Apartments in Ontario, Wisconsin
A PAC Management community in Ontario — with what is around them.
Ontario sits in Vernon County at the edge of the Driftless Area, five minutes from Wildcat Mountain State Park and the Kickapoo River canoe runs. The elementary school is inside the village; La Crosse is under an hour away.
Our community in Ontario
Things to do in Ontario
Wildcat Mountain State Park
The park's trails start on the ridge outside town. An accessible 0.4-mile segment of the Old Settler's Trail reaches Taylor Hollow Overlook, which the DNR calls Wildcat's best view of the Village of Ontario below; the full loop runs 2.5 miles over a 390-foot elevation difference. The 1.3-mile Hemlock Nature Trail follows the sandstone cliffs above the Kickapoo River and climbs switchbacks toward Mount Pisgah, a 365-foot elevation change. The 0.75-mile Ice Cave Trail runs along Billings Creek for its first quarter mile and ends at a sandstone formation where water freezes into icicles in winter. The park is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. and a vehicle admission sticker is required.
Kickapoo Valley Reserve
Public land along the Kickapoo River between Ontario and La Farge, with more than 50 miles of trails and designated routes for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. In winter the reserve grooms classic and skate ski trails.
Paddling the Kickapoo River
The Kickapoo runs 130 miles from Wilton to Wauzeka, where it empties into the Wisconsin River; as the crow flies that distance is about 60 miles. The DNR notes the name is Algonquin for "one who goes here, then there" and that the river flows in every direction of the compass along parts of its length. Local canoe liveries rent boats and run shuttles. The USGS operates three stream gauges on the river — one at Ontario, one downstream at La Farge and one at Steuben — so levels can be checked before a trip.
Elroy-Sparta State Trail
A 32.5-mile rail trail linking Sparta, Norwalk, Wilton, Kendall and Elroy, with three tunnels bored through the rock for the original railroad. The tunnels are closed annually from November 1 to April 30. Bikers 16 and older must buy a state trail pass. Trail headquarters is at Kendall, and the Sparta trailhead is at 111 Milwaukee Street.
Mount Pisgah Hemlock-Hardwoods State Natural Area
Large pine and hemlock trees, native to northern Wisconsin, grow on Mount Pisgah. The DNR says the trees there never fell to the axe and the hill was never grazed; the state designated it a natural area in 1952. No pets are allowed on the Hemlock Nature Trail, which runs through it.
Ontario Public Library
The library began in 1931 as a reading project of the Baptist church, run on donated books and volunteers. It moved into its own Main Street building in 1975 and gained an addition in 2011. It belongs to the WRLSWEB consortium, so material held at any member library can be ordered in and picked up here. Phone 608-337-4651.
Photos: Wildcat Mountain State Park — Yinan Chen, Public Domain; Kickapoo Valley Reserve — Wikideas1, CC0; Paddling the Kickapoo River — Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0; Elroy-Sparta State Trail — Wikideas1, CC0; Mount Pisgah Hemlock-Hardwoods State Natural Area — McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0; Ontario Public Library — Wikideas1, CC0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Coming up in Ontario
Available now in Ontario
What it costs today: one-bedrooms from $836. Live from our leasing system, 2026-08-27.
One example of each layout that is open right now. A unit taken today can linger here for a few minutes.
All available rentalsLiving in Ontario
Current openings and their rents are listed above, straight from our leasing system. Across PAC's ten Wisconsin communities, Ontario has consistently had the lowest starting rent of any of them — Creek Ridge's one-bedroom line runs below every other town we manage.
Ontario is in the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton (NOW) School District, which describes itself as a rural district with about 600 students and about 100 professional and support staff. Both of its schools use the address 28861 State Hwy 131, Ontario — the elementary school at 608-337-4420 and Brookwood Junior/Senior High School at 608-337-4401. source
Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers runs clinics in Norwalk, at 200 West North Street, and in Cashton, at 238 Front Street. Norwalk offers medical care, behavioral health, chiropractic, health education and its Help Team; Cashton adds dental care, a pharmacy, acupuncture and massage therapy. Scenic Bluffs also provides behavioral health services inside the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton schools. source
The nearest hospital emergency room is in Hillsboro at 400 Water Avenue, and it is open 24 hours a day; the ER number is 608-489-8200. The hospital was Gundersen St. Joseph's and now carries the Emplify Health by Gundersen name. source
State Highway 33 and State Highway 131 meet in the village. WIS 131 briefly follows WIS 33 east before turning north and crossing into Monroe County; north of Ontario it runs to Wilton, where it becomes concurrent with State Highway 71. Southbound, WIS 131 clips the southwest corner of Wildcat Mountain State Park, passes through the Kickapoo Valley Reserve and unincorporated Rockton, and continues to La Farge. source
No fixed-route bus serves Ontario. SMRT, the regional service, runs four routes into La Crosse: the Red Route from Prairie du Chien, the Blue and Yellow routes from Viroqua, and the Green Route from Tomah through Sparta and West Salem. Ontario is not on any of them. Assume you need a car. source
The NOAA cooperative station Ontario 3E, three miles east of the village, has a 1991-2020 annual normal of 41.1 inches of snow and 37.83 inches of total precipitation. That station reports no temperature normals in the 1991-2020 release. source
534 residents at the 2020 census, on 1.00 square mile of land in Vernon County. source
The village hall and clerk's office are at 205 State Street; the number is 608-337-4381. The village also runs a public library and a police department. Ontario calls itself the Canoe Capital of the Kickapoo. source
What’s nearby
Places within about 7 miles, from OpenStreetMap. Our communities are the orange pins.
Nearby towns
Questions about renting in Ontario?
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