Last updated on April 7th, 2026
Frog Bay Tribal National Park near Bayfield, Wisconsin, offers short hiking trails through a cedar forest to a sand beach with views of Apostle Islands.
Beautiful Frog Bay in summer.
Described as the first tribal national park in the USA, this 180-acre wilderness park preserves a boreal forest and undeveloped sand beach. And you don’t need to take a boat out to an island to enjoy it!
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A lovely little tribal park near the Apostle Islands
The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore includes 12 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, but the bulk of the national park consists of 21 islands that can only be reached from the water. There are relatively few beaches or hiking trails in the national lakeshore area on the mainland. That makes Frog Bay Tribal National Park a valuable find for both hikers and beach-goers visiting Bayfield and the surrounding area.
Here’s what you can expect to find when you visit.
Hiking trails
Frog Bay has under two miles of hiking trails that range from very easy to a little rugged. All trails have trail markings at intersections. Trails also have signage in Ojibwe that identifies various plants and animals that live in the park.
You can learn a little Ojibwe language as you hike through Frog Bay park.
The Ravine Trail
The Ravine Trail is one mile long. Despite the beautiful bridge at the trailhead that makes it look like an easy stroll through the woods, this trail is rated as moderately difficult because you go up and down hills and through a ravine.
The Ravine Trail begins with a beautiful pedestrian bridge. The hiking gets harder farther along!
This is the longest and most difficult trail in Frog Bay park, so none are super challenging.
The Easy Trail
We’d already been out hiking and visited a museum when we stopped by the park this summer, so we decided to check out an easier trail. And what could be easier than following an old access road.
The Easy Trail is just a walk down an abandoned road. So yes, it’s easy.
Unfortunately, the sandy road isn’t very shaded and doesn’t have a lot of interesting vegetation right along it. That translates to: It was hot and a little boring. (But it was easy. Even with sand, it was flat and easy walking.)
If you follow this route all the way to the beach, it’s less than half a mile. If you are hauling beach chairs or a cooler, this is definitely the way to go.
But the Beach Trail connects to this trail to both this trail and the Ravine Trail, so we decided to check that trail out.
The Beach Trail
I was more than ready to head into the shady forest when we came to the connection to the beach trail.
There was no missing the connection to the Beach Trail!
A lot of the forest in this area is pretty wet . That’s perfect for cedar trees, not so perfect for trails and hikers! After sinking into the mud a couple of times, I was ready to head back to the road. But then another hiker came out from the beach, promised most of the trail wasn’t too wet or too much farther.
So, we kept going.
Most of the Beach Trail is “paved” with logs, but it can get muddy and slippery when it’s wet.
This was a really rainy year, so there were plenty of places where the log path was pretty well buried in the mud. But the trade-off was a beautiful, shady forest with ferns and a few late spring flowers.
There weren’t many wildflowers in mid-June, but I found a few.
And it wasn’t very far to the beach.
Once there, you can swim, walk along the beach, or just enjoy a view of Lake Superior (Anishinaabewi Gichigami) and five of the “Apostle” Islands: Bear Island (Makwa-minis), Oak Island (Mitigigominikaaninig-minis), Stockton Island (Wiisaakodewan-minis), Michigan (Bagidaabii-minis), and Hermit (Eshkwegwindeg-minis).
A sand beach and a view of the islands? What more could you want?
At the beach
I actually visited Frog Bay for the first time back in the 90s when I took a weekend sailing class in the Apostle Islands. It was a hot August weekend, and our instructor took us out to Frog Bay one afternoon to practice anchoring. The reward for proving we could do so successfully was a dip in Frog Bay.
Yes, we went swimming in Lake Superior, a lake well-known for its year-round icy waters.
Frog Bay has long been a bit of a sailor and boater’s secret. Because of how it is situated, it is often much warmer than most other spots on Lake Superior. Warm enough that it feels almost like swimming in any other northern lake on a hot summer day.
When I visited all those years ago, the captain thought the land was owned by the tribe since it is within the reservation. But the general understanding was that swimming off the boat was fine as long as you didn’t go wandering on shore.
Now that this area is a public tribal park, three-quarters of a mile of undeveloped lakeshore along Frog Bay (most of the bay) is open to the public whether you arrive by land or water.
There’s a ¾ mile sand beach to enjoy.
The best time to visit
The best time of year to visit depends a lot on what you want to do.
Hiking through the woods is best in fall.
Spring brings a variety of wildflowers, including some rarities, but it also brings wet trails and the first batch of hungry mosquitos!
The forest is lovely and cool in summer, but you’ll be sharing it with those pesky mosquitos and a few other biting insects.
Fall should be perfect! While there are lots of cedar and other evergreens here, there are also plenty of birch and maple. I haven’t been here during the fall (yet), but the fall color should be wonderful along all the trails (even, or maybe especially, the Easy Trail), and the islands you can see from the beach will be swaths of brilliant color floating above the water.
Enjoy the beach in summer or fall
The beach at Frog Bay is wonderful on a hot summer afternoon. Wait until July or August if you want to play in the water. By then it might be warm enough for a swim, and the black flies are usually gone. (The hike through the woods will still be buggy until the first freezes.)
You won’t want to get in the water once summer comes to an end. However, as noted above, the beach is a great place to enjoy fall colors on the islands in the distance as well as all around.
Things to know before you visit
While the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa only acquired the land that includes the Frog Bay Tribal National Park in 2012 and 2017, all of this area belonged to the Anishinaabe (Chippewa) before allotment under the Dawes Act of 1887. That means the site is important for more than its ecological and recreational value. It holds cultural, spiritual, and historic significance as well. Non-Native visitors are welcome to enjoy the park, but should treat the area with the utmost respect.
The Frog Bay Tribal National Park is part of a larger protected area. Only the national park area is open to the public. The adjacent conservation management area is only open to tribal membership.
Only foot traffic is allowed in the park. Motor vehicles and ATVs are not allowed anywhere in the park, not even on the old road that forms the Easy Trail.
Getting to Frog Bay tribal park
Frog Bay Tribal National Park is located about 7 miles north of Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the Red Cliff Reservation. The reservation wraps around the end of the Bayfield Peninsula, and the park is north of the casino in Red Cliff. You’ll end up on unpaved roads before you get there, but there are road signs for the park.
Bayfield is about a 1½ hour-drive west of Duluth/Superior, 3 hours north of Chippewa Falls, and about 4 hours northwest of Minneapolis/Saint Paul.
In the park
Frog Bay Tribal Park is open from sunrise to sunset.
Free parking and portable toilets are available at the park entrance. There are no facilities once you leave the parking area.
Both the tribal conservation area and private property surround the park area. If you see a sign marking a boundary, DO NOT cross it.
Bring your trash out of the park with you. This is a “leave no trace” park.
We are guests of the Red Cliff tribe at Frog Bay. Please be a respectful and well-behaved guest so this park can remain open to the public.
Lodging near Frog Bay
The Red Cliff band offers lodging and camping at and near their Legendary Waters Resort and Casino in Red Cliff. (There’s also a marina.) You can book through Legendary Waters or Expedia. (Rakuten members get cash back when they book through Expedia.)
Expedia also has a variety of other options (including cottages) between Red Cliff and Bayfield.
Book as far in advance as you can. This is a busy area most of the year. Summer and fall leaf season are the busiest, but winter events can also fill available lodging.
Other things to do in the area
I have an old post on Bayfield and the Apostle Islands that includes more information on the area. But, in general, you’ll find plenty of outdoor activities, unique small-town shops, good food, and many water-related activities. If you would like to explore the Apostle Islands and don’t have access to a boat, you can take one of several boat tours to see historic sites, lighthouses, wildlife, and more.
