Devil's Lake State Park is a fantastic geological site. The lake, the bluffs, and surrounding hills make are astounding in both their distinction and beauty. Located a few miles South of Baraboo, WI and a short drive from I-90/94, Devils Lake is very accessbile. This family friendly state park boast a lake that is 1.3 miles long and about half that in width. The lake is sandwiched between two bluffs that rise 500ft above the lake shore. Three very well kept campgrounds allow ample opportunity for RVs and tent campers alike. Including the nearby Parfrey's Glen there are nearly 30 miles of hiking trails. Some people call Devil's Lake the "Yellowstone" of the mid-west. I'm not sure about that, but Devil's Lake is a must see when travelling through Wisconsin.
The nearby town of Baraboo is also worth a small note. Baraboo is now a town of 12,000+ having grown considerably in the last 20 years. My own interaction with Baraboo is very limited, but comes from having visited the Baraboo Circus World as a child and then as a tennis coach as an adult. This small town is populated by one of the more friendlier group of humans you'll meet in Wisconsin. Be sure to check out the Circus World Museum. Allow at least a half day for that if not a full day. If you have children under the age of 11 the money is reasonably well spent (and I'm a real cheap SOB.)
The family spent the weekend of Sept 23rd camping in our 20ft Jayco in Devil's Lake. We brought along our younger niece to keep the boy's company. The plan was that on Saturday we'd hike one of the bluff trails and then get in a canoe or two. By the time we got on to the trail and got off the trail there was little time left for getting on the water. Plus, the boat rental doesn't seem to keep it's published hours. Nor did I find the rental manager very accomodating with information.
Perhaps on Sunday morning we could get up early and get on the water. We got water on Sunday for sure, but it was getting on us. Boy did it rain. We were able to get Sunday breakfast made and almost cleaned up and then the torrential rains came.
The hike... we simply took the West Bluff Trail and then came back on the Tumbled Rocks trail. I'll give you the good stuff first and then I'm afraid I'll have to rant a bit.
The West Blufs trails starts at the West end of the North Shore picnic area. So does the Tumbled Rocks trail. There is a walkway along the beach that joins directly into the Tumbled Rocks trail. Look to the right and you'll see the West Bluffs trail perhaps 50ft away. The trail immediately dives into the forest that comprises the majority of Devils Lake State Park. The forest has a great diversity of trees; oak, maple, some ash, white pine, red pine, fir, and my favority birch. The colors were just beginning to turn and some of the birch, poplar, and ash were getting yellowed. Some maples were turning the light red. If we'd been there a week later we'd probably have seen much more color. Still, the forest there is specatular.
The trail immediately begins to climb, gaining 500ft of elevation in about a half mile distance. The climb up, though is not that severe. There are areas were steps are made of stone and other areas that wind around large trees. Most people find they can make the entire climb without stopping for rest. You should stop, though. There are three or four places along the climb up that offer vistas of the lake and surrounding region. Turkey vultures soar mere feet from where you stand. Mind your footing. There are no fences or rails, just rocks. These rocks give way easily, even the large ones. The quartzite rocks have been polished smooth by millions of human footprints and get slippery quickly in even a light mist. You won't fall into the lake, don't worry about that. No, you'll bounce two or three times off a rock or tree before becoming lifelessly wedged between two boulders on the face of the bluff.
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| Climbing the rock steps |
One of the early vistas on the climb has been overtaken by a bees nest in a tree. Not a good place to stop. These bees are not the friendly variety. You will hear them before you see them. They are an impressive colony. We stood off several feet and watched them for a few minutes before moving on.
Before you know it you are on the top of the bluff that runs a small ridge before descending again. There are ample places to stop and take pictures and even a bench or two. A very favorite spot is to go out on the rock outcropping just before the descent begins. There is a bench and then across the trail two spots of rock outcropping large enough for a group of 5 or 6 to sit and lunch. From this vantage point you have a command of the entire lake, both bluffs, the hills to the North and South and the ancient river valley to the Southeast.
The climb down is a little less steep than the climb up and winds a little more through the forest.
The trail hits the South Shore Rd and within a few feet the entrance to the Tumbled Rocks trail begins. At this point you've covered a little over 1.25 miles.
The Tumbled Rocks trail begins on a road leading up to private cabins along the lake shore. After perhaps a third mile the trail then enters into the boulder field that lines the entire face of the West Bluff from top of the bluff to the shore of the lake. The trail skirts through the boulders and is almost always within 15ft of the lake shore. The boulders range in size from people sized to small truck size. Perhaps a few very large dump truck size boulders.
There is a scattering of distressed pines that poke through the boulders now and again, but for most of the trail you'll find yourself open the elements. On this day that was mostly clouds with an occassional glimpse of sunshine. Temps hovered around 60F for much of the day with a very light wind out of the Southeast.
The trail ends right at the walkway on the North Shore beach. Total trip distance is about 2.4 miles. We stopped very frequently and made the hike is just under 1:30.
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/devilslake/
The Rant, or Who Paves Trails
If you know me or you have read my other entries you'll know without a doubt that when I go to the woods for a hike I'm looking for solitude. I want to see very few people. Those people I want to see I hope that they have a measure of respect and etiquette regarding the great outdoors.
On any weekend between April and October you will not find that on the East and West Bluff trails of Devil's Lake State Park. This park is frequented by thousands each weekend. The East and West Bluff trails are paved the whole way. You will not be able to walk more than 50 ft without encountering another group coming up or going down. You will wait to take pictures at the vistas. You might get lucky and find one of the outcroppings mentioned earlier unoccupied. We did and that was only by luck.
One major piece of trail etiquette is, as quoted by Elmer Fudd, to "be vewy vewy quiet." Make some noise to scare off bears, but conversations are kept between two people and radios are left in the car.
Not at Devil's Lake on a busy weekend. You'll hear conversations from people all over the mid-west and you'll hear at least three different categories of music as you hike along the trail. We saw some very interesting behavior on the boulder fields. I am suprised there are not more injuries and deaths. Devil's Lake get's it's name from a somewhat skewed translation, but the real name of the lake was something like "The Lake Where Spirits Dwell." Those spirits must be kind and benevolent.
I've been to two other parks that had some of the same issues. Yosemite has so many visitors. There was never a place of solitude. There were always hikers, even on some of the lesser trails. The difference with Yosemite was that most of these people, even in the Valley, had a healthy respect for nature and the people around them. In Yosemite you could hear the hikers coming up behind you from their footsteps or perhaps a mumbling of a quiet conversation. At Devils Lake, you hear them coming from the other end of the trail, literally a mile away.
Starved Rock State Park in Illinois is a place that I've been to once and will not go back to again. Similar to Devils Lake, Starved Rock has picturesque vistas over the Illinois River and beautiful forests right up to the bluff's edge. All the trails are paved. All the vistas are packed with people. The 2.5 mile hike I did there wasn't even a hike. It was more like a series of short walks. Frequently had to wait for people to decide they were going to let others by on the walkway (I won't call it a trail.) Smoking, boom boxes, boxing matches, picnics on the middle of the walkway. The whole time I was offended by noises, smells, actions, words. This was not just one large group of people behaving badly. This was dozens of smaller groups with absolutely no respect for people or nature.
The good thing with Devil's Lake is that the East and West Bluff trails only make up about 4 miles of the 29 miles of trails. The others are not paved. They dive off into the woods and roll along the hills, glens, and bluffs mostly to the East of the lake. I've been to Devils Lake before and hiked the West Bluffs trail before it was paved. Hiked the East Bluffs trail after it was paved. The East Bluffs, although paved is an interesting one, but I would suggest coming off season. The last time I went was the day after Thanksgiving. No gun hunters near that trail. I ran across three small groups of hikers. Very pleasant hike with a challenging set of rock steps at the South end.
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