Pass the Snacks Adventures

Wisconsin has forty-nine beautiful state parks. When we moved from DC to Madison, we set ourselves the challenge to visit them all over the next few years. During the first year of living in Wisconsin, the COVID-19 pandemic was raging, so we took the opportunity for some socially distant exploring of our new home. About a year on, we’ve about halfway having visited twenty-four.

This post shares our tips and thoughts on each park. Our perspective is biased toward being based in Madison and being accompanied by a dog.

In the map below, blue indicates parks we have yet to visit and red indicates parks we have visited.

Amnicon Falls

Aztalan

• Beautiful spot with amazing mounds.
• Great stop if you have extra time driving between Madison and Milwaukee

Belmont Mound

Big Bay

Big Foot Beach

Blue Mound

• High point in southern Wisconsin.
• Good for classic country-cross skiing in winter (limited skate skiing trails).

Brunet Island

Buckhorn

• Backpacking campsites
• Canoe rentals

Capital Springs

• Great dog park close to Madison.
• Great stop if you’re heading out the beltline.

Copper Culture Mounds

Copper Falls

Council Grounds

Cross Plains

• Close to Madison.
• Beautiful for a sunset weekday evening walk.

Devils Lake

• Wisconsin’s most popular state park.
• The bluff-to-bluff hike is some of the best hiking in Wisconsin.
• Very popular – best on weekday, in winter, and early in the morning.
• We have camped on a weeknight, done the bluff-to-bluff hike at sunrise, and gotten back to Madison for the workday.
• Expansive day-use areas so Devils Lake works well for a large group with differing preferences.

Governor Dodge

• Cool gorge hike

Governor Nelson

• Far side of Lake Mendota from Madison.
• Nice prairie and lake access.
• Nice dog beach – check for blue-green algae.

Governor Thompson

Harrington Beach

• Beach north of Milwaukee.

Hartman Creek

Heritage Hill

High Cliff

Interstate

Kinnickinnic

• We came out to Kinnickinnic during a weekend trip to Minneapolis.
• Beautiful views of the St. Croix River.
• Better hiking options at nearby Willow River.

Kohler-Andrae

• Beaches and sand dunes fourty-five minutes north of Milwaukee.

Lake Kegonsa

• Small lakeside park south of Madison

Lake Wissota

Lakeshore

• Reclaimed lake bed in the middle of Milwaukee.
• Walk past the Summer Fest grounds.
• Park near the red light house, walk to Veterans Park to see the Discovery World and the Art Museum.

Merrick

• Along the Mississippi River.
• Great destination for boating. Lots of a little islands in the river to explore on Canoe or Kayak.
• The hiking options are very limited, nearby Perrot is better for hiking.

Mill Bluff

• Sandstone mesa along 94.
• Great stop if you’re driving along 94 between Madison and Minneapolis and want to stretch your legs.
• We were able to hike all the trails is less than an hour.

Mirror Lake

• The first state park we visited for our project to visit them all!
• Great stop to combine with Devils Lake, Natural Bridge, or other Wisconsin Dells area adventures.
• Top trail is the Northwest Trail.

Natural Bridge

• A natural sandstone arch with an opening of 25 feet high by 35 feet wide.
• Good to combine with other nearby adventures.
• We hiked all the trails in under an hour.

Nelson Dewey

New Glarus Woods

• Great place to go on a walk during a day in New Glarus.
• Combine with nearby New Glarus Brewery tour and large portion Swiss meal from Glarner Strube.
• Add a trip to Monroe for a Linberger cheese sandwich from Baumgartners.

Newport

Pattison

Peninsula

Perrot

• Along the Mississippi River.
• Great views and some decent trails.
• The walnut burgers from the Historic Trempealeau Hotel are excellent.
• Bring bikes for a ride on the nearby Great River State Trail.

Potawatomi

Rib Mountain

Roche a Cri

• Sandstone rock formations.
• A bit far from Madison to warrant a full day trip.
• Some nice hiking trails through the woods.

Rock Island

Rocky Arbor

Straight Lake

Tower Hill

Whitefish Dunes

Wildcat Mountain

• The Driftless area at its finest.
• Extensive trails.
• Rent canoes to paddle down the Kickaboo River.
• Great ski trails in winter.

Willow River

• Close to Minneapolis
• Epic waterfall.
• Good hiking trails.

Wyalusing

• Epic bluffs on the Mississippi River.
• Great day trip from Madison.

Yellowstone Lake

• Beautiful lake with some decent hiking trails.