For a taste of the wilderness, head to the Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area, southwest of Lake Tomahawk. Anglers can try their luck snagging northern pike, muskellunge, or large and smallmouth bass, while paddlers can explore the flowage's numerous nooks and crannies. Over at the Bittersweet Lakes, a chain of four lakes separated by small isthmuses, it's time for an easy paddle-and-portage experience.
Hundreds of miles of paved bicycle trails crisscross the Minocqua area, ducking in and out of the woods and sometimes paralleling the roads, offering innumerable cycling experiences. One of the more popular paths is the 18-mile Bearskin State Trail, a compact granite rail-trail that starts in downtown Minocqua and heads south, traversing through pine and hardwood forest and crossing 13 trestle bridges. It connects with the six-mile Hiawatha Trail, which continues south to Tomahawk.
If hiking is more your speed, you’re in luck, as Minocqua boasts more than 600 miles of trail. For an easy walk, head a few miles north of Arbor Vitae to the North Trout Lake Natural Trail, a one-mile loop encircling a pretty black spruce-tamarack bog. The path also leads you along the Trout Lake shoreline. A little more challenging is the Star Lake Nature Trail, whose 2.5 miles roll up and down hilly terrain past Wisconsin's first tree plantings.
With over a million acres of public forest and over 2,300 bodies of natural freshwater reservoirs, our area provides the perfect backdrop for whatever outdoor recreation relaxes you most.
