Devils Lake State Park – December Falls

Devil's Lake State Park - December Falls

Ironically the terrible rainy weather created perfect conditions to visit an ephemeral waterfall called December Falls (sometimes referred to as Roznos Falls). I visited on both Saturday & Sunday and as you can see 1 inch of rain makes a big difference. To find the falls, hike north on the Ice Age Trail / East … Read more

Devils Lake State Park – East Bluff Falls

Devil's Lake State Park - East Bluff Falls

Weather forecasts today were calling for 100% guaranteed rain all day with accumulation around 1″ so naturally I thought it would be perfect to explore Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Turns out this was a great strategy as the usual massive summertime crowds were nowhere to be found. Hiking conditions were less than … Read more

Durward’s Glen Waterfall

Durward's Glen - Primary view of the falls from downstream

Took a weekend trip up around Baraboo in mid May in search of some new falls within Durward’s Glen, a privately owned spiritual retreat and conference center that is open to the public. It’s definitely quite remote but has some nice hiking trails and is located in a very quiet spot tucked into the Driftless … Read more

New Glarus Brewery

New Glarus Brewery -  Swiss-style Building

A visit to the town of New Glarus and hiking at New Glarus Woods State Park without visiting New Glarus Brewery isn’t a complete visit at all, is it? The town of New Glarus has very old Swiss heritage with many buildings crafted in that style, including the brewery’s main Hilltop location. At the entrance … Read more

Minhas Brewery Museum

Minhas Craft Brewery - Monroe, Wisconsin

After hiking New Glarus Woods State Park I had some time to kill before going home.  Stopped off at the Minhas Craft Brewery to check out their setup.  Tons of old memorabilia here in a multi-part “museum”! Minhas was founded in 1845 and is the oldest brewery in the Midwest (2nd oldest in the entire … Read more

New Glarus Woods State Park

New Glarus Woods State Park - Havenridge Nature Trail

Starting to head back towards home but had enough time to visit New Glarus Woods State Park in New Glarus, Wisconsin for a quick hike. The park is on the smaller side with only one main parking lot (camping is available here too but is small & crowded for my likings).  I started on the … Read more

Yellowstone Lake State Park

Yellowstone Lake State Park - Lake View

For this weekend’s trip I decided to stay at Yellowstone Lake State Park in Blanchardville, Wisconsin.  The park seems popular for fishing & boating but not so much for the hiking trails – time for me to figure out why. The 455-acre lake is a man-made reservoir created by damming the Yellowstone River.  I’m finding … Read more

Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area

Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area - Zander Lake Nature Trail

Next stop is Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area, another smaller state park in the Driftless Area located near Browntown, Wisconsin. The park is known for it’s two lakes – Beckman and Zander – which are man-made reservoirs created by damming up Zander Creek.  A large plaque stands at Beckman Lake detailing the efforts by the … Read more

Charles Mound

Charles Mound, IL - Highpoint Sign

Took a quick weekend trip at the start of June specifically to cross another highpoint off my list at Charles Mound, Illinois.  This “peak” stands at 1,235 feet above sea level and is located on private property that the owners graciously open only a few weekends a year. (IMPORTANT: If you visit please read this … Read more

Governor Dodge State Park – Stephens Falls

Governor Dodge State Park - Stephens Falls

Not far away from Cox Hollow Lake Falls and still within Governor Dodge State Park is the easily accessible Stephens Falls. Another small flow can be seen running down the cliff side directly next to the main falls. Unfortunately we didn’t spend much time here as some other park guests were picking flowers, destroying sensitive … Read more