Enjoy these Northwoods lakes this summer
There’s still time to explore northern Wisconsin’s scenic lakes this summer, whether you’re looking for a fishing hotspot, a lake chain to cruise on your pontoon boat, or a great place for a late-season camping trip or swimming getaway. Here are a few of our favorites.
Lake Minocqua
Lake Minocqua surrounds the “Island City” of Minocqua on the border of Oneida County and Vilas County, and it’s the second-largest lake on the Minocqua Chain of Lakes (only 3,400-acre Tomahawk Lake is bigger). There is a swimming beach at Torpy Park in downtown Minocqua, and boaters can launch their pontoons or fishing boats from four public-access boat launches. In fact, boaters can drive their boats right up to the docks of restaurants like the Minocqua Yacht Club, the Boat House, and the Thirsty Whale as well as several lakeside resorts.
Three Lakes-Eagle River Chain of Lakes
Another popular spot for boating in the Northwoods, the Three Lakes-Eagle River Chain of Lakes consists of 29 lakes and is the largest freshwater chain of lakes in the world. Notable lakes on the chain include Big Lake, Big Stone Lake, Catfish Lake, Long Lake, and Spirit Lake. A fun attraction that connects the two sections of the chain is the Burnt Rollways Dam & Boat Hoist, which lifts watercraft from the lower elevation of the Three Lakes chain to the higher Eagle River chain.
Lac Vieux Desert, Land O’ Lakes
Want to see where the mighty Wisconsin River begins? Then visit this massive 4,000-acre lake that straddles the border of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in northern Vilas County. The lake is known for its populations of musky, walleye, bass, and northern pike, and a scenic park on the southwest shore of the lake allows visitors to see the headwaters of the Wisconsin River, which starts its approximately 400-mile voyage to the Mississippi River here.
North and South Trout Lake, Boulder Junction
This scenic 3,800-acre lake south of downtown Boulder Junction is divided into two basins: North Trout Lake and the larger South Trout Lake. The lake is home to musky, panfish, bass, pike, walleye, and (of course) lake trout. It’s also part of the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, and campers can choose from more than 50 rustic sites at two different campgrounds—the North Trout Campground offers good swimming, and both sites are along the Heart of Vilas County Bike Trail. A peninsula called Cathedral Point juts out between the two sections of the lake and offers a short, scenic walk among towering pine trees.
Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
Created in the 1920s by a dam built to harness the power of the Turtle and Flambeau rivers in northwestern Wisconsin, the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage is located between Mercer in Iron County and Park Falls in Price County. The flowage encompasses 16 natural lakes and three rivers, and the state’s Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area is home to 66 remote campsites that are only accessible by water.
