Rhinelander

Rhinelander is a town in North Central Wisconsin that is a commercial, industrial, and recreation hub for the Northwoods area of Wisconsin. Because of the forests, lakes, and trails in the area, it is both a summer and winter vacation destination. Its population was 8,300 in 2020.

Understand

The Rhinelander area has numerous vacation destinations, offering fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, ATVing, mountain biking and hiking, hunting, golfing, cross country skiing and snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and bird watching. It also serves as a main shopping and lodging area for the Northwoods.

Rhinelander is the home of the hodag, a folkloric green and white creature said to stalk the local woods. 

Get in

Traveling north and south, Rhinelander can be reached via State Highway 17 and State Highway 47, and traveling east and west, Rhinelander can be reached by US Highway 8. Rhinelander can be reached from Minneapolis and Milwaukee in about 5 hours and from Chicago in about 6 hours.

Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (RHI), two miles (3 km) southwest of Rhinelander, provides daily service from Minneapolis (Delta Air Lines).

Get around

By car

Travel by car is necessary to explore Rhinelander and the Northwoods of Wisconsin. There is no public transit system in the Rhinelander area. Roads are well maintained and marked. Ample, free, at-door parking is readily available. Downtown, parking is easy to find and very inexpensive.

See

• 1 Pioneer Park Historical Complex, Oneida Ave at Kemp St (in Pioneer Park), ☏ +1 715 369-5004. Memorial Day-Labor Day: Tu-Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM; weekends in September: Sa 10AM-5PM, Su noon-4PM. A logging museum, the famous “5 Spot” Logging Train, a replica of an 1870s logging camp, an old school building and a Soo Line railroad depot from the 1890s. By donation. (updated May 2023)
• 2 Wisconsin Hockey Hall of Fame, 4149 Hwy 70 E, inside Eagle River Arena, Eagle River (24 mi N on Route 17). daily 9AM-5PM. Dedicated to amateur ice hockey in the state of Wisconsin. Free. (updated Aug 2015)

Sleep

• Eagle River is a 24-mi (38-km) drive away and offers many different options for lodging on and around its chain of lakes. The Eagle River section of the Eagle River-Three Lakes chain of lakes features 10 interconnected lakes. The city also boasts a charming downtown.

Go next

Routes through Rhinelander

Forest Lake ← Ladysmith ←

W  E

→ Crandon → Norway