Phillips, Wisconsin
The County Seat & Heart of the Chain of Lakes
1,533
1876
County Seat
Chain of Lakes
The Hub of Price County
Current Weather
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Humidity: 41%
Wind: 2 mph
Sunrise: 10:16 am
Sunset: 1:42 am
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Phillips (population 1,533) sits on the shore of the Phillips Chain of Lakes in central Price County. It’s the county seat, the commercial center, and the reason most visitors pass through on Highway 13. What keeps them staying: 1,236 acres of interconnected lake, a world-class folk art park, and a downtown that actually has places to eat and sleep — which is more than most towns of 1,500 can say.
A City Rebuilt from Ash
On July 27, 1894, a forest fire destroyed nearly every building in Phillips. Thirteen people died. The entire town evacuated by train and by boat. They rebuilt everything — and that stubborn streak still runs through the community today.
Quick Navigation
Nearby Towns
- Park Falls — 16 mi north
- Prentice — 10 mi south
- Fifield — 22 mi southwest
Resources
Things to Do in Phillips
Wisconsin Concrete Park
Fred Smith — a retired lumberjack with no formal art training — spent 16 years building 237 concrete sculptures on the property behind his Rock Garden Tavern along Highway 13. The figures range from life-size to towering: lumberjacks, soldiers, animals, mythical creatures, and even a concrete replica of a Wisconsin Central Railway locomotive. Smith built everything by hand, embedding glass, rocks, and found objects into the concrete. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center and the Kohler Foundation restored the park in the 1970s after Smith’s death. Today it’s one of the most significant folk art environments in the United States and a Wisconsin Historical Marker site.
Address: N8236 State Hwy 13, Phillips, WI 54555
Hours: Open daily May–October, daylight hours
Admission: Free (donations accepted)
Phone: (715) 339-7282
Phillips Chain of Lakes
The Phillips Chain is a 1,236-acre impoundment on the Elk River — the second-largest body of water in Price County. About 40% of the chain lies within the Phillips city limits. The three main lakes are Long Lake (419 acres, max depth 54 feet), Duroy Lake (350 acres, max depth 18 feet), and Elk Lake (87 acres, max depth 25 feet). All three are connected by navigable channels, meaning you can launch once and fish the entire system.
The chain holds walleye, muskellunge, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, black crappie, and bluegill. Wisconsin DNR surveys consistently rank it among the better multispecies fisheries in the Northwoods. Public boat landings are located on Long Lake and Duroy Lake. A DNR fishery survey summary was published in March 2025 with current population data.
Elk Lake Park
Elk Lake Park sits on the shore of Elk Lake in the center of town. The park has a swimming beach, playground, picnic shelters, and a pavilion that can be reserved for events through the City of Phillips. The Chain-O-Lakes Campground operates on the adjacent beach of Elk Lake during summer. It’s the kind of park where you can swim in the morning, grill at noon, and still make it to dinner downtown — everything in Phillips is close.
Ice Age National Scenic Trail — Mondeaux Esker Segment
The Ice Age Trail passes west of Phillips through the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The Mondeaux Esker Segment runs roughly 10–11 miles over an ancient glacial ridge (the esker itself is a massive, snaking landform left by retreating glaciers). The trail traces the edge of the 411-acre Mondeaux Flowage, crosses small creeks, and passes through hardwood forest. Primitive camping is available at Picnic Point and Spearhead Point campgrounds along the flowage. The Mondeaux Dam Lodge at the north end offers restrooms and a break point. Moderate difficulty due to uneven terrain and root-covered sections.
ATV & Snowmobile Trails
Phillips sits at the junction of multiple ATV and snowmobile trail networks. The city publishes an ATV route map through its website, and trail access from downtown is straightforward. In winter, Price County maintains hundreds of miles of groomed snowmobile trails connecting Phillips to Park Falls, Prentice, and beyond.
Where to Eat in Phillips
Phillips punches above its weight for dining. Here’s what’s actually open and getting consistent reviews:
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Harbor View Bar and Grill 4.1★ · 742 reviews
1094 N Lake Ave. The busiest restaurant in town, and it’s not close — 742 Google reviews tell you everything about the volume. Bar-and-grill menu: burgers, fish fry, wraps, steaks. Full bar. Outdoor seating overlooking the water. The kind of place where you’ll wait on a Friday night in summer. $10–20. -
Logger’s Pizza 4.7★ · 42 reviews
217 S Lake Ave. Newer addition to downtown Phillips. Pizza plus pasta and other Italian dishes. Quickly built a loyal following — “Phillips has needed a solid pizza place for a LONG time” is representative of the reviews. $10–20. -
Meister’s Bar & Grill 4.5★ · 97 reviews
152 N Lake Ave. Downtown staple. Burgers, crispy chicken sandwiches, mini chicken tacos, BLTs — straightforward bar grill food done consistently well. Carryout available. $10–20. -
Phillips Cafe & Catering 31+ years
Serving Phillips for over three decades. Full-service restaurant and catering operation. Known for Flavor Crisp chicken and daily specials. Breakfast served all day. This is where locals go when they want a sit-down meal that isn’t bar food. $10–20. -
Bonnie’s Diner 4.5★ · 36 reviews
Classic small-town diner. Breakfast plates, daily specials, home-style cooking. The sort of place where the coffee is always on and the regulars have assigned stools.
Captain Nemo’s Pub & Grub (4.0★, 169 reviews) is technically in Park Falls but close enough that Phillips locals claim it. KC’s 3 Mile Corner Bar (4.7★) is just south of town on Highway 13 — another strong option if you don’t mind a short drive.
Where to Stay
Super 8 by Wyndham Phillips
726 S Lake Avenue — the only hotel directly in Phillips. 32-room, 100% non-smoking property on Highway 13, close to snowmobile and ATV trails. Free continental breakfast, free Wi-Fi, refrigerators in every room, 24-hour fitness center, large-vehicle and trailer parking. Pet-friendly rooms available for an additional fee. Phone: (715) 339-2898. Rates typically $85–120/night depending on season.
AmeriVu Inn & Suites — Prentice
10 miles south of Phillips in Prentice. If Super 8 is full (which happens on summer and snowmobile-season weekends), this is the fallback. Standard amenities, reasonable rates.
Chain-O-Lakes Campground
On the beach of Elk Lake, operated by the City of Phillips. Seasonal operation (approximately Memorial Day through Labor Day). Tent and RV sites, access to the lake and Elk Lake Park. Reserve through the City of Phillips website.
Private Cabin Rentals
The Phillips Chain of Lakes and surrounding area have a solid inventory of vacation cabins and lake homes listed on VRBO and Airbnb. Book early for summer — lakefront properties in Price County fill up by May.
Phillips History
Founding: 1876
Phillips was platted in 1876 and named after Elijah B. Phillips, general manager of the Wisconsin Central Railway. The railroad drove everything — Phillips existed because the Wisconsin Central needed a stop in the middle of what was then uninterrupted white pine forest. The town grew fast as a logging supply center and timber shipment point, and when Price County was created in 1879, Phillips became the county seat.
The Fire of 1894
The summer of 1894 was brutally dry across northern Wisconsin. Timber slashings — the branches and treetops left after logging — were bone dry by mid-July. Small brush fires had been smoldering for days in the surrounding forest.
On the afternoon of July 27, 1894, gale-force southwest winds pushed fires from three directions straight into Phillips. The town was built almost entirely of wood — homes, businesses, the sawmill, the planing mill, lumber yards, the tannery. Everything burned. Estimates put the damage at 400–700 buildings destroyed, $1.7 million in property damage (1894 dollars), and 100,000 acres scorched.
The railroad assembled a 15-car train of boxcars and flatcars to evacuate residents — women and children first, then whoever could climb aboard. The train ran through burning timber on both sides of the tracks to reach Prentice. Others fled into Lake Duroy. Some who took to the water on rafts and boats drowned when an overloaded craft overturned. Thirteen people died, by the official count; some historians put the number closer to 20.
A memorial to the disaster stands on the shore of Lake Duroy. The town was rebuilt within two years — wider streets, more brick buildings, and a collective memory that still shapes the community.
“Wind Capital of Wisconsin”
On July 4, 1977, a catastrophic downburst destroyed roughly 850,000 acres of timber in Price County. Out of that disaster came something unexpected: Phillips High School students, led by teacher Mark Luberda, secured a U.S. Department of Energy grant and in May 1980 erected a Jacobs wind turbine on school grounds — generating electricity for the local grid. Governor Lee S. Dreyfus declared Phillips the “Wind Capital of Wisconsin.” It was one of the first school-based wind energy projects in the country.
Modern Era
Phillips today is a town of 1,533 people (2020 census) that still punches like something larger — county government, a hospital clinic, a school district, a weekly newspaper, and enough restaurants and businesses to keep the downtown functional. The population has held remarkably steady since 1970, hovering between 1,478 and 1,675. That’s stability in a region where many small towns have hemorrhaged residents.
Phillips as County Seat
As the county seat, Phillips houses the Price County Courthouse, the Sheriff’s Office, the County Clerk, Register of Deeds, and all county administrative offices. The courthouse handles circuit court proceedings, property records, marriage licenses, and passport applications for the entire county.
City government operates from the Municipal Hall on N Lake Avenue. The city maintains its own police department, public works, and water/sewer utilities. The City of Phillips website has meeting agendas, permit forms, and online bill pay.
Flock Safety Cameras in Phillips
Price County has installed Flock Safety ALPR (automatic license plate reader) cameras on area roads — including in and around Phillips — with zero advance public notice. Our investigation found no mention of “Flock” or “ALPR” in any public document from January 2022 through November 2023. Read the full investigation or view the Price County surveillance camera map.
Annual Events
The Phillips Area Chamber of Commerce runs four major events each year:
Winter celebration with activities across the Phillips area. Details vary by year — check the Chamber calendar.
Parade, hot dog eating contest, rodeo, lakefront activities, and one of the biggest fireworks shows in the Northwoods over the Chain of Lakes. This is the biggest single day in Phillips all year.
Craft beer festival organized by the Chamber. Typically mid-August. Local and regional breweries, food vendors, live music.
Downtown Phillips. Fresh local cranberries and craisins are the signature item — this is cranberry country. Craft vendors, food, family activities at Elk Lake Park.
August 20–22, 2026 at the Price County Fairgrounds (N9130 Forest Lane, Phillips). Livestock shows, exhibits, live music, carnival rides. The fair draws visitors from across the county.
Weekly summer concerts at Elk Lake Park (Thursday evenings, June–August) feature regional acts — country, bluegrass, R&B, and rock. Free admission. Bring a lawn chair.
Getting to Phillips
Phillips sits on Wisconsin Highway 13, the main north-south route through Price County. There is no commercial air service — the closest airports with scheduled flights are in Wausau and Rhinelander.
| From | Distance | Drive Time | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wausau | 72 mi | ~1 hr 15 min | US 51 N to WI-13 N |
| Eau Claire | 110 mi | ~2 hr | US 53 N to WI-29 E to WI-13 N |
| Rhinelander | 55 mi | ~1 hr | WI-47 S to WI-13 S |
| Ashland | 74 mi | ~1 hr 20 min | WI-13 S |
| Marshfield | 77 mi | ~1 hr 25 min | WI-13 N |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | 210 mi | ~3 hr 30 min | I-35 N to US 53 N to WI-13 N |
Highway 13 runs directly through downtown Phillips as Lake Avenue. You can’t miss it — the Chain of Lakes is on your left as you come in from the south, and the courthouse is a block off the main drag.
Connect with Phillips Locals 🌲
Stay up to date with events, lake reports, and local news in our community group.
See also: Deer Hunting in Price County
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Phillips, Wisconsin known for?
Phillips is the county seat of Price County, known as the “Chain of Lakes” capital. It sits among 17 connected lakes and is home to Wisconsin’s only Concrete Park — a folk art environment with over 200 concrete sculptures.
How far is Phillips from Wausau?
Phillips is approximately 65 miles north of Wausau, about a 1-hour and 15-minute drive via US Highway 51 and State Highway 13.
What lakes are near Phillips WI?
Phillips is surrounded by the Price County Chain of Lakes, including Long Lake, Duroy Lake, Elk Lake, and Wilson Lake. These connected lakes offer excellent fishing, boating, and swimming access.
What is Concrete Park in Phillips?
Concrete Park is Wisconsin’s only roadside folk art environment, created by Fred Smith from 1948 to 1964. It features over 200 concrete sculptures depicting local history, wildlife, and frontier life. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.