Steps, stones, and stunning views: a day at Devil’s Lake
On Labor Day, I had the fun of visiting Devil’s Lake State Park with my fiancé for some hiking. Devil’s Lake State Park, near Baraboo, is Wisconsin’s most popular state park. According to the park website: “Situated along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, [the park] offers magnificent views from 500-foot quartzite bluffs overlooking a 360-acre lake. Visitors enjoy nearly 30 miles of hiking trails, lakeshore picnic areas, swimming beaches, paddling opportunities, and year-round naturalist programs.”
The Ho-Chunk name for the lake is Tee Wakącąk, which could be translated Spirit Lake or Sacred Lake. It is believed that European settlers translated the name as “Devil’s Lake” due to their association with a powerful evil spirit or creature. Legend has it that a creature similar to the Loch Ness Monster inhabits Devil’s Lake. Various tales have described it as looking like a plesiosaur or giant serpent. At any rate, I didn’t spy any strange creature lurking in the waters of the lake, so you should be safe if you decide to visit (wink).
For those of you considering visiting the park, be aware that you will need to purchase a vehicle pass. A daily pass is $13, while an annual pass is $28. If you happen to be a senior citizen, as in 65 or older, the daily pass is only $3 while the annual pass is $13. We got through the line to pay for our pass quite quickly, although it was a bit of a challenge to find parking. We ended up parking maybe half a mile away from the North Shore Visitor Center and backtracking to the trailhead. The website does note that you should expect busy parking lots and long wait times from May through October on weekends and holidays. So just allow yourself some extra time if visiting then.
Our first adventure was conquering the West Bluff Trail, which overlooks the lake from its western side. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, this 1.4-mile stone and asphalt trail offers scenic vistas of the lake at several points. We came from the north end and worked our way south. The hike is definitely not for the faint of heart. Initially, you must ascend more than 200 steps in a quarter mile. The steps are all large stone boulders and there are not many resting points until you get on top of the bluff. We gained 193 feet in elevation in the first mile and a half. About halfway through the trail, you can see the Super Slab, or what’s referred to on the map as Prospect Point. It’s a rectangular-shaped, vertical slab of rock standing on its own with no other rocks around it, approximately 500 feet above the lake. It was cool to see, although I enjoyed the views of the lake more, in various places where the trees were cut away.
After making our way down the bluff, we took the 1-mile Tumbled Rocks Trail north along the lakeshore. Along this trail is supposed to be a towering rock spire known as Cleopatra’s Needle. However, if the spire is still standing, we never saw it. It could be that the spot is overgrown with trees.
We returned to our vehicle for a late lunch. In all, it was a 4-mile round trip and took us about 2.5 hours, including occasional stops. After lunch, we drove to the South Shore Station and parked along South Lake Drive, not too far from the railroad tracks. We were on a mission to see Balanced Rock and Devil’s Doorway, two of the most popular rock formations in the park.
We followed the flat Group Camp Trail a short distance until it met up with the Grottos Trail. That connected with the 0.4-mile Balanced Rock Trail, which involved a steep ascent along a sheer cliff face. If we thought the West Bluff Trail was challenging, this one was much more “strenuous,” as one website put it. The trail is made entirely of stone boulder “steps,” none exactly the same size or shape. Some of them were quite smooth and slippery on the top and it would be easy enough to slip off. Use caution if you take this trail. There were some very pretty rocks in varying red tones. The rocks are primarily a type of quartzite, specifically Baraboo quartzite, which gets its distinctive purple, red, and orange hues from the iron minerals (hematite) present in the ancient sand that formed it.
Probably halfway up our 178-foot climb, we reached Balanced Rock, which, as the name would imply, is a large boulder that tapers down at the bottom and is balanced on a small surface area. The boulder itself is maybe 9 feet tall. It was not as exciting in person as I thought it would be. You do have to deviate a bit from the main trail to see it, but it’s not too hard to find. We continued our ascent and after much heart pumping and heavy breathing, finally made it to the top where it leveled off. We got off the main path for a bit but found our way back – make sure you stay on the asphalt to avoid adding extra mileage – and soon reached Devil’s Doorway.
“This formation, more than 31 feet high, is named for its resemblance to a doorway or a stone arch, with two separate columns of rock connected by other rocks at the top,” the Wikipedia entry for this formation states.
This rock formation was unlike anything I have seen before, so it was interesting to look at and satisfying to say we made it. That being said, I may have enjoyed the experience more if I was not so weary and it was a little quieter with not so many people around.
We spent a few moments at Devil’s Doorway before continuing a short distance on the East Bluff Trail and then taking the Potholes Trail 0.3 miles back down the bluff to the Grottos Trail. We saw two natural potholes. These geologic features are formed by water and sediment eroding rock over long periods, or by swirling glacial meltwater, creating smooth, bowl-shaped depressions in bedrock. (If you want to see a lot of potholes, visit Interstate Park on the Wisconsin and Minnesota border.) The trail made a steep descent down boulder-steps and also passed through a cleft in between two rock walls. It’s hard to say which was steeper, the ascent or the descent, but I would recommend doing it the way we did it in taking the Balanced Rock Trail up and the Potholes Trail down, as that is probably the least treacherous.
Our second hike was 1.5 miles, round trip, and took us an hour and 42 minutes. We decided after that to call it quits for the day and go find a good restaurant – which, by the way, I really enjoyed the River Walk Pub in the Dells and their El Cubano sandwich. Cheese curds were tasty, too. I definitely recommend it.
Overall, the trip was a good one, even if it mostly revealed how out of shape I am! I had great company and always enjoy a chance to get out in God’s creation. The area has more sights I’d like to explore, including Parfrey’s Glen State Natural Area, which is connected to Devil’s Lake Park. I also imagine the park would be very beautiful at the peak of the fall colors, with the leaves reflecting off the water.
If you visit, let me know what you think! Or let me know where we should travel next.
