Camping in Crystal Lake in the Northern Highlands American Legion State Forest
Updated: Sep 1
Almost every year we journey to Wisconsin’s Northern Highlands American Legion State Forest, not far from Sayner, birthplace of the snow mobile, for a camping trip on the shores of Crystal Lake.
Crystal Lake is an almost seventy foot deep seepage lake of glassy, tropical-looking, turquoise waters. It’s surrounded by campsites tucked among the pines, with two public beaches and a boat launch for non-motorized boats. On a bright summer day you’ll see kayakers, paddle boarders, sail boaters and windsurfers exploring the lakes emerald depths. I remember coming here as a kid and it’s so meaningful to be able to share this special place with my own children.
You can reserve your spot eleven months in advance at the Wisconsin DNR website here: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/StateForests/nhal/recreation/camping/modern. My husband always sets a calendar reminder because the competition for the lakeside sites is stiff. We prefer sites 449-482 because of the flat access to the beach, but all of the sites are beautiful.
The first morning after we arrived we hiked the perimeter of the lake breathing in the pine breeze and spotting hundreds of frogs hopping along in the waves.
When we got back to our campsite we pulled on our swim gear, grabbed our floats and braved the cool, refreshing water. This year the water level was lower so the drop off my kids call “the deep dark” was only a few meters off shore.
The rest of the day was spent alternating between lounging in the sand allowing our skin to soak up the sun and dipping into the crisp waters.
We watched the local loon family call to each other and then dive below the surface. We had a quick camp lunch consisting of a Mediterranean plate with olives, feta, hummus, tomatoes and cucumber but we never even changed out of our swimsuits. Before long it was the golden hour but the water still beckoned.
Time for one last swim before bedtime!
We tucked in around 10 PM after first gazing up into the sky. I have never seen so many stars before; it felt like you could reach up and grab the Milky Way. When I woke up around two AM, I swear I heard a wolf howling in the distance. The loon calls were our morning alarm.
The next day, on our way home after several more hours on the beach, we stopped in Minocqua for a sweet treat a Dan’s Minocqua Fudge shop, a local institution since 1967.
Another memorable year of adventure at our happy place!
