Most tourists who visit Price County in July never make it past the Phillips Chain of Lakes.
Quick Answer: 13 lesser-known things to do in and around Price County, from the North Fork Pines old-growth to the Kennedy ghost town foundations. All free, all within a short drive of Phillips, and most don’t show up on tourist maps.
Most people driving through Price County on Highway 13 think they have seen what the county has to offer. They have not. The places that make the brochures sit next to paved roads and marked parking lots. The spots locals use sit on county forest roads that change with the seasons and never show up on a tourism map.
Watch: 7 hidden places in Price County most tourists drive right past (8 min)
1. Oxbo Pines State Natural Area
This 240-acre State Natural Area (designated 2010) straddles the Price-Sawyer county line within the Flambeau River State Forest. The DNR lists it in both counties. The stand features 24 to 30 inch white and red pine on rolling glacial terrain that missed the worst of the 1977 blowdown. Park off Highway 70 near Dix Dox Road, then follow the old logging road northeast toward the North Fork of the Flambeau. Harz Road also provides access from the south. The understory stays open. In October the grouse come out late in the day. Few people make the turn. Most keep going toward the main river landings.
2. North Fork Pines State Natural Area
One of the best-quality old-growth pine stands on the Flambeau River, north of the North Fork near Rock Creek Road. The DNR designated this 77-acre SNA in 2010. You will find 15 to 30 inch white pine mixed with yellow birch and sugar maple on slightly higher ground than the surrounding swamp. Old logging grades give you entry on foot or bike. The area sees almost no foot traffic outside of deer season. In late September the yellow birch turn and the light under the pines changes. That is when locals come out here to walk.
3. Bass Lake Peatlands State Natural Area
This SNA spans both Price and Sawyer counties. Open peatland around Bass Lake with sphagnum hummocks and scattered black spruce and tamarack. The DNR describes it as a vast open peatland surrounding a deep, 94-acre soft-water seepage lake. The old boardwalk sections have mostly rotted out, so you pick your own route across the drier hummocks. In late summer the cranberries turn the open areas red. The bugs stay bad until mid-July, then it opens up. Wear rubber boots. The ground stays soft even in August.
4. Lake of the Pines Campground and Old Timber
Lake of the Pines sits in the Flambeau River State Forest, which spans Sawyer, Price, and Rusk counties. On July 4, 1977, a historic windstorm with 100 mph winds flattened most of the trees in the Big Block of the forest. But a band of old timber on the east shore survived, including hemlock and yellow birch that still stand today. Take the campground road and walk the shoreline trail past the last campsite. The lake itself stays quiet because the main boat landing sits on the opposite side. Most visitors never cross the water.
See also: 5 Secret Swimming Holes in Price County
5. Connors Lake Campground
The developed campground at Connors Lake fills on weekends but thins out during the week. The Flambeau River State Forest developed this campground in the 1950s. Follow the service road past the boat landing and look for the footpath that branches left after the last parking spur. Each site has a fire ring and room for a tent or two. The sites stay empty most weekdays even in July. Bring everything you need. The closest store is miles away.
See also: Free Camping in Wisconsin
6. Kennedy Ghost Town
Kennedy was a real sawmill community in the Town of Lake, Price County, platted in 1908 along the Omaha Railway tracks near the Price-Sawyer county line. The Dells Lumber and Pulp Company built the town. At its peak in the 1920s, about twenty-five families lived there and thirty students attended the school. The Dells Company logged the area until 1933, and all remaining logging stopped by 1935. The post office closed in 1938. The school shut its doors in 1939. Today it is a ghost town. Buildings were taken down, burned, or left to collapse. You can still find stone foundations and rusted metal in the regrowth pine along the old railway grade. The Price County Genealogical Society has documented the town’s history.
7. Rock Creek and the North Fork Flambeau
Most canoeists put in at the main landing on County W. If you want the upper section of the North Fork to yourself, follow Rock Creek Road south toward the river. The put-in is an informal access — a muddy bank with no ramp — but it saves you miles of paddling. The current runs slower here and the banks stay wooded all the way down to the main confluence. You will not see another paddler most days.
8. County Forest Dispersed Camping
The Price County Forestry Department allows dispersed camping on county forest land with a permit (no fee, 14-day maximum). Unlike the developed campgrounds at Big Falls, Smith Lake, and Solberg Lake, these sites have no amenities — just a fire ring and room for a tent. Pick up a permit from the Price County Forestry office in Phillips. They know which roads the loggers are using this month and which ones washed out last spring. The county cuts timber on rotation, and the recent cuts create good edge habitat for grouse and deer. Great for late-season hunting or just getting away from the state forest crowds.
9. Timms Hill
Timms Hill is the highest natural point in Wisconsin at 1,951.5 feet, located in the Town of Hill, Price County, inside Timms Hill County Park near Ogema. The observation tower at the summit is open May through October and offers panoramic views stretching to the Chequamegon hills on clear days. The main trail draws tourists, but the old service road that leaves the parking area to the east offers a quieter approach. Follow it 400 yards, then cut north on the faint trail that climbs the final rise. You come out on the east side of the summit with no one else around. The park also includes Bass Lake and Timm’s Lake for fishing.
10. Smith Lake County Park
One of three county-maintained campgrounds in the Price County Forest system, Smith Lake gets far less traffic than the state forest campgrounds. Sites are first-come, first-served. The lake is small and quiet, good for a canoe or a kayak. No motors to speak of. The park has a boat landing, picnic area, and swimming beach. Locals know it as the best spot for a quiet afternoon swim without driving all the way to the Flambeau.
11. Big Falls County Park
Another Price County Forest campground, Big Falls sits on the South Fork Flambeau River. The falls are not tall but they are wide, and the rock formations make the area one of the most photographed spots in the county that still manages to feel uncrowded. The park has campsites, a picnic area, and river access for fishing or wading. In spring the water runs high and the falls roar. By August the river drops and the rocks become sun-warmed platforms. Bring water shoes.
12. Solberg Lake County Park
The third of Price County’s county forest campgrounds, Solberg Lake sits on a quiet lake well off the main highways. The campground has a boat landing, swimming area, and picnic shelter. The lake is known for panfish and the occasional musky. Mornings on Solberg are still enough to hear the loons across the water. The park stays busy on summer weekends but empties out by Monday morning. If you want a site with a lake view, arrive on a Tuesday.
13. Flambeau River State Forest Paddling
The North and South Forks of the Flambeau River offer some of the best wilderness paddling in Wisconsin, and most of it flows through or near Price County. The North Fork runs quieter, with longer stretches between rapids. The South Fork has more whitewater and draws kayakers in spring and early summer. Multiple access points along County W and County H let you choose a trip length from a few hours to several days. The state forest maintains river campsites with fire rings and pit toilets. No reservations. No fees. First-come, first-served. In late summer the water runs low and the trip takes longer than the guidebooks say.
See also: our complete Price County fishing guide
Where to Eat and Drink After
After a day on these back roads you will want a cold beer and a decent meal. Phillips has a handful of solid bars that still cater to locals rather than tourists. The real Northwoods drinking guide lives at Borrachos.bar.
Most of these spots require a good county map or GPS and a vehicle with some clearance. The county forest roads change with the seasons. What works in August might be underwater in May. Talk to the guys at the Price County Forestry office in Phillips if you want current conditions. They know which roads the loggers are using this month and which ones washed out last spring.
The point is simple. The places that make the brochures are the places everyone else goes. The real Price County sits on the roads with no signs.