Deluxe Lodges on Little St. Germain Lake

Wisconsin’s Northern Highland region is home to some of the nation’s best freshwater fishing, with muskie, walleye, northern pike, bass, and panfish inhabiting the hundreds of lakes that dot the hilly landscape. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says that “this area epitomizes for many residents the image of ‘going north’ to sit on the shore of a quiet, cool lake under the shade of a majestic white pine.” Black Bear Lodge sits along the edge of one of these quiet, cool lakes—the Little St. Germain—and it has two sandy beaches, fishing and pontoon boats, canoes, and kayaks so you can make the most of your stay. Boats are available until October 14th, pending the weather.

Paved biking and hiking trails course through the property, leading out into Vilas County. For a break from the outdoors, pop into The Bear’s Den Bar & Grill, where you can order from a full lunch and dinner menu while entertaining yourself with the pool table, jukebox, and arcade games.

At night, you’ll retire to a two-bedroom, two-bathroom deluxe or Jacuzzi lodge home. Each condo-style lodge features a great room with a stone fireplace, a lakeside deck or patio with open lake views, and a complete kitchen with a fridge, dishwasher, and stove. Upstairs, vaulted ceilings accommodate taller guests and Shaquille O’Neal impersonators.

Wisconsin’s Northern Highland: Towering Pines and World’s Third-Highest Concentration of Lakes

Hundreds of millions of years ago, this area of northern Wisconsin near Michigan’s Upper Peninsula looked more like the Rocky Mountains than the Great Plains. But between then and now, protracted erosion and glaciation slowly sanded down the once-towering peaks to produce today’s gentle forested hills and endless lakes.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources claims that this region boasts the world’s third-highest concentration of lakes. There are 900 in the Northern Highland-American Legion State Park, and many of them are ideal for fishing, boating, and canoeing. While you’re exploring this 220,000-acre state park—the most visited in Wisconsin—you might see animals such as black bears, otters, beavers, and deer.

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