Things to know about the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest

May 25, 2022

Boulder Junction is surrounded by the beautiful Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. This vast, beautiful public forest comes right to the edge of town, so visitors are always close to great outdoor recreation. Here’s a bit of information about this gem in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.

It’s big! The forest covers 236,000 acres, or 351 square miles. The forest extends far beyond Boulder Junction, across three counties (Vilas, Oneida, and Iron) in northern Wisconsin.

There’s water! The forest includes 930 lakes and 250 miles of rivers and creeks. There are also more than 100 boat launches and nine swimming beaches.

It’s accessible! The forest has more than 18 miles of designated hiking trails, 32 miles of mountain bike trails, 70 miles of cross-country ski trails and 400 miles of snowmobile trails. The forest is also home to nearly 1,000 miles of woodland roads open to hiking and biking.

It’s popular! About two million visitors enjoy the park every year. The good news: a forest this vast never becomes crowded!

It’s yours! Trail passes are required for groomed cross-country ski trails and mountain bike trails. but this forest is a public resource and it’s open to anyone who loves the outdoors. Enjoy it!

It’s close to dining and lodging! Since Boulder Junction is surrounded by the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, that means the town’s great restaurants and places to stay are just minutes from the forest.