When state lawmakers passed 2023 Wisconsin Act 12 banning local advisory referendums, they stripped Northern Wisconsin of a tool for gauging community consensus on off-road vehicle routes. Previously, local boards relied on non-binding ballot votes to guide major road decisions, such as when Manitowish Waters voters rejected opening town roads by a 369 to 176 vote in 2020. 

Opening paved public roads to off-road vehicles brings tourism dollars and connected trail networks, but it also introduces noise, safety concerns, and neighborhood friction.

Vilas, Oneida, and Lincoln counties have chosen three different ways to manage the use of off road vehicles. 

Vilas County

Vilas County chose a countywide approach where county leaders set one rule for all townships. The Vilas County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution by a narrow 10 to 9 vote after over two hours of heated debate. This decision opened nearly all lettered County Trunk Highways to year-round ATV and UTV travel at 35 miles per hour, regardless of whether individual towns wanted the traffic.

The vote broke long-standing local custom. Historically, Vilas County only opened a county highway segment if the local town board requested or approved it. The 10 to 9 vote overrode objections from town boards in Boulder Junction, Manitowish Waters, and Winchester, where supervisors had voted to keep municipal roads closed.

The Policy Trade-Offs:

• The Approach: Opening county trunk highways all at once to create a single, unbroken regional trail grid across town borders.

• The Pros: A single county map eliminates rider confusion at town borders and connects commercial hubs across the region. Pro-opening supervisors argued that county highways fall strictly under county authority. Supervisor Holly Tomlanovich warned against "ceding power that belongs to the county," while Supervisor Joe Muelbach noted, "It's very confusing to our residents and very confusing to our visitors when they come here... these are county roads."

• The Cons: The policy overrides local town authority and alienates residential homeowners. Speaking on behalf of resistant towns, Boulder Junction Town Chairman Dennis Ruess urged the county board, "Don't take away control from local town governments. We know our people, we work there, we live there, we know what people are expecting. I'm asking you to let towns govern towns." Opposing supervisors agreed. Supervisor Richard Hanson stated, "We had promised these towns that we would not open county roads within their towns without a request from the town... I'm not ready to give up my credibility with the towns." Board Chairman Jerry Burkett concluded, "I believe in local control… It's called respect."

• The Legal Trap: The county opening created a confusing situation for riders. A driver can legally travel down County Highway M through Manitowish Waters or Boulder Junction at 35 miles per hour. However, taking a single turn off the county highway onto an intersecting town side street immediately subjects that driver to fines.

Oneida County

Oneida County uses a corridor-based approach that balances motorized expansion with local town approval and timber industry demands. Through periodic updates to Section 7.095 of the County General Code, the Oneida County Board of Supervisors evaluate and opens selected County Trunk Highways, including County Highways A, B, E, and G. Rather than opening every route at once, county leaders review individual road segments and approve targeted connectors across state highway bridges, such as the Crystal Lake bridge on Highway 45 and the Deer Lake bridge on Highway 32.

To support urban commerce, Oneida County and the City of Rhinelander approved dedicated connectors like West Kemp Street, allowing riders from the Kemp Street Bridge to directly access hotels, restaurants, and gas stations.

The Policy Trade-Offs:

• The Approach: Incremental opening of county highway corridors combined with town approval over municipal streets.

• The Pros: This gradual model respects municipal authority and protects county working forests. County trunk highways act as main travel routes, while individual town boards retain authority over residential streets and lakefront access points. Furthermore, the Oneida County Forestry Committee inspects all club requests to open forest roads like Shingle Mill Road and Zimmer Road. This ensures high-volume recreational traffic does not ruin heavy gravel haul roads or disrupt commercial logging operations.

• The Cons: The model leads to localized political friction and a confusing patchwork map. Because towns make independent decisions, routes can stall at municipal borders, creating traffic bottlenecks or dead ends.

• Town-Level Examples:

  • Minocqua: The town board approved an ATV trail along the south side of Highway 70 in a 3 to 2 vote. Supporters emphasized business connectivity, while neighboring homeowners raised concerns over noise, dust, and dangerous turns across highway traffic.

  • Lake Tomahawk: Under Chapter 347 of its code, the town set a 25 mile per hour speed limit, banned driving on paved road shoulders, prohibited golf carts, and required local ATV clubs to pay for all route signage.

Lincoln County

Lincoln County's strategy relies on building dedicated trail infrastructure where possible. However, when private landowners refuse to grant trail easements, county leaders default to opening paved high-speed highways to keep regional trail routes connected.

Policy discussions center on managing dense forest trail systems, like the 45-mile Harrison Hills network, while keeping riders connected to commercial hubs in Tomahawk and Merrill.

The Policy Trade-Offs:

• The Approach: Investing in off-road trail bridges and underpasses where feasible, while opening paved highways when private land access falls through.

• The Pros: Solves physical trail obstacles by constructing dedicated infrastructure, such as a $160,000 motorized trail bridge over Devil's Creek near Joe Snow Road. In Tomahawk, city leaders opened city streets at 10 miles per hour and used the Highway L underpass to route off-road traffic away from busy roads. Additionally, the county enforces seasonal rules, banning off-road vehicles on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail and suspending motorized access in Burma County Forest during firearm hunting seasons.

• The Cons: When landowners deny private trail easements, the county opens paved highway routes, placing lightweight recreational vehicles directly alongside full-sized traffic.

• The Highway 107 Compromise: After negotiations for a private dirt trail fell through, the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to open a section of State Highway 107 between Faufau Avenue and County Highway E. Working with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, supervisors designated the paved highway shoulders as an official route. While this kept regional trail loops connected, it forced lightweight vehicles onto a 55 mile per hour paved highway alongside automobiles and heavy trucks.

The Future of Northwoods Governance

Across Northern Wisconsin, the struggle over off-road vehicle routes reveals a reality. Every policy decision forces a direct trade-off between quiet residential living, local home rule, and outdoor powersports tourism.

Without a unified statewide standard, the Northwoods road network will remain a block-by-block patchwork. As long as local leaders must weigh the economic push for motorized tourism against the quiet appeal of Northwoods residential life, the future of the region will continue to be decided one town hall meeting at a time.