Newsletter

Welcome to the 2025 newsletter for Timberland Hills Foundation (aka CASTA). We hope you enjoy our updates and we’ll see you out on the trails soon! 

Annual Meeting: Sunday, October 12 – 1:00 PM – Timberland Hills Trailhead
Note: Annual Ski Trail Work Day is cancelled for 2025 – see details below

2025-2026 Timberland Hills Memberships

$50 Family Membership $40 Single Membership $10 Daily Donation
$100 Business Sponsor Additional Donations appreciated!
www.timberlandhills.com/#donate

Memberships are due! We operate on memberships and donations, so we greatly appreciate those who round those numbers up. Memberships and donations may be conveniently done using our website: www.timberlandhills.com/#donate. As in the past, you may also mail a check to: Timberland Hills Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 1046, Cumberland, WI 54829. Please contact us if you are interested in making a large contribution. We are now a 501(c)(3) public charity, so donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. 

Mountain Bike Trail Update

It has been an exciting year on the Timberland Hills Trails powered by OTM (One Track Mind Foundation)! The trails opened for the year in May and it has been a great season of riding so far. It has been exciting to see so many people discovering the trails. Construction continues, as Pathfinder Trail Building and Zenith Trail Contracting are on site and will continue construction through late fall on Phase 3 of the trails. New trails opened so far in 2025 include the full Timber Beast trail and the blue gravity hub. Current construction is focusing on the new expert trail; total trail distance will be approximately 25 miles when finished this fall. 

Burnett County has approved construction of an additional ~5.5 miles of trail as the final phase (Phase 4) funded by One Track Mind. Planned for construction in the fall of 2026, Phase 4 will bring our trail mileage to approximately 30.5 miles, with many trails for all abilities and interests, with a variety of loop options – short, intermediate, and long.

While the winter of 24-25 was a low-snow winter, we had enough snow to learn a lot about winter biking on our trails. We were able to do some fat bike grooming and we are ready for more! The foundation recently procured a snowmobile and we have grooming equipment to use thanks to a generous donation from a member. We hope to offer reliable fat bike grooming, and we anticipate some great singletrack trails this winter. Watch for updates as the seasons change. As always, biking is also allowed on the multi-use Alternative Trail which is Pisten Bully groomed in winter. 

Trail reminders: Mountain bike trails, especially new trails, are sensitive to damage when wet. Do not ride on the trails when the gates are closed. Save the drive and check conditions before you come. We recommend following Timberland Hills on the Trailbot app. Trail conditions are also updated on www.timberlandhills.com and our Facebook page. 

Our great volunteers have been busy maintaining the trails; please send an email to [email protected] if you are interested in joining our trail maintenance team.  

Ski Trails Update

Unfortunately, the winter of 24-25 was another low-snow winter, though we are happy to say it was better than the disastrous 23-24 winter. For a while in February we had the full trail system open and in good condition with a lot of smiling faces happy to be back on snow. We again turned the lights on at the Lighted Trail whenever it was skiable.

We are committed to providing the best ski conditions possible, and we learned a lot the last two winters after many years of being spoiled with deep snow to work with. Our trails have been difficult to groom during low-snow conditions as they have become rutted and uneven after years of use. To improve this, THF is investing in some major ski trail improvements this fall. We will be working on leveling the trails where needed and widening the trail near the Springs. Trails will be smoothed out and re-seeded as needed; this may be a multi-year project, but we’ll see how much we can get done this fall. Due to active trail work; to avoid damage, we are sadly cancelling our annual ski trail work day for 2025. Putting wheeled vehicles on the trail is risky when soft. We will still need some help this fall that can work around the trail grading, so please reach out at [email protected] and we can get you set up to help where needed. 

Ski trails are currently mowed full width and we will evaluate further mowing depending on the mentioned trail work and how much the grass grows yet this fall. Think Snow, we hope to open the trails as early as possible. Ski trails will be open when conditions allow, December through March. Check www.timberlandhills.com for trail conditions; conditions are also updated on skinnyski.com and our Facebook page. 

Facilities Update

Recent years have shown major improvements to our facilities, including the improved parking lot and pit toilet. Special thanks to the Cumberland Bank Foundation and Cumberland United Fund for their major contributions to our infrastructure updates. The “warming house” is now open year-round – please take advantage of the shelter and the opportunity to charge your devices, along with bottled water or soft drinks from the fridge, all that we ask is a free-will donation. 

We recently completed construction of the Taloa Hut – a trail shelter near the springs in the northwest portion of Timberland Hills. This is a scenic place to take a break year-round while enjoying the property. The Taloa Hut is screened to keep mosquitoes out and has enough walls to break the wind, but enough screens to see the scenic view. Check it out!

We are excited to announce the development of five backcountry campsites at Timberland Hills. Each campsite will offer a latrine, tent pads, fire pit, and picnic table in a scenic location on a lake, pond or river, so that campers have both a beautiful view and a water source. Three sites are on or near the Ice Age Trail. All five sites are accessible only by hiking or biking, not by motor vehicles. The campsites will be available for rent when they are opened in 2026. In the meantime, the Camper Cabin is open year-round and is a great lodging option on the trail. The Camper Cabin is not accessible by motorized vehicles, but is a short hike, bike, or ski from the parking lot. Reserve the Camper Cabin and see more information at www.burnettcounty.com/campercabin. 

Other Activities

Timberland Hills is a multi-use area for a wide range of non-motorized activities. Our trails are located on Burnett County (main trail) and Barron County (lighted trail) county forest land. We are gracious for the continued opportunity to maintain our trails on public property. 

Hiking is allowed year-round, and we are fortunate to be a partner with the Ice Age Trail. Ski Trails are open for hiking year-round; please respect our ski trails when groomed by hiking or snowshoeing on the edge of the groomed trail, opposite of the set tracks. We keep the ski trails mowed as necessary during the summer and fall months to provide good hiking conditions. Hiking and trail running are also allowed on the singletrack bike trails; please yield to bikes.

Horseback riding has long been an activity at Timberland Hills, and we welcome horses on the ski trails whenever they aren’t groomed for skiing. We ask that horses stay off of the singletrack bike trails for safety and trail protection. 

Timberland Hills is open to public hunting, with seasons open throughout the fall. Trail users are encouraged to wear bright colors during hunting seasons. Bike trails will be closed, and ski trails won’t be groomed if we are fortunate enough to have snow, during the regular 9-day rifle deer season (November 22-30). It should be noted that we may see increased hunting this year as the Wisconsin DNR has changed our area to a Farmland Zone with liberalized regulations and seasons. 

Fundraising Update

We are a volunteer-led organization and we are constantly working to make improvements while being good stewards of our financial resources. We are thankful for your contributions and memberships. We also do some outside fundraising – thank you to everybody who supported us at our Rutabaga Festival food stand which had a successful year. Our board will be looking at our long-term needs to keep our ski trails and bike trails in tip-top shape and make improvements for the future; watch for details on a future capital campaign. 

See you out on the trails!

www.timberlandhills.com

Email: [email protected]