Northern Highland-American Legion

Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest is Wisconsin's largest state forest at over 232,000 acres in Vilas, Oneida, and Iron counties in the Northwoods region. The forest contains over 900 lakes and 285 miles of rivers and streams, making it one of the most lake-dense forested areas in the world. Established in 1925 and named in honor of the American Legion's conservation efforts, the forest provides a vast outdoor recreation landscape of boating, fishing, camping, hiking, and wildlife observation across the heart of Wisconsin's Northwoods. The forest's combination of abundant water, extensive mixed forest, and well-developed recreation infrastructure makes it the recreational hub of northern Wisconsin.

The forest's over 900 lakes and vast expanse of woodland support exceptional wildlife diversity. Common loons nest on hundreds of the forest's lakes, making this one of the most important loon populations in the lower 48 states. Bald eagles and osprey are abundant fish predators, and the forest supports healthy populations of black bears, white-tailed deer, fishers, otters, beavers, and timber wolves. The lakes harbor walleye, muskellunge, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and numerous panfish species. Ruffed grouse drumming is a common spring sound in the forest understory. The northern forest also supports boreal species including spruce grouse, gray jays, and pine martens at the southern edge of their range.

The forest's vegetation is a mix of northern hardwood-hemlock forest and boreal conifer-hardwood communities, reflecting the Northwoods ecological zone. Sugar maple, yellow birch, hemlock, and white pine dominate the upland forests, while lowland areas feature black spruce, tamarack, and white cedar in extensive bogs and swamps. Red and jack pine occupy sandier soils on outwash plains. The forest contains significant old-growth hemlock and hardwood stands that escaped the logging era, with some trees exceeding 300 years in age. The lake margins support wild rice, water lilies, and emergent marshes, and the forest's peatland bogs harbor sphagnum moss, pitcher plants, sundews, and Labrador tea.

The Northern Highland occupies the highest terrain in Wisconsin, with elevations exceeding 1,800 feet, formed by glacial deposits atop ancient Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rock. The region's extraordinary density of lakes results from the irregular deposition of glacial debris — moraines, outwash, and ice-contact deposits — that created thousands of natural depressions that filled with water as glaciers retreated approximately 10,000 years ago. Kettle lakes, formed by the melting of buried ice blocks, are especially numerous. The underlying bedrock includes some of the oldest rocks in North America, but these are rarely exposed, buried beneath thick glacial deposits. The sandy and gravelly glacial soils create the well-drained conditions that support extensive pine forests.

The Northern Highland has one of the coldest and snowiest climates in Wisconsin, with long winters and short, pleasant summers. Summer highs average about 76°F with low humidity and cool nights ideal for camping, while winter lows average around -10°F with annual snowfall exceeding 70 inches. The region's high elevation and distance from the Great Lakes contribute to its cold climate. Lakes typically freeze by early December and remain ice-covered until late April. The growing season of about 100-110 days is the shortest in Wisconsin. Fall color, dominated by sugar maple and birch, peaks in late September to early October and draws thousands of visitors to the Northwoods.

The Northern Highland was home to Ojibwe peoples who lived amid the lakes and forests, harvesting wild rice, fishing, and hunting. The region's vast white pine forests attracted logging companies in the late 1800s, and the Northwoods was stripped of most old-growth timber by the early 1900s. Log drives on the rivers and lakes were the primary transportation method, and many of the forest's waterways were modified with dams and channels to facilitate timber transport. After logging ended, the cutover lands were initially marketed for farming, but the poor soils proved unsuitable, and much of the land reverted to the state for unpaid taxes. This tax-reverted land became the foundation of the state forest.

The Northern Highland State Forest was established in 1925 on cutover timberland acquired through tax reversion. The forest was renamed the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest in 1956 to honor the American Legion's contributions to conservation and reforestation efforts. The Civilian Conservation Corps played a major role in reforesting the area and building recreation infrastructure during the 1930s. Over the decades, the forest has grown to become Wisconsin's largest state property, managed for timber production, recreation, and wildlife habitat. The forest's extensive campground system, with over 900 campsites, has made the Northwoods accessible to generations of Wisconsin families.

The forest offers over 18,000 acres of water and hundreds of miles of shoreline for fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and motorboating. The Bearskin State Trail, a 25-mile paved trail, and numerous hiking and mountain biking trails traverse the forest. Over 900 campsites across multiple campgrounds provide lakeside and forest camping. The forest's musky and walleye fishing draw anglers from across the Midwest. In winter, 225 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and 60 miles of cross-country ski trails serve winter recreation enthusiasts. The forest connects to the Minocqua-Woodruff-Arbor Vitae tourism corridor, one of Wisconsin's most popular vacation destinations, with resorts, restaurants, and attractions complementing the forest's natural recreation.

The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest is located in north-central Wisconsin, with the communities of Minocqua, Woodruff, and Eagle River serving as gateway towns. The forest is approximately 250 miles north of Milwaukee and 280 miles north of Chicago. Over 900 campsites are available across numerous campgrounds, most located on lakes. Facilities vary from modern sites with electric hookups to primitive backcountry sites. Boat launches provide access to hundreds of lakes. A Wisconsin state trail pass and/or vehicle admission sticker are required for various activities. The forest is accessible year-round. Gateway communities offer full services including resorts, restaurants, outfitters, and grocery stores.

The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest represents one of the most successful large-scale reforestation stories in the Midwest, with cutover wasteland transformed over a century into a productive and biologically diverse forest. Sustainable forestry practices balance timber harvest with habitat maintenance, providing a model for multi-use forest management. The forest's loon population is monitored through one of the longest-running loon census programs in North America. Invasive species management targets Eurasian watermilfoil in lakes, emerald ash borer in forests, and other threats to native ecosystems. Water quality monitoring across the forest's hundreds of lakes tracks the health of aquatic ecosystems and detects early signs of degradation. The forest's vast, connected landscape provides critical habitat for species like timber wolves that require large, unbroken forest tracts.