Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Wisconsin / Northern Wisconsin

North Country Trail: Rainbow Lake Wilderness

Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (near Drummond)

The Rainbow Lake Wilderness, a few miles north of Drummond, was one of the first wildernesses designated in the eastern United States, in 1975, according to the Forest Service. The North Country National Scenic Trail runs the length of it, threading between small lakes and bogs in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.

The wilderness crossing is short, about 6 to 8 miles depending on where you start, so it works as a one-night trip with a car shuttle.

The hike

The North Country Trail Association’s Chequamegon Chapter has led group hikes through here, and its notices sketch the route. A 2022 notice describes a 7.9-mile, one-way hike on dirt tread, starting where the trail crosses Forest Road 228 at the northwest corner of the wilderness and ending at a small parking lot where the trail crosses the Delta-Drummond Road, about three miles north of Drummond. A 2025 notice covers 6.4 miles from FR 228 to Reynard Lake Road (FR 392), which it says traverses “the entire scenic Rainbow Lake Wilderness,” and lists the lakes in order: “After Rainbow Lake, we will cross Anderson Grade and then come to Bufo and Reynard Lakes.” The Forest Service says the Anderson Grade Trail crosses the wilderness east to west.

The chapter describes “small, picturesque lakes” filling basins in the rolling terrain. Wikipedia counts Rainbow Lake, 15 other lakes, and nine small ponds, with northern hardwoods, balsam fir, pine, and paper birch, and some old-growth forest. Travel Wisconsin mentions a resident timber wolf pack that is rarely seen.

The best camper account found is a 2008 Backpacking Light trip report by Stuart Burke, who walked north from the Highway 63 trailhead in Drummond. He reached Overby Lake at 3.5 miles and the wilderness at about 6 miles, camped at Bufo Lake beside a beaver den, and passed Rainbow and Tower Lakes the next morning. He called the trail rough “because it is wilderness” but said, “I would definitely recommend the stretch of trail in the Rainbow Lake Wilderness.” He reported low lake levels, no mosquitoes in mid-May, and “a large number of ticks.”

Bikes and other mechanized equipment aren’t allowed in the wilderness. Wisconsin Public Radio reported in 2018 that flooding damaged more than 50 miles of roads and trails in this part of the national forest, and that crews were rerouting the North Country Trail near the wilderness.

The Wisconsin DNR says the national forest section of the trail runs about 61 miles and includes two wildernesses. The other is a short drive southeast: see the Porcupine Lake Wilderness. Across the state line in Minnesota, the Superior Hiking Trail reaches the backpack sites at Jay Cooke State Park from the Wisconsin border.

Tips

Camping

The Forest Service allows camping in the wilderness with no permit mentioned, but prohibits “camping within 200 feet of water or the North Country National Scenic Trail,” and its wilderness page limits stays to 14 consecutive days. The forest’s general Order 09-13-25-02, which covers Bayfield County, instead limits dispersed camping in one spot to 21 days in any 28-day period and bans dispersed camping within a quarter mile of a developed recreation site; it doesn’t mention wilderness. Confirm which stay limit applies with the Washburn office. Campfires are permitted; the agency asks you to keep them small or use a stove, gather small dead and down wood away from camp, and scatter the rocks and wood afterward. Bury human waste at least 100 feet from campsites, trails, and water. Leave no equipment behind. Forest Order 09-13-09-02 restricts bringing firewood into the forest unless you live within 25 miles.

Inside Intel: Stuart Burke’s 2008 trip report describes camping at Bufo Lake, beside a beaver den, as part of a stretch he “would definitely recommend.” Check that any site you use meets the 200-foot rule. No other camper accounts recommending a specific site were found.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Rolling over beside Bufo Lake:

Camp in the Rainbow Lake Wilderness has to sit 200 feet back from both the water and the trail, so you may end up on whatever forest floor you can find. Side sleepers can try these tent fixes.

Read the tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.