Featured Destinations
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Fall is a great time of year to visit Oconto County because it’s one of the best places to see fall foliage. Every autumn, nature paints the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest with gorgeous gold, red, and orange hues. Here is a list of the top places to view fall colors in Oconto County!
Mountain Fire Lookout Tower – Climb high above Oconto County — 100 feet up, to be exact. Built-in 1935 by the U.S. Forest Service and the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Mountain Fire Lookout was once part of an extensive lookout tower network; today, it’s on the National Historic Lookout Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Open daily from 8 am to sunset, May 1-October 31; you can climb the 132 steps up to a seven-by-seven-foot cab. You’ll be rewarded by sweeping 360-degree views of the forest — especially glorious during fall foliage season.
Quartz Hill – One of Oconto County’s best hikes! This stunning trail cascades into two sections off of Wisconsin State Highway 32 — one on the east and the other on the west side. The east section leads across a boardwalk to the top of McCaslin Mountain. It can get steep at times, but the view from the top of this quartz rock outcrop is more than worth the climb. The prettiest time to explore the trail is in fall, when brilliant foliage creates a natural fireworks display.
Hagar Mountain – The payoff for your hike up Hagar Mountain is a dazzling waterfall, one of the area’s most scenic spots. But Hagar has plenty more to offer, including a riot of colorful wildflowers in the spring and several rock outcrops that offer amazing views of the surrounding forestland. Take note: there are no maintained trails here, so be ready to blaze your own trail.
PC: Myron Wilson - Mountain Fire Lookout Tower
