Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest — Attraction in Park Falls

The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, encompassing over 1.5 million acres in northern Wisconsin, offers a diverse array of recreational opportunities amid its rich natural landscapes.

🌲 Overview

Established in 1933 and managed as a single entity since 1998, the forest comprises two units:

Chequamegon Unit: Approximately 858,400 acres across counties like Ashland, Bayfield, and Sawyer.

Nicolet Unit: Around 661,400 acres spanning counties such as Florence, Forest, and Oconto.

The forest's diverse ecosystems include uplands, bogs, wetlands, rivers, and glacial lakes, supporting a variety of flora like sugar maple, red maple, and eastern hemlock.

🏕️ Recreation

Camping & Hiking: With over 800 miles of trails and numerous campgrounds, visitors can explore areas like the Anvil Lake Recreation Area, which offers campsites, a boat launch, and access to the Anvil Lake Trail.

Water Activities: The forest boasts more than 2,000 lakes, providing ample opportunities for fishing, kayaking, and swimming.

Winter Sports: In colder months, activities such as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling are popular, with trails like the Nicolet State Trail catering to these pursuits.

🐾 Wildlife

The forest is home to diverse wildlife, including white-tailed deer, black bears, foxes, and a variety of bird species like bald...

Beautiful park and the river on the one side of the park is huge. It does have real toilets and you have to buy tokens to shower. There seems to be a lot of electric sites, but I don't believe they have water hookups. Unfortunately, the park is otherwise really low maintenance. There is a trail on the maps from the playground to the beach, which is nearly impossible to find. We did find it as there was a run-down trail marker and a tipped over bench sinking into the dirt. The beach is also unusable. There were some broken picnic tables in the water, and there didn't seem to be any sand there. The fishing pier was nice. The playground consisted of swings and an old metal slide and a volleyball court. The trails and the campsites were low on gravel, so if it rained, there would be huge...

Back home from a cross country trip with a cigar reflecting on my night journeying through this million acre park. It was one of the highlights of my trip. While searching for primitive campgrounds and following signs off the main road to find them to no avail, I passed three elk crossing the road and found myself miles and miles deep on old pavement roads that have been abandoned. It all made for a beautiful night in my car with camper and dog in tow., I came out around 4am with some beautiful nighttime clear sky and nature flash photography. It was a true surprise of a trip through---one I'm so glad I did not miss for sleep. Thank you for preserving such beautiful...