Northwestern Wisconsin keeps one of the Midwest's more understated outdoor gems: the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area, a 4,400-acre patch of glacier-carved country near the village of New Auburn. The ice sheets that once covered this region left behind a moraine roughly 10 miles wide, more than 70 ponds and kettle lakes, and a landscape that now sits inside the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve, which protected the area when it was established in 1971.
Camping here is about as primitive as it gets. There are only three backpack campsites in the whole recreation area, each with nothing more than a fire ring and an outdoor toilet. One is canoe-in only, five miles from headquarters; the other two sit about a half-mile from the David R. Obey Ice Age Interpretive Center. Reservations are mandatory and can be made from same-day up to 11 months ahead — with so few sites, booking early is the only safe bet.
The lakes are the main draw for paddlers and anglers. Canoes and kayaks can launch on Knickerbocker, Plummer, Jeanstow, Horseshoe, Townline, and both Shattuck Lakes, while licensed anglers can fish for largemouth and rock bass, bluegill, and northern pike — Little Plummer Lake, at 10 acres, is a popular spot.
Hikers get a slice of the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail, which crosses 30 Wisconsin counties. The 8-mile Chippewa Moraine Segment is a point-to-point route past Payne, Horseshoe, and North Shattuck Lakes that gains only 505 feet despite its length, taking roughly 3.5 hours. The 7.9-mile Harwood Lakes Segment is rated moderate, climbing 656 feet as it heads into the 33,000-acre Chippewa County Forest and around Baldy Mountain. If you'd rather loop, the nearly 5-mile Circle Loop Trail strings together kettle lakes with rolling hills and benches for breaks, and the 1.9-mile Dry Lake Loop is a short walk packed with glacial features. Summer brings shady oak-maple woodland; fall turns the trails brilliantly colourful.
Getting there takes about two hours and 15 minutes by car from either La Crosse, Wisconsin or Minneapolis, Minnesota. If you want to extend the geology theme, Interstate State Park — Wisconsin's first state park, with its famous glacial potholes — sits just under 90 minutes west.
This one's for paddlers, backpackers, and anyone who likes their wilderness quiet and lightly managed. It's not a resort park — the interpretive center with its hands-on fossil digs is about as developed as it gets — but that's exactly the appeal for travellers chasing a back-to-basics Great Lakes escape.
