Fifth Annual Bayfield Poetry Trail Wrap-Up

September 1-30, 2025

The Bayfield Poetry Trail celebrated its fifth year this September, inviting visitors and locals to explore poems displayed at 26 participating Chamber businesses from Cornucopia to Ashland. Each location selected a poem to feature in a window or outdoor space, creating a self-guided literary adventure throughout the month.

This year’s contest winner was Karen Yaeger of Columbia Heights, Minnesota, who rediscovered Bayfield for the first time in 25 years. After spotting the Poetry Trail map in Washburn, she spent two days visiting 22 poem stops—earning her $25 in Chamber Bucks.

The Trail began in 2020 under Bayfield Poet Laureate Lucy Tyrrell, who continues to coordinate the event with the Bayfield Chamber & Visitor Bureau. Five businesses have participated all five years, helping build a tradition that now aligns with Festival of the Arts and Art Escape each September. Those businesses are The Bayfield Carnegie Library, The Bayfield Inn, Eckels Pottery and Fine Crafts Gallery, Honest Dog Books, and Keeper of the Light. 

Visitors often share heartfelt stories—from families reading poems together on their commute to couples taking turns reciting verses as they explore town. Selections in 2025 ranged from Rumi to Mary Oliver and Maya Angelou, with businesses choosing poems that reflect Lake Superior, their mission, or simply personal favorites. This year even saw the Trail’s first AI-generated poem, selected by Queen’s View B&B.

Whether someone reads one poem or all twenty-six, the Poetry Trail continues to spark discovery and connection—between readers, local businesses, and the natural beauty of the region. Look for the next Bayfield Poetry Trail in September 2026.

 

Map out your adventure! 

This event is scheduled to overlap with Art Escape (September 6–14) and with Bayfield Festival of Arts (September 6&7) and is a collaboration among the Bayfield Chamber, the participating businesses, and Lucy Tyrrell (Poetry Trail organizer and Bayfield Poet Laureate 2020–2021).