USFS · Wisconsin

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

The Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest is a 1,530,647-acre (6,194.31 km2) U.S. National Forest in northern Wisconsin in the United States. Legally two separate national forests—the Chequamegon National Forest and the Nicolet National Forest—the areas were established by presidential proclamations in 1933 and have been managed as one unit since 1998. The national forest's land, trees and vegetation are part of the North Woods ecoregion that prevails throughout the upper Great Lakes region. Little old-growth forest remains due to logging in the early part of the 20th century, and some of the second-growth forest was planted by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.0 million acresUSFSWI65 campgrounds within 10 mi56 Forest Service sites340 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWisconsin
Size2.0 million acres (Forest Service administrative boundary (gis_acres))
Forest Service code0913, region 09
Center point46.2849, -91.0608
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest10°20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.99 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.94 inches of precipitationMarch: 1.91 inches of precipitationApril: 3.12 inches of precipitationMay: 4.08 inches of precipitationJune: 4.19 inches of precipitationJuly: 3.96 inches of precipitationAugust: 4.27 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.64 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.37 inches of precipitationNovember: 2.01 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.44 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 10.1°F averageFebruary: 12.9°F averageMarch: 24.6°F averageApril: 38.3°F averageMay: 51.7°F averageJune: 61.9°F averageJuly: 66.2°F averageAugust: 64.1°F averageSeptember: 56.3°F averageOctober: 43.1°F averageNovember: 29.5°F averageDecember: 16.6°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Clam Lake 4W, 9 miles from the center point at 1,498 feet, station USC00471604 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 34 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

54 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 11 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Ada Lake Campground
Reservable20 sites
FS · Inside
Anvil Lake Campground
Reservable19 sites
FS · Inside
Bagley Rapids Campground
Reservable31 sites
FS · Inside
Bear Lake Campground
Reservable27 sites
FS · Inside
Beaver Lake
Reservable10 sites
FS · Inside
Birch Grove
Reservable16 sites
FS · Inside
Birch Grove Recreation Area
First-comeWI
FS · Inside
Black Lake
Reservable29 sites
Show 4 more

53 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 56

The Forest Service lists 56 recreation sites in this forest, among them 41 campgrounds, 3 viewing Wildlifes, 2 nordic ski trails, 2 picnic areas. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 56

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 340 named trails in this forest, 1,273 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Snowmobile Trail Lkln Forest ↗69.3
Dead Horse Run ↗49
Forest County Snowmobile ↗48
Florence County Snowmobile ↗45
Ice Age Nst-B ↗42.1
Snowmobile Trail Lkln Langlade ↗39.6
Snowmobile Route 25 ↗37.1
Vilas County Snowmobile ↗35
North Country National Scenic ↗34.9
Fish Trap ↗24.9

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas, refreshed September 18, 2026. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 340 trails in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Scenic Trail · Adjacent
North Country National Scenic Trail
National Lakeshore · 23 mi
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
National Register listings within 15 miles · 176 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

2.0 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in?

Wisconsin.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

54 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary, including Ada Lake Campground, Anvil Lake Campground and Bagley Rapids Campground. 65 in all are within ten miles. Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites; check the forest page for closures.

Source: Where to camp

Where are the trailheads in Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

The Forest Service lists 56 recreation sites here, including 41 campground campgrounds, 3 viewing wildlifes and 2 xc skiing/snowshoeings. Each one links to its Forest Service page.

Source: Trailheads and sites

How do I get to Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 46.285, -91.061. North Country National Scenic Trail is adjacent. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

How dark is the night sky at Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 12 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, about as dark as the ground gets.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Which national parks are near Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

North Country National Scenic Trail (adjacent) and Apostle Islands National Lakeshore (23 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

176 National Register listings within 15 miles, including Anvil Lake Campground Shelter and Big Sand Lake Club.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons; a state is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area.
  • Description: Chequamegon–Nicolet National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.