As our travel plans for 2023 took shape, it was beginning to seem as though it would be another year in which I maybe, possibly, hopefully squeezed in one single state high point. After only managing one high point in 2022 as well this was a little disappointing. But I had so many other things planned that I couldn’t really be too upset about it.
But then, the arrival of a surprise invitation to Minnesota presented the opportunity to add not one, but two more high points to my list this year. The Minnesota high point was the intended destination for this trip – more to come in a future post – but we weren’t about to fly all the way there without seeing what else we could do while we were in the area.
So I spiraled into travel planning mode, and a full weeklong vacation was born.
The trip began with two days in Minneapolis hanging out with some family. Our visit just so happened to overlap with a cousin’s birthday, so we spent one of the days at the Mall of America amusement park celebrating with them.
From here, we set off for the highest point in Wisconsin: Timm’s Hill, elevation 1951 feet (595 m). This is the 39th highest US state high point; quite the contrast from our most recent trek up Colorado’s high point, which is the 3rd highest.
But first, we stopped for beer flights at Leinenkugel’s in Chippewa Falls. We’ve been enjoying their beer for years so it was exciting to visit the actual brewery and visitor center. We didn’t have time to take the tour, but I kind of wish we did because they’ve been around for 150 years and I’m sure the interior of the brewery is really neat. Instead, we enjoyed two flights, allowing us to sample 12 of their beers, and then we were on our way.
Timm’s Hill is about 90 minutes north of Chippewa Falls, near no town you’ve probably ever heard of unless you’re very familiar with central Wisconsin. It’s not really on any signs, either, so be sure you have correct driving directions (and screenshot them, because there isn’t a lot of phone service). The hill is the centerpiece of Timm’s Hill County Park.
We started out by accidentally walking part of the Ice Age Trail, which is a lengthy national scenic trail that traces the edge of the glacier that covered this area during the last ice age. It was a nice walk through the forest… but was not the right trail for this venture.
After locating the actual trail — which was a little further up the one-way road through the park — we set off for the actual high point. It’s only about a 5-10 minute walk through the woods with just a little elevation gain.
At the high point, there’s a mailbox with the summit register and summit sign, and a large observation tower, which proved to be the hardest part of this “hike” with its many stairs.
But it’s worth the climb, because the high point itself is in the trees but from the top of the tower you have 360° views.
And that’s about all there is to say for this one.
So we headed back to the car and then continued our drive up to the northern coast of Wisconsin and Lake Superior, where we would be spending the next two days.
More to come soon. Stay tuned!
The Important Stuff:
- Getting there: Timm’s Hill County Park is located off WI Highway 86 just a few miles west of Ogema. A GPS should get you there, but phone service is limited so screenshot the directions in advance. Here is more information as well as an address.
- Fees and passes: none.
- Hiking: not really much of one, it was about a 15 minute walk roundtrip and I did it in sandals without issue. However, if you struggle with stairs or dislike heights you may opt to skip the climb up the tower.
- Where to stay: somewhere else; this is a small county park that really only exists because of the high point. There’s not much else around, so Timm’s Hill is probably best visited as a quick stop on your way through the region.
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