Wausau Info
About Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is known as Wisconsin’s Basecamp! Embrace Adventure, Bask in Comfort.
Wausau was ranked #1 small city in the nation and #2 city overall for cycling by PeopleForBikes in 2018 due to its bike-ability, bicycling related infrastructure and strong road, gravel, and mountain biking communities.
Wausau is in Marathon County, home to well over 40,000 acres of public or privately owned parks, forests, and natural areas.
Marathon County has an extensive network of paved trails, bike lanes, and lightly traveled county roads. These county roads have a wide variety of scenery – from scenic farmlands, and through beautiful conifer and aspen forests, rivers and lakes, marshes and wetlands. Terrain varies from flat to rolling to hilly.
Marathon County is the heart of Wisconsin’s Granite Belt with hundreds of miles of premium red granite roads winding through dairy farms, hardwood forests, and wetlands.
Marathon County boasts a diverse wildlife population including white-tailed deer, black beer, wolves, otters, red fox, bald eagles, turkeys, sandhill cranes, bobcats, and more.
Wausau and Marathon County are known for:
- Cultural diversity — one of the highest per capita Hmong populations in the US
- Ginseng Capital — The region produces the vast majority of high-quality American ginseng
- Consistently ranked #1 for dairy production
- Wausau’s Whitewater Park is one of the nation’s few urban whitewater courses located in downtown Wausau.
- Marathon County is the home of the 45×90 geographic marker — the geographic center of the Northern Hemisphere.
Fun Facts
Weather
Although we can’t predict the weather for our upcoming MTR 2027, here are the historical average temperatures for September 3rd:
- High temperatures: typically range from 71 to 75 degrees F.
- Low temperatures: typically range from 48 to 55 degrees F
- Weather conditions: generally, expect mostly clear days with a cool autumn-like breeze
- Fall colors: fall colors will be just beginning — leaves mostly green with very early traces of yellow and orange. Vibrant peak fall colors typically do not arrive until October.
- Snow: First measurable snowfall in the Wausau area is typically mid-to-late October. Wausau averages 64.3 inches of snow per year (NWS 1991-2020).
Rib Mountain
Did you know that Rib Mountain is one of the oldest geological formations on earth?
Rib Mountain is considered a mountain in the context of central Wisconsin. Rib Mountain stands about 700 feet above the surrounding terrain with a level of 1,942 above sea level.
Rib Mountain is a 4-mile-long ridge of 1.7-billion-year-old quartzite rock, known geologically as “monadnock” — an isolated hill that resisted erosion.
Rib Mountain is home to Granite Peak Ski Area, one of the oldest ski areas in the country, which opened in 1937. In the winter, Granite Peak has 65 downhill ski runs across 225 acres. Granite Peak was the host of the 2024 US Masters Alpine National Championship.
Rib Mountain State Park offers four seasons of fun with many hiking and snowshoeing trails, observation tower, and special events like snowshoe hikes and summer concerts.
Dells of Eau Claire County Park
Dells of Eau Claire County Park is one of the special jewels of the Marathon County Park System. The Dells surrounds fantastic geological features created by the Eau Claire River. Ancient volcanic rock palisades and potholes carved in the rock by the falling water create a unique place at the dells and gorge. The Eau Claire River bisects this 190-acre park plus a dam upstream from the falls creates an impoundment for a swimming beach/area.
George W. Mead Wildlife Area
Nestled in the Little Eau Pleine River valley, the George W. Mead Wildlife Area encompasses over 33,000 acres of open marshes, hardwood and aspen forests, and grasslands. Mead is one of the largest wildlife areas in Wisconsin, comprising the most extensive contiguous state ownership of wildlife lands. Two conifer bog state natural areas showcase the tamarack and black spruce ecosystems on the property.
Mead’s diverse habitats harbor abundant wildlife species. While bicycling through the Mead, see if you can see deer, turkey, grouse prairie chickens, eagles, and more. The Mead is an important resting, feeding and nesting site for waterfowl and song birds alike. Over 267 bird species have been documented at the Mead. The Mead is a favorite location for birdwatching.
Nine Mile County Recreational Area
Nine Mile County Recreational Area is named after a unique natural feature — the Nine Mile Swamp. The Forest has 4,897 acres of mixed forests and wetlands. Nine Mile is a four-season silent sport destination with over 45 km of well-maintained trails for cross-country skiing, fat tire and mountain biking, hiking, and snowshoeing.