Annual average temperature runs from 50 degrees in the south to 39 in the north
Four-wheel drive earns its keep in mud and snow
Low range here is for soft ground, boat ramps and unplowed forest roads, not for grades. The Forest Service notes on its own map that many designated roads and trails may be passable only by high-clearance or four-wheel-drive vehicles, and that seasonal weather can make them impassable for long stretches.
A shop worth using will also know what the law says. The trail systems on the forest are for machines 65 inches or less, a licensed truck is neither an all-terrain nor a utility terrain vehicle under the statutes, and on state land NR 45.05(3)(a) allows a vehicle only where a posted notice says so.
A 4x4 shop is where parts become a working vehicle. Most sell and install the major brands, and the better ones will talk you out of parts you do not need. For overland use, ask them to think about reliability and weight rather than looks.
Typical work
01Differential gears and lockers
02Armor: bumpers, sliders and skid plates
03Winch and recovery point installation
04Lift, wheels and tires
05Lighting, compressors and wired accessories
How to choose a 4x4 shop
Ask about the unglamorous work.
01Ask what they drive and where. Shops that travel build differently from shops that only show.
02Ask about differential work specifically if you need gears or lockers. Setting up gears is a skill, and a bad setup is loud and short-lived.
03Ask how they wire accessories: fused, relayed, loomed and labeled, or tapped into whatever was nearby.
04Ask about weight. Every part they sell you is weight you carry forever.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Start from the problem, not the part.
01Year, model and drivetrain
02Tire size and any lift
03What you want the vehicle to do that it cannot do now
04What is already installed
05A budget range
Questions people ask
Do I need lockers?
For most dirt-road travel, no. Good tires at the right pressure and careful driving go a long way, and many modern 4x4s have capable traction control. A rear locker becomes worth it when you regularly cross terrain where a wheel leaves the ground.
Winch or no winch?
If you travel alone, a winch is the one recovery tool that does not need a second vehicle. It also needs a bumper that can carry it, a battery that can feed it, and practice. If you always travel with others, traction boards and a rope may be enough.
What should I do first?
Tires, then recovery points and basic recovery gear, then whatever your first few trips tell you is missing. Trips are cheaper than parts and much better at showing you what you need.
How high is Wisconsin?
From Sturgeon Bay at 603 feet to Timms Hill at 1,951.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
Three LakesEnd of the auto tour and the town the 15-mile Heritage Drive Scenic Byway runs east of.1,665 ft
Boulder JunctionVilas County, in the northern part of the Northern Highland-American Legion, close to its rustic campgrounds and boat landings.1,651 ft
Eagle RiverEagle River-Florence Ranger District office. The forest’s Natural History Auto Tour starts here and runs north on US 45.1,647 ft
MinocquaOne of the two towns the DNR names as the heart of the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, with Woodruff.1,602 ft
RhinelanderSupervisor’s office for the whole Chequamegon-Nicolet, and the practical service town for the Nicolet side.1,548 ft
GliddenEast end of the Great Divide Scenic Byway, with the Great Divide district’s other office.1,520 ft
Park FallsMedford-Park Falls Ranger District office and the base for the Flambeau Motorized Trail system.1,516 ft
MedfordSouthern gateway to the Chequamegon side, on WIS 13 and WIS 64. Both Perkinstown trailheads are reached from here.1,474 ft
FlorenceNortheast corner of the state, with a ranger district office and the forest’s Wild Rivers Interpretive Center.1,301 ft
HaywardWest end of the Great Divide Scenic Byway and one of the two Great Divide Ranger District offices.1,193 ft
St. Croix FallsOn the St. Croix at the Minnesota line, by the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Governor Knowles State Forest.923 ft
Black River FallsBeside I-94 at the Black River State Forest, where 34 miles of state forest ATV trail join the Jackson and Clark county systems.794 ft
BayfieldHeadquarters of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, on the Lake Superior byway. The islands themselves are reachable only by water.656 ft
AshlandThe Lake Superior byway leaves US 2 near here and runs up WIS 13. Home of the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center on the national forest.648 ft
Prairie du ChienWhere the Great River Road meets the west end of the Lower Wisconsin River Road, on the Mississippi.641 ft
Sturgeon BayStart of the Door County Coastal Byway, which splits north of town onto WIS 42 and WIS 57.603 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Timms HillThe highest point in Wisconsin, in Price County. The USGS publishes 1,951 feet; our own reading of the elevation surface gives 1,9521,951 ft
Sugarbush HillA named summit in Forest County, on the Nicolet side. Measured here from the national elevation surface at the summit’s map coordinates1,936 ft
Rib MountainThe high ridge above Wausau in Marathon County. Measured from the national elevation surface1,917 ft
Mount WhittleseyA named summit in Ashland County, in the high country south of Lake Superior. Measured from the national elevation surface1,873 ft
Saint Peters DomeA named summit in Ashland County, on the Chequamegon side. Measured from the national elevation surface1,561 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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