Northern Highland - American Legion State Forest

Established in 1925 to protect the headwaters of the Wisconsin, Flambeau and Manitowish rivers, the Northern Highland-American Legion (NH-AL) State Forest occupies more than 225,000 acres in Vilas, Oneida and Iron counties. The NH-AL State Forest is important to many people because it has the unique ability to meet many different needs.

Current Conditions

News & Info

Out-of-State Firewood

State Forest Map [PDF, 790KB]

Directions to the forest

Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest
Trout Lake Forestry Headquarters
4125 Cty Hwy M
Boulder Junction, WI 54512

General information:
(715) 385-2727; Marci Jahns

Recreation:
(715) 542-2075; Kim Krawczyk
(715) 542-2397 - Fax

Crystal Lake Ranger Station:
(715) 542-3923

Clear Lake Ranger Station:
(715) 356-3668

Superintendent:
Steve Petersen
8770 Hwy J
Woodruff WI 54568
(715) 358-9225 - Phone
(715) 358-2352 - Fax

The NH-AL State Forest provides employment and supports the economic well-being of rural and urban communities alike through the production of forest products we use daily, and recreation and tourism generated by the property's fantastic forests and lakes.

The forest also offers a diverse array of recreational opportunities, such as camping, canoeing, hiking, bird watching, snowmobiling, biking and hunting, as well as the chance to simply sit quietly and enjoy its natural beauty. In addition, the forest cleans our air and water, provides habitat for a wide range of plant and animal species, and helps us sustain our quality of life.

Open House - July 31, 2008

The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest will be hosting an open house at the Manitowish Waters Town Hall on Thursday July 31, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The purpose of this open house is to provide an opportunity for the public to meet Northern Highalnd-American Legion State Forest staff and ask questions of them regarding management of the state forest. Staff with expertise in forest management, land control, maintenance and development, campgrounds, and state forest law enforcement will be available.

Forest Superintendent Steve Petersen said, "This open house has been an annual event for many years at the Boulder Junction Town Hall. Recently we've seen low turnout so I wanted to reach out to some new territory. I'm interested to see how this goes in a new community and if it is successful we will move the meeting to a different community in the forest each year".

Interested parties may come at any time between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. No appointements are necessary. The varied specialists will be available for conversation and to answer questions about the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest's operation. "I hope people take this opportunity to meet property staff and get their questions answered, whether it's a question about a planned timber sale or the way we manage our campgrounds. People are always welcome to call us or stop by our Trout Lake Headquarters, or the Clear Lake and Crystal Lake Ranger Stations, but here's a chance for us to come out to the public."

Steve Petersen, Superintendent
Northern Highland - American Legion State Forest
8770 Highway J
Woodruff, WI 54568
voice (715) 358-9225
fax (715) 358-2352

To protect our parks and forests from firewood hitch hikers, the Wisconsin DNR has created a permanent rule which prohibits bringing firewood onto any DNR property from more than 50 miles away or from outside of Wisconsin.