One reason why Minocqua, Wisconsin is such a popular vacation destination is its almost perfect location on a large chain of lakes connecting Lake Kawaguesaga to Little Tomahawk Lake. (all map images courtesy of Google Maps)
A total of 6 lakes and approximately 15 miles of waterfront make up what is called the "Minocqua Chain". Guests who visit the area enjoy the chain's vast span of recreation, scenery and fun, as well as access to local businesses and fishing.
One could spend an entire day traveling from lake to lake and never once get bored - trust me, I know! If you have never been up here, I strongly suggest you give us a call at 715-356-7795 to book a cabin and enjoy this summer playland. But just to give you an idea of how much fun it is, let's take a virtual boat tour.
Hop on board our pontoon boat; let's go!
Starting farthest West, we travel in the waters of Lake Kawaguesaga, a 700 acre lake with a fantastic little island the locals call "beer can island" (see image below). Contrary to popular naming, it is not littered with beer cans, it is however, a little community gathering spot where you may see a flash of this beverage being enjoyed by those soaking up the sun. This lake also has a small inlet, in Fiefield Island, with a diverse arrangement of birds and wildlife, begging for a quiet canoe rider to observe.
Heading eastbound we pass through the Kawaguesaga channel under the Bearskin Trail bridge - an old railroad section converted into a hiking/biking trail. We then wave excitedly to the guests of Nitschke's Northern Resort on our right as we leisurely pass by. Just so you know, waving to all passerbyers is considered "proper boat etiquette" in these parts. *wink*
*Side note* Our resort offers a boat slip to dock your boat once you get it into the water, along with plenty of trailer parking. These amenities are offered to all our guests free of charge.*
Once on the open water of Minocqua Lake, a 1339 acre lake of pure water bliss, you have two choices, go left or go right.
Going left will take you under the old train bridge that connects our resort to downtown Minocqua via the Bearskin Trail (see below). Once under, you can choose to dock near Torpy park and enjoy the public beach or walk over to the local grocery store, and grab ingredients for tonight's supper. But...we're taking a right!
Going right allows us to see the ever famous Min-Aqua Bats ski show as well as the Beacon light (both can be seen from our resort). You will also find a handful of restaurants that allow you to actually drive your boat up, dock it and eat! How cool is that!
Now we travel under the Highway 51 bridge which welcomes guests into the Minocqua area by vehicle. On our left, we see more public boat docks for your convenience and a few islands sprinkled across the lake for your photo-taking pleasure (especially in the autumn).
Finishing our travels of Minocqua Lake, we carefully maneuver down a river (see image below) to get to Mid Lake, a 221 acre lake with a max depth of just 12 feet. Being so shallow, boats tend to kick up mud making this an unpopular spot for most fisherman, even though this lake houses Musky, Pike, Walleye, Bass and Panfish. See where we are below:
Continuing southbound, we reach the opening for the biggest, deepest lake of the whole chain, Tomahawk Lake, a 3462 acre lake with a max depth of 84 feet. The water on this lake is fantastically clear which makes the fishing excellent. This lake also happens to be a popular spot for water skiing, water tubing and swimming.
Again, we wave to all the boaters as we pass by Picnic Island and Dead Island (don't ask), then move downward to a fork in the river. Our options are to take a left into Little Tomahawk lake, a 163 acre lake where the fishing might just produce a trophy-sized catch. Or we go right to end our tour on Mud lake, a 52 acre lake with a max depth of 17 feet. See where we are now below:
We choose Little Tomahawk lake and turn our boat around to take the trip back home. This trip by boat can take less than an hour if you're rushing, but up North, we don't rush. We take in the sights, enjoy the company of friends and relish in creating new memories.
If this sounds like your kind of vacation, you might want to give us a call. Honestly, we have guests who have stayed with us for 30+ years and cabins fill up fast. But there is still an opportunity for you to join us and experience this amazing chain of lake this summer, fall or winter (snowmobilers love this chain too!).
So give us a call at 715-356-7795 and we'll see you soon!