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Devil's Lake State Park
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15 reviews for Devil's Lake State Park
What a fabulous state park!
I was longing for nature and hiking and pretty views and I got it all at Devil's Lake State Park. In fact, this will now be my go-to-destination whenever I have the urge to escape the city flatness and crowds.
We spent two half-days here over the weekend, first tackling the North Shore portion of the park, specifically the West Bluff and Balanced Rock trails. WB starts you off with a pretty steep climb. The payoff is in view after view of the gorgeous lake. There are plenty of spots to take a rest and the entire trail is about 3 miles. When finished you can go back or opt to walk the Balanced Rock trail which is pretty flat and follows the lake. Tons of beautiful purple, quartize rocks as well. We finished the day by doing a leg of the Sauk Trail which was really just a walk through the woods and nothing special--the only trail I'd likely not do again.
The next day, we started off with the vaunted Balanced Rock trail. The guide says it's only four-tenths of a mile but that it averages 45-minutes. Well, it only took us 30 minutes, including tons of stops for pictures and catching our breath, but this part of the trail is not for the weak of heart. Two days later and I can still feel it in my quads! This is by far the best trail in the park as it connects to the East Bluff Trail and follows the lake. Beautiful! We opted to take the CCC trail down. Um, yikes! At times it felt like we were scaling the open mountains. It soon passed but there's a reason we saw multiple rapelers and hikers on their way up with heavy packs.
I've heard this can get super crowded in the summer months and I believe it. Me, I prefer to get outdoors when the rest of the population isn't there. I hope to return one more time in 2009 and then head back in March or whenever there isn't snow.
One final point: the mud from the rain last week did not factor in here as many of the trails are on stone/natural rock steps. I expected to ruin some jeans/shoes and I didn't!
Devil's Lake affords what is probably the best hiking views in all of Wisconsin (and perhaps all of the Midwest). Some of the trails can really give you a run for your money--they're steep in a "Let's overwork your glutes"-kind of way. But they are completely worth it, because the view from the top is STUNNING. People look like ants, trees look like toys, and there is nothing but your good graces protecting you from a long and messy tumble down the rocky cliffs. :) It's all very exhilarating. I wouldn't recommend those particular trails to anyone who isn't in semi-good shape, because it is a real long way up and back. The nice part is that there are low-altitude, level trails that go all around the lake--and they're still pretty.
The lake has some kind of bacteria in it that can make you itchy, but I've gone swimming and survived. It's great for cooking out and having a few beers after a long hike, too. AND it's only about an hour away from Madison, which makes it one of the greatest weekend escapes.
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Any mountain climbers out there? Not cliffhanger style, just backpack mountain climbing. Midwest is not a good place for mountain fans.. its flat as a pancake! Few years ago in search of places to mountain climb, I found this place called Devil's Lake and it's mountain is supposed to be the highest elevation in the midwest. So we packed up and went!
It was ladybug mating season and it was raining ladybugs. When they stick to your skin, they tend to bite. But that didn't deter us. It was so nice to climb a mountain again. The part of the trail is steep and rocky and there are several rock formations to look for on the way up. It's not a high mountain, so the trails are short. We hiked the entire trail and we did it again the next day.
The view is spectacular. I finally found a reason to visit Wisconsin at least once a year.
Because I can no longer drive an hour to the Pacific coast, I miss miss miss water and swimming and all...nature. C'mon, I do NOT swim in Lake Michigan. Sick.
The campsites at Devil's lake are pretty standard - don't expect much privacy or quiet...especially if there is a group of highschoolers putting down the PBR at the neighboring site. All you need is some fire wood, your tent, a bottle of wine or few, and brats, smores, and the like. Despite the less than glorious sites, Devils Lake is still a welcome trip up from Chicago... the lake is simply amazing. Oh how I have missed (clean) freshwater!!
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Let me just say that I spent a large portion of the first 18 years of life here. A great place to enjoy swimming, kayaking, camping, hiking and just hanging out. Both shores can get busy in the summer months but the north shore is probably the busiest. If you come in the fall, its a beautiful drive and much less crowded! The lake is very clean and the grounds are well maintained. There is a small shop with food and what not (if you want a hot dog or forgot your sunscreen). I can't say enough about this park, most of my childhood and many adulthood memories are here. Definitely worth checking out for a day trip or mini vacation!
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A great state park that has an amazing lake, and wonderful trails to keep you busy all day. The view points are stunning and the trails are accessible for all types of hikers. The elevation change here gives the hike that extra needed effort making it a fulfilling experience. Unfortunately we couldn't get a a campsite here since they were all full but luckily there are a few sites nearby. This is definitely a place that I'll be coming back to next spring/summer.
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This park has everything you'd need including hiking, rock climbing and kayaking. It's well maintained and the trails are excellent but it does get pretty busy at times so it's not exactly a quiet place to hike through but I think this might be as good as it gets without traveling several hours away from Madison.
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What a GREAT state park. Went fishing there with a few of my friend. I have never seen a lake so clean and I am from MN. with all the event that this state park has to offer I will be taking my family here next year for our camping trip..
It's BEAUTIFUL here!!!!!!!!
I'm not a huge camper but I had a blast at Devil's Lake. The site was more than large enough for four of us and we had electricity, enough privacy (everyone did) and a fire pit. We went hiking and the trails were both gorgeous and great exercise. It was a fantastic opportunity to take a thousand pictures and surprisingly enough there were not as many bugs as I expected. You have to walk to the bathroom which is public and has both toilets and showers and there are some freaker bugs that chill in the corners of the showers...This is the number one camp ground in the midwest in my opinion. I recommend visiting, just be sure to book well in advance at least for summer. Also beware of swimmers itch in the lake! I never caught it but my cousin did once.
Beautiful grounds. Some sites are quite a bit more desireable than others, so do your research before requesting a site. We didn't get to experience the activities at the lakes or hiking trails due to a tornado, but it looked nice as we were driving past.
When the rangers were driving around making announcements about the tornados to the campers, my friend was standing in the road waiting for them. They drove right past her without stopping, so one star off for that.
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I've been hiking here since I was thirteen and have camped here a few times, too.
There really is no better way to experience the blindingly gorgeous colors of a Wisconsin fall than to hike around the lake on the high trail. Crisp, clean air, challenging but safe paths, friendly fellow hikers, plenty of rock climbing if that's your thing, and two parks with picnic areas, beaches, kayak and canoe rentals, etc.
I fell in love here... and even if you don't, you'll definitely fall in love with this park. =)
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I camped here for the first time with friends who had been coming since childhood. Once you pull in though the trees and the park envelops you, it's easy to see why they kept coming back.
We did the "car-camping" thing, had a good site near the bathrooms and showers. We also risked our lives climbing the eastern bluff, which was first boulders and then turned into sheer rock faces. A tough climb, but worth it since at the top you get an awesome view, and the realization that the path down isn't nearly as treacherous.
There is also a camp store, complete with a dance hall, and a awesome sandy beach on both the North and South shores of the lake. We went in the off season, so the park wasn't really hopping with people, and it was cold and rainy.
Doesn't matter, I'd still come back next year. Just this time with a foam mattress pad and knowledge that drinking too much at a campsite isn't much difference drinking too much anywhere else.
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Devil's Lake. The jewel of Wisconsin's State Park system. the natural scenery in this park is wonderful. This is the closest thing in the Midwest to a stunning mountain vista. This is a popular park with all the amenties, close to the interstate, so you're not going to get the "quiet solitude" at Devil's Lake most of the time. But nonetheless, it's a great park, a great experience.
If you are not an experienced climber, be very aware of the cliffs and drop offs at this park. There are too many people each year who get seriously hurt or killed because they "think" they can rock climb when in fact they cannot.
You would never think this place was in the midwest. Somehow the glaciers missed this area and it is like a little mini mountain. If I was in California, I wouldn't find this so exciting, but in the midwest, this is quite the gem. They have really nice wooded camp sites as well.
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Lovely crystal lake ringed by palisades on either sides with hiking trails along the escarpments. Many camping areas. Beautiful fall foliage. As other reviewer mentioned, a great escape for Midwest flatness even if there are no high mountains.