I spent last week camping in Wisconsin’s Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. One of my favorite things about that area, are all the secluded, “secret”, places that are just a short distance off of bike trails, hiking trails, and roads.

If you get off of your bike while riding on the trail near Crystal Lake, you’ll discover this above scene just a few dozen yards away (along a short hiking trail). Yet hardly anyone stops to take in its beauty.

The Mann Creek Wildlife Area (above) is located on a small turnoff along Highway N.

Some secret spots are only a matter of timing, like Big Muskellunge Lake at dusk. It’s located in a spot that is usually filled with people during the day, but no one else was there the evening I visited.

The Black Lagoon (below) is reached from a short walk along a boardwalk that juts away from the main Star Lake Nature Trail.

I’ve been camping in Northern Wisconsin for many years now, and almost every time I visit, I find a new one of these secret places. I wonder, how many more are out there waiting to be discovered?