Botanical Riches and Old-Growth Forest

The aquatic vegetation here is notably unusual — seven-angle pipewort, watershield, bur-reeds, golden pert, quillworts, water lobelia, and waterweed thrive in the shallow margins. In places, lake pockets contain leatherleaf-dominant bog vegetation. The shoreline is fringed with a narrow band of shrubs — leatherleaf, alders, and meadowsweet — that gives way abruptly to upland forest.↗

Northwest of Smith Lake and west of Oberlin Lake stands a remnant of old-growth northern mesic forest dominated by hemlock and yellow birch, while a black spruce-tamarack bog sits west of Smith Lake. Between Bittersweet and Prong Lakes, white pine, red oak, and birch form a canopy that feels untouched by logging or development. These botanical communities are the reason the area earned its State Natural Area designation.↗

Fishing and Paddling

The fishery at Bittersweet Lake is a rewarding target for anglers willing to carry their gear to the water. Species include walleye, northern pike, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, musky, and panfish. The combination of clear water, varied bottom types, and motor-free solitude creates ideal conditions for sight-fishing bass along rocky shorelines or working walleye near structure with jigs and live bait.↗↗

For paddlers, the four-lake portage circuit is a compact but fulfilling day trip — each lake offers a different personality. Bittersweet is the broadest and most accessible; Prong is the deepest and likely most secluded. A canoe or kayak is essential, as the only public access is a carry-in launch on Bittersweet Lake's southwest shore.↗↗

Hiking, Wildlife, and Primitive Camping

Hiking is permitted throughout the tract, though trails are typically undeveloped footpaths rather than marked routes. The transition zones between lake shore, bog, and upland forest make for rewarding wandering with a compass or GPS. In spring and summer, the area hums with songbirds; during migration, diving ducks stop on the lakes, and common loons nest in summer with their eerie calls carrying across the still water at dawn and dusk.↗

Five reservable primitive shoreline campsites allow visitors to spend the night among the wild lakes. Camping is otherwise prohibited in the State Natural Area, and no campfires are permitted. These designated sites offer a rare chance to wake up to a loon's call on a glass-still seepage lake with no engine noise anywhere on the horizon.↗

Getting There and Practical Tips

From St. Germain, head west on Highway 70 for 5.7 miles, then turn north onto an unnamed gravel access road marked with a "Bittersweet Wild Lakes" sign. Follow it for about 0.7 miles to a fork, then take the right branch for another 0.3 miles to the carry-in canoe launch on Bittersweet Lake's southwest shore. The access road is low-maintenance — a high-clearance vehicle with all-wheel or four-wheel drive is recommended, especially after rain or in shoulder seasons.↗

The launch itself is unimproved (a dirt or gravel slope suitable for canoes and small boats carried by hand), and there are no developed facilities — no restrooms, picnic areas, or parking structures beyond a designated pull-off. There is no admission fee. The area is open year-round for hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, hunting, and trapping, but note that the gravel road is not plowed in winter and conditions can make vehicle access unreliable in snow or mud. Bring a detailed topographic map or GPS — cell service is sparse in this part of Vilas County.↗↗

If you plan to camp at one of the five shoreline sites, make a reservation in advance through the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest office. Pets are allowed on leash. Geocaching, collecting plants or natural materials, and horseback riding are prohibited on this land.↗

Why Visit

Bittersweet Lake offers something increasingly rare in the Northwoods: a genuine wild-lake experience where silence is not just the absence of noise but the presence of a landscape protected for over sixty years. For the paddler, angler, or naturalist who wants to see old-growth hemlock, rare aquatic plants, and nesting loons without fighting for a parking spot at a crowded chain-of-lakes resort, Bittersweet Lakes State Natural Area is a quiet gem in Vilas County's crown of water.↗