Summer Day Trips in Wisconsin: State & County Parks
Devil’s Lake State Park
S5975 Park Road
Baraboo, Wisconsin. 53913
Park Office:608.356.8301
Devil’s Lake State Park is Located in Baraboo, Wisconsin and situated along the Ice Age Trail and is visited by more than 1.2 million people per year!
Devil’s Lake features 500 foot cliffs, swimming areas (with 2 huge sandy beaches), campsites galore, miles of uphill hiking trails, cross country ski and mountain bike trails and much more. The wildlife is beautiful and the park itself is breathtaking. A trip to the top of one of the two hikes will give you a view of the Lake that is simply unreal.
Devil’s Lake is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Visitor Center hours are from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily in the summer and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in other seasons.
The fees to get into the state park are based on sticker prices for the year. For the year 2006, residents of Wisconsin can get into Devil’s Lake for $25 a year, $7 for the day or $3 for one hour. If you are a non resident it costs $35 for the year, $3 for the day and $3 for one hour. Well worth the cash!
Parfrey’s Glen
Baraboo, WI
4 miles east of Devil’s Lake State Park
Directions to the Park: Take Hwy. 113 south out of Baraboo and turn left on DL. The entrance will be on your left a few miles down. The entrance is a bit hard to see, but if you get to the Old Schoolhouse Restaurant, you passed it. Just turn around and go back about a half mile.
Parfrey’s Glen is administered by the Devil’s Lake State Park. The trail into the Glen is just under a mile long. As you walk in you will be blown away by how beautiful the surroundings are. Streams, towering rocks and lush vegetation is all around you. At it’s uppermost part, the glen reaches a depth of nearly 100 feet.
The Glen’s walls are sandstone embedded with pebbles and boulders of quartzite. Because the Glen contains many unusual plants and rare flora, visitors must stay on the trail from the lower parking area to the top of the glen and retrace their steps back. At the end of the trail you will notice a small waterfall that flows gently into a pool of water.
The best part? It’s free! The park encourages donations though, so you may want to bring a little cash along.
Cave Point
Cty. Hwy. A, Jacksonport
You will hear Cave Point before you see it. Well-known for its wave-worn limestone ledges, underwater caves and stirring view of Lake Michigan, the park is popular for many tourists. You will understand how beautiful the park is when you see the power of the waves crashing into the shore. The waves spray high over the bluff’s edge. These strong waves have hollowed out caves in the point over thousands of year. Even on a calm day the beauty of the view will impress you.
Fishermen, skilled scuba divers, photography buffs, and nature observers find the park a great delight. Facilities include restrooms, picnic areas, grills, parking space, 900 feet of shoreline and �½ mile trail that links up with several miles of trails in the adjacent State Park (Whitefish Dunes). Whitefish Dunes State Park borders the park on three sides.
It is free to get in, but if you wish to go to the state park next door you will need a state park sticker (see prices in the Devil’s Lake portion above).
Those are three absolutely amazing summer trips that I would encourage you to take if you are ever in Wisconsin. You will be amazed at the beauty that is there and the serene nature of each of the parks. If you are a nature enthusiast, you cannot miss out on these three spectacular locations.
