Annual average temperature runs from 50 degrees in the south to 39 in the north
Tires for snow, salt and gravel
Wisconsin publishes no traction or chain law, so nothing forces a winter tire on you and nothing protects you either. The choice is yours to get right, with 30 inches of snow a year in the south and more than 100 along the Gogebic Range, where lake-effect storms come off Lake Superior.
The rest of the year the question is gravel. Thousands of miles of county forest road, plus the 126 Rustic Roads that WisDOT allows to be dirt or gravel, mean sidewall cuts and slow leaks are the common failure. A shop that knows the northern counties will talk about load range and repairability before it talks about tread pattern.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
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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