Rock Island State Park – Astrophotography

Rock Island State Park - Astrophotography

Took a short “nap” after sunset and woke again around 11:30pm.  Hiked back to the area north of the boathouse for astro photos.  Developing these has taught me some interesting lessons for 2019 but wish I had more chances to play last year.  Unfortunately this is the single best image from about 1-2 hours of … Read more

Rock Island State Park – Part 2

Rock Island State Park – Boathouse as the sun falls below the horizon

Part 2 of my visit to Rock Island State Park.  You can view Part 1 here and Part 3 will be coming soon.  Buckle up, this is a long post but worth it (in my opinion).  Here we go! (Don’t forget to click on photos for a larger view with more detail!) Thordarson Trail After … Read more

Rock Island State Park – Part 1

Rock Island State Park - Taking the Karfi ferry

Breakfast on Washington Island was over.  I packed my backpack with enough gear for one night and took a ferry to Rock Island State Park at the farthest end of the Door Peninsula before it changes over to the UP.  I’m splitting this into several posts because I took tons of pictures – stay tuned … Read more

Council Grounds State Park

Council Grounds State Park - Sunset across the Wisconsin River

After another hour driving, home for tonight is Council Grounds State Park.  Thankfully this park is smaller and can be done in about an afternoon.  I wasted no time setting up camp before setting out on the trails. Big Pines Nature Trail -> Unmarked Trail -> Red Trail Right from the campgrounds you can hop … Read more

Little Falls (Winter, WI)

Little Falls (Winter, Wisconsin)

Heading out from Interstate State Park today heading eastbound (I had to book my trip this way due to uncertainty from the heavy rains & flooding along the Mississippi).  Today would be spent mostly on the highway with 5 hours of driving.  First stop to break up the day was Little Falls in Winter, Wisconsin. … Read more

Interstate State Park – Part 2

Interstate State Park - Horizon Rock Trail / Ice Age Trail segment

Midday detours were complete and I was back at Interstate State Park for part 2 of my visit.  Goal for the afternoon was to hike all the remaining trails which I was able to complete minus one or two small connecting paths. Eagle Peak Trail Starting from my campsite, I walked through the parking area … Read more

Straight Lake State Park

Straight Lake State Park - Rainbow Lake

Another detour on the way back to my campsite was to check out Straight Lake State Park.  As Wisconsin’s newest park (founded in 2002), it’s still relatively primitive which typically means less people & less disturbed nature.  I decided to take a quick trek around the Rainbow Lake Loop Trail and leave the rest for … Read more

Interstate State Park – Part 1

Interstate State Park - Ice Age Trail western terminus overlooking St. Croix River

Yesterday I arrived at Interstate State Park, setup camp, and almost immediately set off searching for waterfalls in the surrounding area.  Not quite sure I did it in that order, just a habit when I’m camping at a site for multiple nights my first day is always getting the “lay of the land”.  Weather was a … Read more

Belmont Mound State Park

Belmont Mound State Park - Observation tower views

Had some free time on Memorial Day weekend for a short day trip.  Decided to head southwest and start at Belmont Mound State Park.  This is a small park & State Natural Area operated by the local Lions Club. Main feature is an observation tower that still stands but has been permanently closed by the DNR … Read more

Bigfoot Beach State Park

Bigfoot Beach State Park - Trout fishing area

I’m posting out of order today in honor of the #optoutside movement started by REI to encourage people to skip the evil that is Black Friday shopping and instead get outdoors.  Luckily today in Wisconsin we had a mini heat wave and tied record highs around 65 degrees which made it an easy choice! Before … Read more