Northern Highland American Legion State Forest
Managed by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
13,632 acres11.8 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Lake Tomahawk
More than half of Lake Tomahawk’s land is conserved: 69%
69% of Lake Tomahawk’s land is conserved, about 14,947 acres. 2,018 acres are parks and preserves, 1,778 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: Northern Highland American Legion State Forest (11.8 mi), Oneida County Memorial Forest (2.2 mi).
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. What drives it
Conserved land
69%
14,947 acres · of 34.0 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.5 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,018 ac
1,778 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
20%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
29
What kind of outdoors town is Lake Tomahawk?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Lake Tomahawk have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Lake Tomahawk is ahead of 81% of U.S. towns. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Lake Tomahawk’s overall grade.
Conserved land69% of the land · typical WI town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails0.5 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (16 mi) · WI 0.4 · U.S. 0.4BPark land1,778 acres of park per 1,000 residents (2,018 acres) · WI 31 · U.S. 13A+Parks close to home20% of residents within a half mile of a park · WI 90% · U.S. 72%C−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 81%
LessMore
Water is 14% of Lake Tomahawk’s area (5 of 39 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 60%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, with 11.8 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Oneida County Memorial Forest
Managed by Oneida County Forestry Department
1,944 acres2.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Boat Landing Park
Park
17 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Who protects it
14,947 conserved acres
69% of Lake Tomahawk’s land. Water is left out: Lake Tomahawk has 34.0 square miles of land and 5.4 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Lake Tomahawk’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources13,403 ac
County1,809 ac
Private owners82 ac
State Resource Management Area · 13,251 acLocal Conservation Area · 1,809 acState Conservation Area · 169 acUnknown Easement · 41 acForest Stewardship Easement · 24 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Legion State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 13,126 | Open |
| Oneida County Forest Local Conservation Area | County | 1,809 | Open |
| New Wood Wildlife Area 1 State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 157 | Open |
| American Legion State Forest 16 State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 113 | Open |
| State Owned Islands State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 12 | Open |
| State Owned Islands - Nw State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 12 | Open |
Things to do
1 places to go in Lake Tomahawk
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Campgrounds in Lake Tomahawk
Wisconsin River 7In Northern Highland American Legion State Forest · Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
29 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Beaver LakeBig Carr LakeBird LakelakeBuck LakeBurnham LakeCamp 21 LakelakeEagle LakelakeFawn LakeHawk LakeHodstradt LakelakeHorsehead LakelakeInkwell LakeIsland LakeLittle Carr LakelakeLittle Tomahawk LakelakeLumen LakeMcGrath LakeMcNaughton LakeMud LakelakeMuskie LakelakeNewbold LakelakeNorth Two LakeslakePorcupine LakeRockpile PondSeed LakelakeSouth Two LakeslakeWind Pudding LakelakeTomahawk RiverWisconsin River
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
2Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Tomahawk Lake Camp Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 1992
About itWhen to get out
August is the best month for walking in Lake Tomahawk
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 21 | 26 | 38 | 51 | 65 | 74 | 77 | 75 | 67 | 53 | 38 | 26 |
| Rain (in) | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.7 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
February is the driest month (1.1 in) and July the warmest (highs of 77 °F). 4.5 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Lake Tomahawk →
Next door
Lake Tomahawk and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Tomahawk | 69% | 0.5 | 1,778 | 20% | A− |
| Newbold | 44% | 0.2 | 1,239 | 50% | A− |
| Cassian | 17% | 1.0 | 4,339 | 37% | A |
| Hazelhurst | 3% | 0.2 | 242 | 36% | B |
| Woodruff | 73% | 1.3 | 152 | 58% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Lake Tomahawk
Where can I hike in Lake Tomahawk?
The longest trail networks: Northern Highland American Legion State Forest, 11.8 miles; Oneida County Memorial Forest, 2.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Lake Tomahawk is conserved land?
69% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Wisconsin town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Lake Tomahawk’s trails?
Northern Highland American Legion State Forest and Oneida County Memorial Forest don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Lake Tomahawk?
102,995 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Lake Tomahawk or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 15,067 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Lake Tomahawk have?
Ahead of 81% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Lake Tomahawk neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →