By Gregg Hoffmann Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Jan 07, 2005 at 5:04 AM

{image1} Ask most Wisconsin residents to name the highest point in the state and they will likely answer Rib Mountain, or even the US Bank Center in Milwaukee. But, Timms Hill stands above all.

Located in Price County, 23 miles west of Tomahawk, Timms is really a bump in high moraine country. It doesn't have as impressive look as Rib Mountain when you approach it. That might be why it's called only a "hill."

You never really get the feeling that you are 1,951 feet above sea level when you are on the hill. You sense it a little more if you climb the tower in the park and look over the countryside. But, Timms Hill ranks only 39th among state high points in the country. So, don't expect to feel like you are in the Rockies if you visit the hill.

One thing is certain when you visit Timms Hill: you know you are in a beautiful place. Woods cover the hill with a wonderful blend of deciduous and pine trees. Sugar maple, ash, basswood and birch are plentiful, and make fall a great time to visit the hill.

Two lakes -- Timms Lake and Bass Lake -- provide scenic beauty and some pretty good fishing. Bass Lake is 30 feet deep and provides plenty of its namesake fish and panfish.

Wildlife abounds on the hill and around it. Hikers -- and in the winter cross country skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers -- find the area a paradise.

The Ice Age Trail connects with Timms Hill. You can travel 1,000 miles along that trail, all around the state.

Highpoint Ski Trail, a 9-mile cross country trail, in nearby Ogema, is considered one of the best in the state. The Timms Hill National Trail connects Highpoint to the Rib Lake Area Ski Trail.

Timms Hill is part of the Price County park system. According to americasroof.com, a Web site that specializes in information on the high points of each state, Timms Hill is the only high point in the country that is a county park.

That site also bills Timms Hill as the halfway point between the equator and the North Pole.

In addition to that Web site, Timms Hill has been featured on Roger Johnson's Welcome to America site, which can be found at welcometoamerica.us. Johnson visits and hikes interesting places around the country.

Price County bought an old logging camp and turned it into the park. It was dedicated in 1983.

Timothy Gahan owned and operated the logging camp for years and gave his name to the hill. A historic tavern once sat near the camp, but it has burned down.

Kathy and Lyle Blomberg operate the High Point Village near that former tavern site. The resort has four chalets, two suites and a lodge. Other accommodations can be found in neighboring towns, and if you want more "modern" conveniences and attractions, Tomahawk is a thriving city in the middle of the woods.

But, nature is the biggest attraction in the Timms Hill area. Price County includes 147,000 acres of the Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests.

You can escape into nature and tell people later that you did it on the highest spot in Wisconsin.

Gregg Hoffmann Special to OnMilwaukee.com
Gregg Hoffmann is a veteran journalist, author and publisher of Midwest Diamond Report and Old School Collectibles Web sites. Hoffmann, a retired senior lecturer in journalism at UWM, writes The State Sports Buzz and Beyond Milwaukee on a monthly basis for OMC.