking bad air quality in Wisconsin. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly, the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.
This week’s weekly:
🎟️ Park pass sales jump 20% off new DMV combo
🪓 Three women's world records fall at Lumberjack Championships
🐦 No sharp-tailed grouse season in Wisconsin this year
🌳 STORY OF THE WEEK: First certified ‘forest bathing’ trail opens
🎟️ Park pass sales jump 20% off new DMV combo LINK
New deal lets you grab a state park pass right when you renew your vehicle registration, and folks jumped on it. Over 23,400 passes sold through the DMV in about a month.
The $28 sticker gets you into every state park, forest, and rec area for a full year. June sales landed about 20% higher than last June, and since the parks are self-funded, every pass rolls right back into the system.
The DNR figured online sales might dip once the DMV option went live. Didn't happen. They're calling it a win-win. Your email works as proof, so you're good to go the second you check out.
🪓 Three women's world records fall at Lumberjack Championships LINK
Three women's world records went down at the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, where 106 competitors from 16 states and nine countries came to saw, chop, and logroll.
Karolina Urbanová of the Czech Republic set records in two different chopping events. And hometown favorite Meredith Ingbretson of Hayward flew across eight cedar logs and back in 13.78 seconds for a Boom Run record. Home crowd got their money's worth.
Women have been competing here since 1960, back when it was just logrolling. Now they've got 20-plus events. The whole show runs on the shore of Lake Hayward, an old log-drive holding pond.
🐦 No sharp-tailed grouse season in Wisconsin this year LINK
There won't be a sharp-tailed grouse season in Wisconsin this year. The DNR won't offer any permits or applications for 2026.
The call came from the Sharp-tailed Grouse Advisory Committee after digging into population and habitat data. Managers expect the dip in this year's estimate to be short-lived, not the start of a trend.
Here's the upside: these birds have been climbing in recent years, thanks to habitat restoration in the pine barrens of northwest Wisconsin. The DNR's staying the course on long-term recovery.
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🌳 STORY OF THE WEEK: First certified ‘forest bathing’ trail opens LINK
If you have been feeling a bit "wired and tired" from endless screen time and everyday overload, Vilas County has just the remedy.
Wisconsin’s very first certified forest-bathing trail has officially opened at Tara Lila’s Section 9 unit, located just about ten minutes south of downtown Eagle River.
Spearheaded by certified forest therapy guide Cindy Conlon, this self-guided route offers a curated, stress-melting experience designed to help you disconnect from digital noise and truly soak in nature.
Unlike a typical fast-paced hike where the goal is distance or speed, forest bathing—inspired by the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku—invites you to slow down, put away your phone, and engage your senses.
As you wander along the wide, accessible path, hand-crafted signs created by local high school students present thoughtful prompts or "invitations" at designated stops.
These interactive exercises might ask you to close your eyes while slowly turning to focus strictly on forest sounds, or to observe the subtle, vibrant textures of the canopy above.
The practice offers powerful physical and mental wellness benefits similar to traditional meditation—including reduced stress, sharper focus, improved sleep, and enhanced mood—making it a perfect alternative for anyone who finds it tough to sit still.
Taking roughly an hour to complete at your own comfortable pace, this new trail provides a serene Northwoods escape where you can recharge your mind and connect deeply with the outdoors.
Now more than ever, get out 'der!
WISCAMPSIN WEEKLY POLL
Last Week's Trivia Check
We asked why heat-stressed fish can't just hide at the very bottom of the lake during a heatwave. You guys know your lake ecology! A leading 47% of you correctly identified the harsh reality of the deep water.
The Correct Answer: The deepest, coldest water layer completely runs out of oxygen in late summer.
The Takeaway: In the summer, lakes separate into distinct temperature layers that refuse to mix. The bottom layer is certainly the coldest, but as dead algae sinks and decomposes, the process consumes all the oxygen! This traps fish in a middle layer—the thermocline—where it's just cool enough, but still has enough oxygen to let them breathe.
This Week's Trivia
With the hazy skies and record-breaking Air Quality Index (AQI) spikes we saw last week, wildfires are on everyone's mind. While breathing the smoke is miserable for us, fire is actually a natural and strictly necessary part of Wisconsin's forest ecosystems. In fact, one native tree has evolved to completely rely on the intense heat of a forest fire to reproduce!
Which native Wisconsin tree produces specialized, resin-sealed cones that will only open and release their seeds after being scorched by a wildfire?Give it a gut check and click a response below: |
A review from the trail… Love to hear, neighbor!
Well, how'd we do this week? |
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