Within less than half an hour from our inn, you can discover more than 30 waterfalls to explore (your innkeeper wrote the book on area waterfalls). Hurley and Ironwood are surrounded by more than a million acres of private, county, state and national forest land. There are the waterfalls, inland lakes, vast hardwood forests, hidden canyons, the little Penokee & Gogebic mountain ranges, and Lake Superior - the world's largest lake. This is a paradise for nature lovers; whether you love silent sports or something motorized. Make your reservations today by using the handy email form at the bottom of the Rooms & Reservations page, or call us at: 715/561-2065.

Wildlife

Hear the wilderness howl of timber wolves. Abundant deer and beaver populations, vast areas without a road, and changing attitudes created a habitat suitable to the growth of wolf populations and other wilderness species, including coyotes and wild cats. That includes some 30+ nesting pairs of American Bald Eagles. Even last fall - 2008 - a moose wandered onto the school grounds at Hurley and then strolled through some residential areas. Among the wildlife now populating Iron County, you'll find:

Water

More than 30 waterfalls grace this area (some more are on private property, limiting access). Some are easy to reach with walkways and steps, yet others require a little adventure. The Black River Scenic Byway has five waterfalls within a 10 mile area. The falls on the Presque Isle River (pictured) are a great beginning when exploring the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness area. Nearby Superior Falls cascades 110 feet on the Montreal River near its mouth at Lake Superior. Potato River Falls and Saxon Falls have water cascading 90 feet. And there are many other beautiful falls to discover.

Fishing, swimming, boating . . . it's all here. You cannot go more than six miles in any direction without finding a lake or river. Smaller lakes dot the southern part of our area, making up the world's largest concentration of fresh water lakes. Lake Superior, the world's largest, offers you sandy beaches, rocky cliffs, agate hunting, and deep sea fishing opportunities. Lake of the Clouds offers hikers a variety of trails and the Gile Flowage, just south of our inn, is teaming with fish. From Saxon Harbor or bluffs over Lake Superior, you can see the Apostle Islands to the northeast ... but you just cannot see all the way across the big lake to our neighbors in northwest Ontario at Thunder Bay some 150 miles to the north.

Saxon Harbor offers a port for deep sea fishing craft as well as sailboats. More than that, from the harbor westward is one of Lake Superior's longest sandy beaches. You've got four miles of beach stretching northwesterly, making for an incredible sunset experience if you've ever had one. This is also a favorite spot for agate hunters! And the Harbor Lights is an excellent pit stop as you enter Saxon Harbor/Iron County's Lake Superior Park.

Hiking

You could spend an entire summer hiking the variety of trails in this area. You can follow the footsteps of Native Americans, voyageurs, and first settlers as they journeyed through Iron County on the famous Flambeau Trail. For the casual or serious hiker, North Country Trail is well marked as it passes through our Black River Valley from its beginning in New York to its ending in North Dakota.

Mountain Bike Trails

The Pines and Mines Mountain Bike Trail System offers 300 miles of marked and mapped mountain biking opportunities in the abundant public lands of Iron County and the nearby Ottawa National Forest.

ATV Trails

We feature Wisconsin's largest ATV system with 200 miles of warm-weather routes and trails. They take you deep into the heart of Iron County. Along the routes you will find a variety of friendly pit stops offering food, beverages, and gas. You can ride to Lake Superior, Spring Camp Waterfall or some exciting wilderness trails. And on Memorial Day Weekend in May we feature one of the nation's longest-running all terrain vehicle rallies ... plus our Pumpkin Run ATV Rally is held on Columbus Day Weekend in October. During the winter, ATVs are welcome on most Iron County snowmobile trails.

And the Anton-Walsh House Bed & Breakfast Inn is located on a spur connecting you to the trail system. So unload your ATVs in the back parking area and ride right from here ... connecting you to the trails in Wisconsin and those in Michigan; just 2 blocks away!

The Paavo Nurmi Marathon

Every August, Wisconsin's oldest running marathon takes place in Hurley. Reflecting the Finnish ethnic heritage of our area, the race was named for the "Flying Finn" who was the greatest distance runner of his era, capturing seven Olympic gold medals and three silver. From 1920-1930 Paavo Nurmi broke the world's record at every distance from 1,500 to 20,000 meters. Participants come to Hurley from around the world to run this 26.2 mile course and to qualify for larger marathons, such as the Boston Marathon.

We turn our inn over to runners for this weekend. Instead of our traditional breakfast, we put out fruit and beverages in the very early hours. Then we serve an enormous breakfast about an hour after our last runner comes in. We're within a couple of blocks of the finish line!

Iron County Heritage Festival

County fairs, the grand Iron County Historical Society Museum a mere two blocks away, a renaissance festival, and many local celebrations take you back to the days of real communities. Running for two weeks from the end of July well into August, local events make up the countywide Heritage Festival. These events include:

Copper Peak International Ski Flying Hill and Recreation Area

Copper Peak is one of six international ski flying hills and the only one in the Western Hemisphere. The upper platform of this mammoth, cantilevered, 300 ton superstructure gives you the highest unobstructed, 360 degree panoramic view in the Midwest. From this vantage point you can see nearly 40 miles in every direction. This includes the fast Lake Superior shoreline, the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and thousands of acres of beautiful forests.