Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Northeastern Wisconsin has one of the planet's highest ratios of lakes to land, with water
comprising 37 percent of the total surface. Cartographically, this region is more blue than
green, so it's little wonder this place is such an escape.
Escape is the key. Local populations run in inverse proportion to the saturating numbers
of tourists. Two counties, Iron and Florence, are among the least-populated in the entire
state; Florence County has precisely zero incorporated towns.
Somewhere among the few highways crisscrossing the region is a north-south division
oft discussed by Wisconsinites—a Thoreau-esque zone of tranquility rather than a Great
North Woods Mason-Dixon line. A popular Northern Wisconsin wordsmith once said,
“Well, we basically consider everything south of U.S. 2 to be Confederate.” That's pretty
far north.
A weekend is tight timing, particularly if you plan to blaze a trail from the south for the
weekend. If so, your place of rest would be either
Minocqua, Woodruff,
or
Arbor Vitae,
where you can hike, bike, or drive the Boulder Junction area. Or choose
Eagle River,
to
take in all the snowmobiling sights and go fishing.
