Just down the road from Split Rock park is another local park called Devil’s Gulch. I didn’t know what to expect at first, but the attraction here is a large gulch (or ravine), a waterfall perhaps, and some Wild West history if you believe the stories. Not shown in this post is a small visitor center that is currently closed for the season. It was busy when I arrived so I hiked this a bit out-of-order but ultimately did the full trail and will share from the start so it makes sense for the readers.
At the trail head there is a large sign with a map and descriptions of features, and a short history of the local lore. As the story goes, back in 1876 the notorious Jesse James along with his brother Frank were fleeing from a posse after robbing a bank in Minnesota. They came upon Devil’s Gulch and Jesse jumped the 20-foot ravine on his horse to escape and elude the authorities. He would go on to retire under an assumed name in Missouri until he was shot in 1882. Mighty big jump for a horse, no?
The trail starts with a small set of stairs and then heads right over the ‘Jesse James Jump’ bridge where the mythical leap is said to have occurred.
View from the bridge looking down into the ravine and downstream. Another interesting factoid from the signpost is that the creek was measured long ago with a plumb-bob down to 600 feet; since that time it has filled in with silt and dirt to be more shallow, but the split in the rock here definitely runs deep.
The “trail” if you can call it that is fairly easy to follow in most points as this is a well-visited place. In the sections that aren’t obvious just follow the hordes of running children, or use your imagination to climb over some of the modest rocks until you see the foot-worn path join up again. Overall this location doesn’t require too much exertion but you should definitely expect uneven surfaces and some rocky steps.
Once down at the water level you are rewarded with better views of the massive stone walls. The current is stagnant in this season but I’d imagine in springtime when the levels rise it would be much more exciting.
Once across on the west side of the chasm, the trail becomes clear as it winds through a small wooded area. To the left of this photo there is a large grassy field that is possibly a farm. The trail is short but it is very quiet and peaceful here.
After a short distance you’ll find yourself at another bridge that leads back across the gulch. This one is a much more narrow gap in the rocks and more plausible for a horse to leap over…but where’s the fun of that in an old Western legend?
While the gap at this bridge isn’t as legendary the scenery is. Devil’s Falls can be found below it, a two-level waterfall that narrowly carves through the rocks below as it tumbles down the gulch. Due to the brush on the right side I couldn’t get a perfectly clear photo of both drops but I won’t complain, it was a fantastic place to be!
Here’s what the top drop of the falls looks like from the side. Notice it isn’t quite a vertical drop, but instead it carves closer to the contour of the rock at a more diagonal angle. I’m often bad at estimating distances but I’d say the top drop is around 10 feet and it runs maybe 15-20 horizontally as shown here.
At the top of the gulch there is a split into a “Y” shape. One side has the falls and main stream of water running through it, and this small side branch is filled with the water as it drains off. There is a spot in the rocks where you can climb down called the Devil’s Stairway and a flat spot about 10 feet across called the Devil’s Kitchen – I am fairly sure that’s where I took this photo but not sure since it isn’t well marked on the map.
Above the falls you can also climb down to the water level as shown here. Upstream is a large boulder field that would be treacherous to hike across even in the low waters. In springtime I could imagine this would be a very spirited rock garden with rapids splashing violently.
Finally at the top of the rocky area the hiking path loops back to the parking area. There is a path that leads to the other side and according to the signage I think it leads to Wiese Pass walking trails. But there is also a sign back at the far end of the parking area that says ‘Devil’s Ford’. Not sure if that refers to this path or the boulders, but it’s here somewhere.
And finally here are the signs as the parking lot path loops back towards the trailhead. Overall this was an unexpected but great place to find that didn’t take too much time or effort to see. Garretson itself is a bit off the beaten path, but if you’re in the area or road-tripping to other destinations along this route you should definitely stop and take a look!
Hiking Data
Here’s a basic map showing the hiking trails along the gulch. The pink trail at the end is what I did first and comes out to about 0.2 miles. After letting some people clear out and starting at the normal trail head, I did the blue trail which comes out to about 0.5 miles. So in total it’s just shy of 3/4 mile of fairly easy hiking. I do believe there are other trails here that go further downstream along the creek but I didn’t explore those; they seem to be a nice walk in the woods and brush but not much more than that.
Bummer… thought you had found a new falls in Wisconsin!
Nope not Wisconsin this time, but still a nice waterfall. Stay tuned for 2025 though!