09180 - Perch Lake

The Perch Lake area encompasses 2,390 acres within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. This landscape is defined by its hydrological significance: Wakefield Creek and the Pine River originate here, flowing through Perch Lake and the Wakefield Creek Wetlands before draining into the larger watershed system. The interplay of water and forest across this terrain creates distinct ecological communities, each shaped by moisture availability and elevation.

Four forest community types characterize the area, arranged along a moisture gradient. Northern Mesic Forest occupies the drier upland positions, dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis). As moisture increases, Northern Wet-Mesic Forest transitions the landscape, with eastern hemlock and red maple (Acer rubrum) becoming more prominent. In the wettest depressions and along stream corridors, Northern Wet Forest develops, where black spruce (Picea mariana) and tamarack (Larix laricina) dominate the canopy. Hemlock-Northern Hardwood Forest occupies intermediate positions, with eastern hemlock and american beech (Fagus grandifolia) creating a dense, shade-rich environment. This community type is characteristic of the Great Lakes region and reflects the area's position at the intersection of northern conifer and hardwood forest zones.

The area supports populations of three federally protected carnivores. The federally endangered gray wolf (Canis lupus) and the federally threatened Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) occupy the larger forest matrix, where they prey on deer and smaller mammals. The federally endangered Northern Long-Eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis) hunts insects in the canopy and understory, particularly in the hemlock-dominated communities where dense foliage provides shelter. Amphibians—including spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer), green frogs (Lithobates clamitans), and american toads (Anaxyrus americanus)—breed in the wetlands and temporary pools created by the hydrological network. The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), proposed for federal threatened status, passes through the area during migration, relying on milkweed and other nectar sources in forest openings and wetland margins.

Moving through Perch Lake requires crossing multiple forest types and water features. A visitor following Wakefield Creek upstream experiences the transition from open wetland—where the creek meanders through black spruce and tamarack—into increasingly dense hemlock-hardwood forest as elevation rises. The sound of water is constant in the lower reaches, diminishing as the creek narrows upstream. Crossing from wet forest into mesic forest brings a visible shift: the understory opens, light penetrates more deeply, and the forest floor transitions from sphagnum moss and sedges to leaf litter and shade-tolerant herbs. In winter, the tracks of gray wolves and lynx mark the snow across these communities, evidence of the large predators that move through the landscape following prey. The barred owl's call echoes through the hemlock coves at dusk, a sound that carries across the quiet forest.

Indigenous peoples inhabited this region for centuries before European contact. The Ojibwe (Chippewa), Menominee, and Potawatomi established seasonal subsistence cycles attuned to the landscape's resources. In spring, they established sugar camps in maple groves to harvest maple sap. Summer brought fishing in local lakes including Perch Lake and tending small gardens. Fall centered on harvesting wild rice from shallow lakes and slow-moving rivers, and hunting large game. Winter involved hunting and trapping for fur and meat, often in smaller family groups. The area's network of lakes and rivers served as vital transportation routes for trade and travel. The Perch Lake area is part of lands ceded to the United States through 19th-century treaties, notably the Treaties of 1837, 1842, and 1854. Under these treaties, 11 federally recognized tribes retain off-reservation rights to hunt, fish, and gather on National Forest lands today.

The region became part of the "Great North Woods" timber boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Chicago & North Western Railroad pushed through this region in the late 1800s, enabling the transition from river-driven pine logging to rail-based hardwood extraction. Initial timber extraction focused on white pine beginning around 1870, followed by hardwood logging once railroad access was established. The Von Platen-Fox Lumber Company operated extensive rail lines in the area starting around 1912, including a line connected to the Chicago & North Western near Tipler. The town of Tipler, located just south of the Perch Lake area, served as a hub for the Tipler-Grossman Lumber Company and the Von Platen-Fox operations. By the early 1900s, the area was largely "cutover"—cleared of merchantable timber and often subject to subsequent forest fires.

Federal acquisition of these cutover lands began in the 1930s under the authority of the Weeks Act of 1911, which allowed the government to purchase private lands for the protection of watersheds of navigable streams. Much of the land in this region was forfeited by farmers or timber companies due to tax delinquency during the Great Depression. Between 1928 and 1932, the Forest Service acquired lands designated as the Moquah, Flambeau, Oneida, Mondeaux, Chequamegon, and Oconto Purchase Units. On March 2, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation collectively naming these purchase units as the Nicolet National Forest. In July 1933, the lands were split into "Nicolet East" and "Nicolet West." In November 1933, the western portion was separated to become the independent Chequamegon National Forest.

During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps conducted extensive reforestation efforts to restore the cutover landscape, planting millions of trees and constructing fire lookouts and early forest roads throughout the district. Most of the current forest cover in this area is second-growth forest resulting from these replanting efforts. The two forests were officially combined for administrative purposes in February 1998 as the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, creating a combined unit encompassing more than 1.5 million acres across 11 counties in northern Wisconsin. In 2001, the Perch Lake roadless area was protected under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Vital Resources Protected

Headwater Protection for Cold-Water Fish Habitat

The Perch Lake area contains the headwaters of Wakefield Creek and the Pine River—critical source streams that feed downstream fisheries across the Northwoods. These headwater reaches maintain the cold, clear water conditions that brook trout require for spawning and survival. Road construction in headwater zones causes sedimentation from exposed cut slopes and removes riparian forest canopy, which allows solar radiation to warm the water. Even modest temperature increases in these source streams propagate downstream, degrading spawning substrate and reducing dissolved oxygen in reaches where brook trout depend on cold-water refugia during warm months.

Interior Forest Habitat for Large Carnivores and Bats

The unfragmented hemlock-northern hardwood and mesic forest interior provides essential habitat for federally endangered gray wolves and Canada lynx (federally threatened), both of which require large, continuous territories free from human disturbance and road mortality. Northern long-eared bats (federally endangered) forage and roost within the closed-canopy forest structure, where they hunt insects in the understory and use large trees for maternity colonies. Road construction fragments these interior forests into smaller patches, isolating populations and increasing edge effects—including predation risk, invasive species colonization, and loss of the structural complexity these species depend on for shelter and hunting.

Wetland-Upland Connectivity and Hydrological Function

The Wakefield Creek Wetlands and surrounding northern wet-mesic and wet forest ecosystems form a hydrologically integrated landscape where wetlands regulate water storage, filter runoff, and maintain baseflow to downstream channels during dry periods. This connectivity is particularly vulnerable to disruption: road fill and culverts alter water movement between wetland and upland zones, reducing the wetlands' capacity to buffer streamflow and trap sediment. The loss of this hydrological function cascades downstream, increasing flood peaks and erosion while reducing the cool, stable water conditions that cold-water species require.

Monarch Butterfly Breeding and Migration Corridor

The diverse understory and herbaceous layer across the mesic and wet-mesic forest provides milkweed plants—the only host plant for monarch caterpillars—and nectar sources essential for fueling the species' long-distance migration. The roadless condition preserves the continuous vegetation structure that monarchs (proposed federally threatened) require to move safely through the landscape without crossing roads, where vehicle strikes and habitat fragmentation cause population declines. Road construction removes milkweed habitat directly and fragments the remaining patches, isolating breeding populations and breaking the ecological corridor that allows monarchs to complete their multi-generational migration cycle.

Threats from Road Construction

Sedimentation and Stream Temperature Increase from Canopy Removal

Road construction requires cutting slopes and removing riparian forest canopy to create the roadbed and sight lines. Exposed mineral soil on cut slopes erodes during rainfall, delivering fine sediment into headwater streams where it smothers spawning gravel and reduces light penetration, degrading the substrate brook trout need to lay eggs. Simultaneously, removal of shade-providing hemlock and spruce canopy allows direct solar radiation to warm the water column. In headwater streams already stressed by climate-driven warming, this canopy loss eliminates the cold-water refugia that brook trout depend on during summer months, pushing water temperatures beyond the species' thermal tolerance.

Habitat Fragmentation and Edge Effects for Interior Forest Species

Road construction divides the continuous forest interior into smaller, isolated patches separated by the road corridor itself and the edge habitat that develops along roadsides. Gray wolves and Canada lynx require large, unbroken territories to hunt and den; fragmentation reduces the effective habitat available to each individual and increases the probability of road mortality as animals cross to reach distant resources. Northern long-eared bats lose the interior forest structure they require for roosting and foraging, and the open corridor created by the road allows invasive plant species and generalist predators to penetrate the forest interior, further degrading habitat quality in the remaining patches.

Culvert Barriers and Chronic Erosion in Drainage Networks

Road crossings of streams require culverts, which frequently become barriers to fish movement if they are undersized, perched above the stream channel, or clogged with sediment. This fragmentation isolates brook trout populations, preventing genetic exchange and recolonization of spawning habitat. Additionally, road surfaces and ditches concentrate and accelerate stormwater runoff, increasing erosion in the drainage network and delivering sediment and temperature-altered water to streams. The chronic erosion from road maintenance and storm events continues long after construction, degrading channel morphology and reducing the pool-and-riffle complexity that fish require for shelter and feeding.

Invasive Species Establishment Along Road Corridors

Road construction creates disturbed soil and open canopy conditions that favor the establishment of non-native invasive plants documented as threats in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, including purple loosestrife and Eurasian watermilfoil. These species spread from roadsides into adjacent wetlands and streams, outcompeting native milkweed and other herbaceous plants that monarchs and other native insects depend on for food and reproduction. The road corridor also facilitates the spread of aquatic invasive species—such as rusty crayfish and zebra mussels—by increasing human access to water bodies and creating pathways for transport. Once established, these invasive species are extremely difficult to remove and fundamentally alter the ecological community structure that native species evolved to exploit.

The Perch Lake Roadless Area encompasses 2,390 acres of Northern Mesic and Hemlock-Northern Hardwood Forest in Florence County, Wisconsin. The area's trail system and water bodies support year-round recreation that depends directly on the absence of roads. Access is via the Perch Lake Trailhead and Lauterman North Trailhead, both reached by Forest Service roads that end at the roadless boundary.

Hiking and Mountain Biking

The Perch Lake Trail is a 2.2-mile loop on native soil with gently rolling terrain, rated easy for hiking and suitable for families. The Lauterman National Recreation Trail system offers approximately 9 miles of interconnected loops with hilly terrain, short steep pitches, and winding descents—rated intermediate for both hiking and mountain biking. A 0.9-mile Beginners Loop near the Lauterman North Trailhead provides entry-level access. The Whisker Lake Wilderness Trail extends 8.7 miles with a 0.7-mile spur (Whisker Lake A), offering moderate hiking through forest to views of Whisker Lake. Large ancient pines near Whisker Lake's shoreline—the "Chin Whiskers"—escaped railroad logging and wildfires in the 1900s. An Adirondack-style shelter on a hill overlooking Lauterman Lake serves as a rest stop. Backpackers can create overnight loops by connecting the Lauterman Lake Loop (2.8 miles), Perch Lake Loop (2 miles), and Chipmunk Trail (3 miles). In winter, the Lauterman trails are groomed for classic cross-country skiing only. A $5 day-use fee applies at Lauterman; Perch Lake walk-in campsites are $5 per night, first-come, first-served. Camping is prohibited within 100 feet of water or the North Country National Scenic Trail. The roadless condition preserves these trails from fragmentation by roads and maintains the quiet, undisturbed forest character essential to the hiking and skiing experience.

Fishing

Wakefield Creek supports wild brook trout and is accessible from Highway 70 approximately 10.5 miles west of Florence, with parking near Fox Maple Woods State Natural Area. The Pine River headwaters, a designated State Wild River, hold brook, rainbow, and brown trout in remote, undeveloped sections. Perch Lake, a 72-acre lake with a maximum depth of 77 feet, is managed as a largemouth bass and bluegill fishery following its 1983 reclamation. Largemouth bass have a 14-inch minimum length limit and 5-fish daily bag limit; panfish have a 25-fish daily bag limit with no size restriction. A developed boat launch with gravel ramp and dock is located at the Perch Lake Campground North Loop. Five walk-in campsites around Perch Lake provide secluded shoreline access via the Perch Lake Trail. No motorized boats are permitted on Perch Lake. The roadless condition protects the cold headwater streams and undisturbed watershed that sustain wild trout populations, and preserves Perch Lake's quiet character and loon nesting habitat.

Paddling

Perch Lake offers canoeing and kayaking on a 72-acre lake with a wilderness shoreline of pines and hemlocks. The lake is a known nesting site for Common Loons and is described as quiet water ideal for paddling. The Pine River, a legislatively designated State Wild River, flows through heavily wooded terrain with dark, tea-colored water and a steady current. The upper reaches near the roadless area are described as rugged and remote. Chipmunk Rapids, located on the Pine River approximately one mile south of Perch Lake, is accessible via the Lauterman National Recreation Trail. A developed boat launch at the Perch Lake Campground provides access to the lake. The roadless condition maintains the remote, undeveloped character of the Pine River headwaters and preserves Perch Lake as a quiet paddling destination free from motorized boat traffic and shoreline development.

Hunting

Black bear and white-tailed deer are documented in the surrounding forest. Ruffed grouse and woodcock inhabit young aspen and alder habitats in the region. Hunting is governed by Wisconsin DNR Northern Forest Zone regulations. Discharging a firearm is prohibited within 150 yards of the Perch Lake Campground, boat launches, or other developed sites. Tree stands and blinds must not be fastened to live trees with nails, wires, or screws; cutting or damaging live trees or brush larger than 1 inch in diameter is prohibited. Motorized vehicles must follow a Motor Vehicle Use Map and are prohibited behind berms, gates, or closure devices. The Perch Lake Campground (North and South Loops), located approximately 5.5 miles north of Drummond on Forest Road 223, provides a developed base for hunters. Forest Road 2150 from Highway 70 (12 miles west of Florence) leads to parking and trailhead access near the Lauterman Semi-Primitive Non-Motorized Area. The roadless condition preserves unfragmented habitat for black bear and deer, maintains the quiet forest character that supports successful hunting, and protects the remote dispersed camping areas that hunters depend on for access to secluded hunting grounds.

Photography

Perch Lake's wilderness shoreline of pines, hemlocks, and hardwoods, with a small wooded island near the south shore, provides focal points for landscape and reflection photography. The lake's maximum depth of 77 feet creates glassy water surfaces ideal for mirror-like images. Benches positioned under large hemlock trees along the shore offer vantage points for lakeside vistas. The area contains protected stands of old-growth hemlock, white pine, and spruce, some over 400 years old. Wakefield Creek and the Pine River headwaters flow through extensive wetland and bog areas with tamarack bogs. Common Loons nest on Perch Lake; Bald Eagles and white-tailed deer are documented in the area. Gray wolves are present and heard at night from nearby campsites. The area is noted for excellent night sky viewing and exceptionally bright stars due to minimal light pollution and remote location. The Hayward Lakes Color Tour (70 miles) specifically routes photographers past Perch Lake for autumn foliage. The roadless condition preserves the dark skies essential for stargazing, maintains the undisturbed forest and wetland habitats that support wildlife photography, and protects the visual integrity of the landscape from road construction and associated development.