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 acresUSFSWI54 campgrounds within 10 mi56 Forest Service sites340 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
2 fires
active
Rx-West Church Windrows (prescribed burn) · 23 mi from the center · 81 acres
1 more within 50 miles
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWisconsin
Size2.0 million acres
Forest Service code0913, region 09
Center point46.28° N, 91.06° W
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 →

46 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 8 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
Black Lake
Reservable29 sites
FS · Inside
Boot Lake Campground
Reservable34 sites
Show 4 more

42 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. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

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

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx-West Church Windrows

    23 mi from the center point · 81 acres

  • Wildfire
    Redhouse

    24 mi from the center point · 22 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

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 · 177 in all · Register Atlas

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

Guidebooks for Wisconsin

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Best Hikes Madison, Wisconsin
    Johnny Molloy, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • 50 Hikes in Wisconsin
    Ellen Morgan and John Morgan, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Rail-trails Michigan & Wisconsin
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes on and Around the North Country Trail - Michigan and Wisconsin
    Thomas Funke, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Wisconsin
    Eric Hansen, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

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?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest?

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

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx-West Church Windrows at 23 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

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?

The National Register has 177 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 and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • 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.