My main destination for today was a spot called Tyler Forks Dells Falls, a series of rapids, falls, and cliffs. I visited back in 2019 but couldn’t find the trail, and couldn’t pull them up online as I had no reception. Today I had maps, cell service, warm temperatures, and nothing but time to explore. I parked at the end of Moore Park Road and began my journey.
DISCLAIMER: The land for this area is private property and shown to be owned by RGGS LAND & MINERALS LTD LP per the plat maps. However, it is registered as accessible for recreation under Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law (this parcel shows MFL# 26-228-1999 on the DNR website). Before you visit be sure to verify this information is accurate & current so you do not trespass! I am not responsible for your actions and I do not advocate trespassing.
My past mistakes were immediately made clear: the best time to visit is spring or fall when the vegetation is thinner. Where I failed to find a path in July, a trail was easy to find now in September. Not more than a couple hundred yards from the cul-de-sac you can start seeing rock gardens and rapids. The tall trees above completely shaded this narrow river section and temperatures felt 20 degrees cooler and very pleasant.
Another 100 yards and it changes to a long section of rapids/rocks that finishes in a 2 foot drop to a calmer and deeper pool section. Foliage colors were really picking up and I was seeing brilliant hues of yellow, orange and red.
As I carefully hopped the slick moss-covered rocks along the shore and reached the end of the rock garden, my attention was drawn away by the massive slot canyon ahead as it was revealed by the trees. My first reaction: Oh wow, what is that?!
Here’s a peek using my zoom lens – partially obstructed by trees, but the clearest head-on angle you will get without taking a swim (and it’s actually fairly deep here so not a good idea). I imagine this is the “dells” referred to in the waterfall name – a series of larger rocks standing taller above the water.
Here’s the same view but slightly angled as I ran out of rocks to stand on. It’s hard to tell from these early photos but those rock walls climb quite tall (maybe 30 feet? I’m bad at estimating heights). Imagine how long it took for the water to carve out such a tall feature…
The trail climbs up the steep rocky & rooted hills, and as usual is obscured by the fallen leaves which also make it extra slippery. It has been dry lately and even still I slipped once or twice. Not sure I can say coming here after or during rainstorms is safe.
Up and over the hill is the most exciting part of the whole area – a series of shelves, big boulders, and rapids that combine to drop 20 or more feet over the course of a hundred yards. The rock I’m sitting on to take this photo slopes dangerously downwards – don’t do what I did without exercising extreme caution! That being said it is the hands-down best spot for viewing. Spend time here enjoying and observing all the tiny details.
Above the falls I took another look back downstream. You can see the cliffs of that canyon much better from this side. Again, I am horrible at estimating heights but it is taller than even this image can convey.
Here is the top-most drop of the section standing along the trail. Overall this one alone drops 5 feet or more and is interesting as it splits around a larger crag in the center. To the right is a stepped-shelf feature, and to the left is more of a cascade or rapids. Too much going on for my words to describe which is a very good thing!
The trail continues along the ridge and it is almost impossible to get back to river level without climbing rope and lots of danger. Not much to see for some stretches but at times it opens up for views of small rapids down below.
Here’s a look at the trail. Overall it is fairly clear where to find the path but some areas you have to guess & back-track a bit. Pay attention in this area – it is incredibly steep off to the left and doesn’t take much to go down. Wear good hiking boots especially if conditions are wet.
Closer to the top is another small rapids section that spands about 20 feet long and drops maybe a couple feet. It is unique though as the rocks have been polished down into smoother round shapes as opposed to more square/cubic formations that I saw earlier.
Almost at the very top is another small rapids/falls section that drops in several “steps” and is hard to reach through the dense underbrush. Upstream the river bends around 90 degrees to my right and widens out.
Only a few steps from the last photo I reached the pinnacle of today’s trek. Waters here are much calmer, save for the handful of small peaceful falls between the enormous boulders. From the 90 degree turn below to the very top I’d say overall drop is another 10-15 feet but it’s hard to tell.
One final look at the smaller falls and rapids. The Tyler Forks River becomes much calmer upstream and the topography also flattens out a bit. Downstream of course is a different story and several falls can be found as it winds through the county. Speaking of which it’s time to head back and see what else I can find before the sun goes down!
Long Exposure
I didn’t play with long exposures much, but I grabbed this one of the main falls. What I didn’t realize was my camera had tilted and rotated the image 20-30 degrees. This is the only shot that survived and it came out pretty decent considering how bad the rest of them fared. I really liked the yellow and orange colors reflecting off the still waters. Hard to describe but as I was taking these shots and soaking in the scenery I felt the trip was a success if I didn’t see anything after this point. Go here, it’s worth it.
Video
Here’s a video of my hike and all the falls I could see. I’m trying to get better with videos and I hope the production quality increases are noticeable. Surprisingly I’m using my iPhone 13 Pro + a DJI OM 5 gimbal for all of these and so far it has been smooth. Amazing what a smartphone can do nowadays.
Hiking Data
Here’s the hiking route along the Tyler Forks River. Just follow the water and you can’t really get lost, but be careful as the cliffs are steep, tall, and slippery. All the markers shown are photos I took in the Gaia hiking app along the way and should give a decent estimate of where to find the exciting parts.
Overall not a very long hike – just shy of 0.7 miles round trip. I’m surprised about the elevation profile of my hiking log, feels like there is more but it says only 30 feet change. I definitely spent more time playing with the cameras than I did hiking.
