Once again we have decided to return to our travel blog and try and catch eveyone up on some of our travels over the past few years.
As reported in the last blog from sometime in 2021, we have closed one chapter of our lives, that of working folk living in Watertown to a new chapter of retired people living in Oshkosh. Many changes happened all at once and there are still times when it is hard to wrap our heads around it all, but for the most part we have adjusted well and are enjoying this time of our lives.
We ordered a guidebook to the State Parks in Wisconsin and made it our goal to visit as many or all of them if possible. There is no timeline on this goal, just before we are no longer able to travel, I guess.
We started visiting parks right before we moved here in May 2021 and this post will bring you up to date on all those parks so far. As usual we will try and include information that would be of use to seniors especially with the usual emphasis on bathroom availability.
So here goes:
Aztalan State Park near Jefferson, is a historical outdoor museum with Indian mounds to explore. One can read the many informative signs to learn about this time in history and the Indians that inhabited this area. It is located right on the Crawfish River. There are easy, flat trails for walking and there are also a few historical buildings and an inside museum to check out, too. We have visited here in the winter as well and enjoyed snow shoeing in this park. There are just pit toilets in this park.
Lapham Peak State Park is located near Delafield in the beautiful Kettle Moraine Forest. Maps are easy to follow and trails are very well marked. There are trails for all difficulty levels. We hiked the blue trail that took us to the tower. The views from the top of the tower are worth the 96 step climb. Note all towers have 96 steps. There were flushable toilets.
High Cliff State Park is located in Calumet County. It is located on the shore of Lake Winnebago and has a nice swimming beach and grassy area with showers and flush toilets. There were some steep climbs on the trail we chose but there are a number of different trails suited to all abilities. There is an old lime kiln located on the property. There is a tower and again, the climb is worth it. There are numerous picnic areas with flush toilets.
Point Beach State Park is located in Two Rivers. There is a previous post about the bike trail which we often ride. It is a wonderful bike trail leading from Nashotah Park in Two Rivers to Lake Michigan. On this visit we did not take our bikes, but rather we decided to hike instead. There is a nice long beach to walk on as well as beautiful wooded trails. There are flush toilets at the concession stand on Lake Michigan. This is one of our favorite state parks, we visit it often and it is well suited for all ages. There are no difficult trails. Be sure and check out the restaurant at the beginning of the trail and don't miss the lighthouse.
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Door County State Parks We covered Door County in a previous post, but we wanted to include the four beautiful state parks that are located there. Let's start with
Peninsula State Park which is located between Fish Creek and Ephraim on the Green Bay side of the County. There are beautiful hiking trails suited for all abilities. There is a sandy beach with a concession stand and bathrooms, a nature center with bathrooms, a lighthouse, and a new observation tower with a ramp as well as the 96 steps. The ramp makes it easily accessible for anyone. We are not campers but if we were, I think this would be a beautiful spot to camp.
Next stop in Door County is Whitefish Dunes State Park and Cave Point County Park near Jacksonport on the Lake Michigan side. Cave Point is located within the state park. These are two of our favorite places to visit when we are in Door County. They are beautiful in all seasons. There are easy to follow trails between the two parks and within the parks. There is a nice sandy beach at Whitefish Dunes and the beach is very walkable for miles. As stated in a previous post, don't miss a hike to Old Baldy. Flushable bathrooms are located in the nature center and along the trail to Old Baldy. Pit toilets are available year round at both parks. This is one state park that you can get into for free since you can park at Cave Point and walk into the state park.
Newport Beach State Park is our next stop. It is located near the tip of Door County on Lake Michigan. To be perfectly honest, we do not enjoy this park in the summer. It has a small beach area and smells from the algae at times. There is a nice hiking trail suitable for all ages and pit toilets. We did enjoy a snowshoeing adventure there in the winter. The trail was a bit difficult at times, but I think we put on about 4 miles on that trek so definitely doable for seniors.
The last park we enjoy when visiting Door County is Potowami State Park located near Sturgeon Bay at the Southern end of the Door. It is a beautiful park located right on Lake Michigan with nice easy, well-marked hiking trails and flush toilets. There are lots of picnic areas and a camping area.
We will revisit Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca at this time. It has the nice beach and swimming area. There are two small lakes to hike around. One is a shorter, easier hike than the other. Also, there is a bridal trail to follow, but we got wet feet at a point where turning back was not feasible. While there is a changing room and shelter for the beach rental, the toilets are pit type. There are paddleboards, peddle boats, canoes, kayaks, and swim rafts to rent at the beach. This js easily in our top five picks for favorite state parks, especially since it is so close to us.
Kohler-Andrae State Park is located near Sheboygan and is on the shores of Lake Michigan. There are many boardwalks that meander through the dunes and are easy to maneuver. The views from the dunes are nice. There is a monarch station near the beach area and the day we went in June, there were so many monarchs. The changing rooms and bathrooms are brand new and flushable, always a plus for us. There are very nice picnic areas, too.
Devil's Lake State Park is probably the most visited and most well-known of all the state parks. There is a very easy walking trail along the west side of the lake with views of the lake on one side and the rocky terrain on the other. There are many more difficult paths up in the rocks for the more advanced hiker. There is a beach on both the north and south end of the lake with concessions and rentals. It can get rally crowded on summer weekends so as a senior, we would recommend going during the week to avoid the crowds. One is able to walk around the entire lake by taking the railroad tracks along the east side of the lake. It's an easy walk around the lake even for a senior. And, to top off this beautiful state park, there are flush toilets at both beaches.
Sometimes we would visit multiple state parks in one day. On a rather gloomy day in Sept.
we visited four of them.
Our first stop was at Mill Bluff State Park near Camp Douglas. The main attraction at this park is climbing the over 200 steps to the top of the bluff. The steps are uneven and made of stone with a so-called railing on one side. Once we got to the top, the view is worth the climb. One is able to see other bluffs in the distance. There is also a sandy beach and picnic area. Pit toilets are available. We wouldn't put this park at the top of a bucket list. It's a one and done deal.
From Mill Bluff we discovered Buckhorn State Park in Necedah and what a discovery it was! We found a desert right here in Wisconsin called a Sand Blow. There are flat, easy trails that meander through the desert and meadowland areas. The park is a peninsula in the Wisconsin River. There is a beach right on the river and there are pit toilets. Definitely a must see.
We left the Sand Blow for Roche-A-Cri State Park in Friendship. More steps, over 300 to get to the top of one of the highest hills in Wisconsin with a magnificent view from the top. There are nice, easy trails once you descend the steps. The only bathrooms are pit toilets.
Our last stop of the day was Rocky Arbor State Park near the Dells. We found this park very underwhelming. Perhaps it was because it was the last of the day and we were over it, but it seemed more a place to picnic than to actually hike and explore. We walked a paved road around the area which had some cool rock formations. There was rustic camping available, so I am assuming only pit toilets. Maybe it deserves a revisit to reevaluate our experience there. I can't even find a picture from this park.
Another underwhelming state park, at least in our humble opinions, was Copper Culture State Park which is located near Oconto on the Oconto River. It is a small park with a short walking trail through the woods to the river. It was an Indian burial ground and there are some signs explaining it. There was a museum, but it was not open when we stopped. There were pit toilets.
Our next adventure took us north to Copper Falls State Park near Mellen. We have visited this park many times over the years, and it never disappoints. This time we were joined by our good friends, Mark and Terri Hubbard. The trails are either paved or a boardwalk, so they are easy to maneuver for any age. There are some steps but if you have trouble with steps, you could just eliminate those areas and continue on the easier path. There is a nice picnic area with concession stand and clean flush toilets. The falls are so beautiful, so be sure and take your phone or camera because you will want to capture the beauty. Give yourself a few hours to take it all in. This is one of the state parks that is a must see.
We continued our adventure with the Hubbards on Madeline Island where we visited Big Bay State Park which is located right on Lake Superior. To get to the Island, you need to take a ferry. On this trip we took our car, but we have taken only our bikes and ridden to the park which is about six miles from the ferry dock. The park is so scenic with huge flat formations that you can walk on or sit on and just take in the views. The trail we took was a four-mile hike, but one could shorten that and still see much of the beauty. There is a very nice beach and flush toilets.
The next two stops we made with the Hubbards are not state parks, but I am including them here because they must see places in Wisconsin. The first is the County Concrete Park near Philips. This is a very unique spot filled with many concrete creations made by a man who could not read or write. It's a small area and only takes a short time to walk through but it is well worth a visit. There are nice clean bathrooms, too.
Our final stop on this adventure was Timm's Hill, the highest point in Wisconsin, so for that reason alone, it should be on your bucket list. It's a short, easy walk to the tower which, as you know has 96 steps. From the top of the tower, the view is spectacular especially in Fall. I am not sure about bathrooms at this stop, but we did enjoy lunch at a restaurant called Hill of Beans which is just a short distance from this county park, and they had nice bathrooms.
. In our opinion, Fall is the best season to visit most of the state parks unless you plan to use the beach. The fall colors are beautiful, there are no bugs, and we think the cooler temperatures make hiking a little easier. We visited the next two state parks in the fall, hitting both of them on the same day. Our first stop was
Harrington Beach near Belgium. We visited this park years ago with the girls on a very busy summer day to swim. We did not like it at all. We had to take a shuttle to the beach area along with lots of people. The beach was so crowded. I am so happy that we gave this place another chance because the second time we visited we came away with a whole new opinion. This is one of our favorite parks now. The park includes two lakes that one can hike around, an observatory, and lots of easy trails. The park is located on Lake Michigan and has a nice sandy beach which was deserted on the day we came. There are also the ruins of an old quarry town with signage to explain things.
We headed over to Hartford next to explore Pike Lake State Park located in the Kettle Moraine Forest. It's a beautiful, wooded area with some easy trails near the lake. Some of the trails across the street are quite hilly and might be difficult for some older people. There is a tower with 96 steps and again, the climb is worth the view at the top. There are flush bathrooms by the beach, which by the way, is a nice size and sandy. Lots of room to picnic in the beach area. We did get turned around a bit on our hike so maybe pay close attention to the maps that you can pick up at the pay station. There is also
a very easy trail called the Astronomy Trail on which you can learn interesting facts about the planets.
The next adventure took us to Lake Geneva to explore Big Foot State Park. We were not overly impressed with this park. It's rather small but has great bathrooms and showers for the campers. There are quite a few short easy trails and the beach on Lake Geneva is across the highway. The beach is small and narrow. Not a park we need to return to anytime soon.
On our way home from Lake Geneva, we made a quick stop at
Ottawa Lake State Park which is located in the Kettle Moraine Forest near Dousman. We have visited this spot often and enjoy hiking the Scuppernong Nature trail which is an easy mile loop through some beautiful nature. On this stop we only walked around near the beach which is very sandy with picnic areas available. I do not remember the bathroom situation there. It offers a large camping area, so I know they have them but not sure if they are pit of flush.
On a beautiful fall day, we visited four state parks. We started out at
Blue Mound
State Park where the fall colors were breathtaking especially from the two towers located on top of a tall mound. You can drive to the top and just climb the towers, or you can park by the swimming pool, as we did, and walk up the trail to the towers, the trail is a bit on the steep side. There are very clean flush bathrooms at this park.
From Blue Mound we visited New Glarus Woods State Park. This park is basically for tent camping. There is a one and half mile trail to the town of New Glarus from the park. It is a nice wooded area but there is not much there besides the woods. I am assuming the bathrooms were pits.
Our next stop was at Cross Plains State Park which was a bit confusing to us. In talking to a park ranger there, we found out that this land had just recently been disignated as a state park so it was still being developed. There wasn't a place to park so we just parked in the ranger's parking area. We were able to follow a short trail into the park which was mainly prairie and a small lake. I would be sure and check the progress on this park before visiting it. There are no facilities.
The last stop of the day was Lake Kegonsa State Park near Stoughton. This park has a beach with changing rooms and clean flush bathrooms. There are a number of easy trails for hiking. Some parks are just more memorable than others and this one is not.
Rib Mountain State Park in Wausau was next on our agenda. We rode the ski lift at Granite Peak with our friends, Terri and Mark Hubbard. The fall colors were so pretty from the lift. Later we took a hike and clinbed the tower at the park. There are clean flush bathrooms and lots of scenery. You can hike through the woods or walk on the sidewalk that takes you to the tower. Remember the climb is rather steep since you are climbing a mountain.
We visited four more state parks in spring. The first one was
Govenor Dodge located in Dodgeville. This is the biggest state park in Wisconsin so we didn't give it the amount of time it deserved. We plan to return. There are two beach areas both with very clean flush bathrooms, picnic areas, and changing rooms. We hiked a trail called the Lakeview
Trail, but we didn't see a sign of the lake from that trail. It was rather overgrown at the time. We also hiked to Stephens Falls. There is a paved trail that leads to the steps that take you down to the falls. That hike to the falls weas worth it.
The last park in this post is Wildcat Mountain State Park, located near Ontario. It has a beautiful, scenic look out that is easily accessible via a paved path. There are other trails in the park but the one we chose was so overgrown and had so many roots and rocks, it was very difficult to hike. We did see some rock steps that we attempted to go down but there was no railing and one misstep, and you would fall a great distance, so we turned back. I would say, as a senior, go for the view but stay off the trails. There were nice flush bathrooms.
We did make one last stop after Wildcat Mountain and that was at a county park called Rockbridge near Richland Center. It is a natural bridge. (Much more impressive that the one at Natural Bridge State Park) It is 20 feet wide and 10 feet high. Sometimes county parks are even more exciting that state ones so be sure and check them out, too.
Well, I have caught myself in a lie, there is one more state park which is more of an area than an actual park but it is in our book so I am including it here and that, my friends will be the last, I promise. We visited the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern unit near Dundee. It was a fall day, and the color was at its peak in this area. There is a tower (96 steps) be warned that the walk up to the tower is steep and there are many steps just to get to the tower. After the uphill hike to get there, the tower climb is a piece of cake. Once you get down from the tower there is a 3-mile loop that goes through some gorgeous areas but again be warned the path has lots of rocks and roots with hills, some parts are very steep. I had to spend so much time looking down that I couldn't enjoy the view. It is not the best hike for seniors unless you are in great shape. There were pit toilets. There are two nice beaches in the area, too with flush toilets and nice changing rooms.
And you have finally made it to the end of this long post. There are 49 State Parks in Wisconsin, at this time and we have made it to 32 of them since we started less than two years ago. We will keep you posted on which ones we will be exploring next.
We hope that you have found this post helpful, and we hope that it will inspire you to see some of the beauty in our own backyard.
Happy Travels!
Next up
Gatlinburg, Tennessee
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