10 Things To Do In & Around Phillips, Wisconsin

After leaving Eau Claire WI, Shae, Truffles and I made our way northeast to Phillips. It’s a small city with only ~1,500 people living there, so it’s not what you’d call a bustling metropolis.

That wasn’t why we’d picked Phillips though. We’d wanted to visit somewhere further north as we figured there should be some good hiking, there’s a huge National Forest, plus there were rivers and lakes all around.

We’d booked a 7 night stay at a home on Airbnb which we had all to ourselves, so it was a relaxing week. We took advantage of this by having some downtime, but also did some exploring in Phillips and the surrounding towns.

So if you’re planning on visiting Phillips or the local area, here are 10 things to do there.

1) Elk Lake Park

Downtown Phillips is home to Elk Lake Park, a park which is – you guessed it – next to Elk Lake.

With a disc golf course, beach volleyball, children’s playground, playing fields, walking trail, picnic shelter and more, it’s a great location to spend some time outdoors.

Address: Elk Lake Park, 585 County Road H, Phillips, WI 54555

2) Canoeing & Kayaking

With so many rivers and lakes in and around Phillips, it’s a great place to go canoeing or kayaking. Elk Lake is one place you could head out on the water.

If you don’t have your own boat, you can rent a canoe, kayak or stand up paddle board from The Crazy Loon in downtown Phillips.

We didn’t rent from The Crazy Loon as our Airbnb had a canoe and kayak we could use. So on a sunny afternoon, we paddled along the Flambeau River.

We decided to use the canoe rather than kayaks so that Truffles could safely join us. I wasn’t sure how much she’d enjoy it, but she seemed to have a great time.

3) Butternut Ice Cream & Treats

Butternut is about 25 miles to the north of Phillips. It’s a cute little village which is home to a great ice cream shop called Butternut Ice Cream & Treats.

They serve several different Kemps ice cream flavors which we were excited about. We’d tried Kemps ice cream while we were in Wausau and it was delicious. Shae got a cone with Zanzibar chocolate, while I got a bowl with two scoops – one of white chocolate raspberry truffle ice cream and one of strawberry cheesecake frozen yogurt. All three of our flavors were fantastic.

One of my favorite things about Butternut Ice Cream & Treats is how cheap they are. Shae’s cone was $2, my two (large) scoops cost a total of $1.50 – $1 for the first scoop and $0.50 for the second.

They sell other stuff cheaply too, so I went back in to get a $2 local beef stick for me and a $1 serving of cheese curds for Shae.

Unsurprisingly, Truffles gave us the eyes…

Address: Butternut Ice Cream & Treats, 109 S 5th St, Butternut, WI 54514

4) Glidden Black Bear

Butternut Ice Cream & Treats is on Highway 13; carry on a little further north and you’ll arrive in Glidden. It’s a small town of only ~500 people, but it has a roadside attraction.

In a small hut next to the Fire & Rescue department is a record black bear. It was caught in 1963, weighs 665 lbs and is 7′ 10″. A sign at the hut says that it took seven men to pull the bear out of the woods.

Address: Glidden Black Bear, 285 Grant St, Glidden, WI 54527

5) Copper Falls State Park

If you keep heading north from Glidden, you’ll eventually come to Copper Falls State Park. As with most state parks in Wisconsin, it has an $11 entry fee for out of state visitors or an $8 fee for those with Wisconsin plates.

Once inside the park, walk along the Doughboys’ Trail until you reach Copper Falls.

A little further up the trail, you’ll also get to see Brownstone Falls.

If you take an offshoot from the Doughboys’ Trail, you can also check out the Observation Tower. It’s a bit of a trek to get there though – you first have to walk up a path with 143 steps, continue on a trail uphill, then walk up the tower’s 78 steps to the top.

It’s a good workout, but sadly there’s not much of a view considering it’s an Observation Tower. There probably was a beautiful view once upon a time, but the height of the trees means all you can see now are treetops rather than surrounding areas.

Elsewhere in the park there are walking trails…

…and a beach next to Loon Lake.

If you’re traveling with pets, Copper Falls State does allow dogs in the park, but they’re extremely restrictive in terms of where they’re allowed.

Dogs aren’t allowed on the Doughboys’ Trail which is where the waterfalls are. We hadn’t realized that’s where the waterfalls were located, so Shae waited in the car with Truffles while I went to check out the falls, then I waited with Truffles while Shae went to check them out.

Dogs also aren’t allowed on Loon Lake Beach, nor in some picnic areas. There is a designated pet picnic area though, while dogs are allowed on other trails like the Red Granite Falls trail mentioned above.

Address: Copper Falls State Park, 36664 Copper Falls Rd, Mellen, WI 54546

6) Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest

Heading back down Highway 13, you’ll have the expansive Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest on your right. There’s also a whole separate part of the forest about 75 miles to the east.

We decided to go for a lunchtime picnic at Spillerberg Lake within the forest one afternoon. There’s a boat launch and what seemed to be some ATV trails, so it’s a good location for all kinds of outdoor activities.

Address: Spillerberg Lake, Boat Landing Road, Glidden, WI 54527

7) Wisconsin Concrete Park

All the way back down Highway 13 in Phillips is Wisconsin Concrete Park. The park is home to 200+ sculptures constructed using concrete, broken glass and other materials.

It’s an unusual roadside attraction, but definitely worth visiting if you’re in Phillips. To make it better, it’s completely free! Check out our post about Wisconsin Concrete Park to find out more.

Address: Wisconsin Concrete Park, N8236 State Hwy 13, Phillips, WI 54555

8) Stargazing

Depending on what the light pollution’s like where you’re staying, you might want to head outside after dark to check out the night sky.

We were staying outside of downtown Phillips where there was no street lighting. That meant we could see far more stars than normal at night.

Address: Above you

9) Harbor View Pub & Eatery

If you’re visiting Wisconsin, you need to go for a Friday fish fry. Shae and I went to one at Harbor View Pub & Eatery in Phillips and they had very tasty fish.

Just as good as the fish was the beautiful view from their deck overlooking Long Lake.

Address: Harbor View Pub & Eatery, 1094 N Lake St, Phillips, WI 54555

10) Slap Your Arms, Legs & Neck

OK, so this final suggestion of things to do in Phillips is tongue-in-cheek, but it’s important nonetheless. If you’re visiting Phillips in the summer, there’s a very good chance that you’ll encounter mosquitoes. Many, many mosquitoes.

You’ll therefore need to either spray yourself with good quality bug spray or you’ll be practicing your whack-a-mole-mosquito skills the entire time.

Address: Freakin’ everywhere

Question

Those are our suggestions of things to do in and around Phillips WI, but how about you? Do you have any additional ideas? Let us know in the comments below.