The Rainbow Lake Wilderness is a

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

located within the Chequamegon unit of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The land is in northern

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

and entirely in

Bayfield County Bayfield County is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, its population is 16,220. Its county seat is Washburn. The county was created in 1845 and organized in 1850. The Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior C ...

. The wilderness area is operated by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. Rainbow Lake Wilderness includes Rainbow Lake, fifteen other lakes and nine small ponds. Many can be accessed by former logging trails and rail grades, including the

North Country National Scenic Trail The North Country National Scenic Trail, generally known as the North Country Trail or simply the NCT, is a footpath stretching over from Middlebury in central Vermont to Lake Sakakawea State Park in central North Dakota in the United States; ...

. Rainbow Lake Wilderness is entirely bordered by roads that are maintained by the Forest Service. It is heavily wooded with many species of trees including northern hardwoods, balsam fir, pine, and paper birch. Rainbow Lake Wilderness gives opportunity for visitors to fish, hike, and camp in some of what is considered

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

References

External links

Official Site
at

{{Protected areas of Wisconsin IUCN Category Ib Protected areas of Bayfield County, Wisconsin Wilderness areas of Wisconsin Protected areas established in 1975 1975 establishments in Wisconsin

See also

References

External links