Highly recommend hiking here!…read more There is a small parking lot. It helps to come early otherwise you may have to find parking somewhere else. We noticed cars just parking on the side of the county road. After you park you have to pay for a ticket and stick it on your dashboard. This ticket will also get you into Devil's Lake which is awesome so you don't have to pay for both. Right by the parking lot they have some area/trail/hiking information as well as bathrooms. This is the start for 2 different trailheads. You can go right for the Parfey's Glen State Natural Area or you can go left on part of the Ice Age trail. We decided to do both with our dogs. We first did the Ice Age trail which was a narrow wooded trail. Beautiful with a good amount of uphill. We did about 3 miles out and back. We could have gone much farther. It was so nice, we only saw 2 other people on the trail. Then we went over and did about a mile in Parfey's Glen. Everyone we saw in the parking lot seemed to do Parfey's Glen, it wasn't too crowded late morning but we saw a good amount of people. Lot of families so definitely a kid friendly hike. It was such a nice hike, it starts on a paved path and then goes to gravel, and then dirt. Along the way there are streams (that you have to cross so bring your hiking boots or shoes you don't care about). Towards the end I believe there is a waterfall but we didn't make it that far with the dogs. I look forward to going back and doing the entire hike.

Totally worth the time, part of the trail isn't maintained and Ww were able to continue navigating…read more There's a small stream so shoes may get wet. The scenery was heavenly all around you. We had walking sticks and they were helpful .

stunning such a nice informational ride out there beautiful walk. Would recommend for all agesread more

This was a pretty cool and quick 20 minute walk to breeze through. Pretty and peaceful. Completely…read morepaved easy path.

Absolutely breathtaking hike. It is a relatively easy hike to take. There are many beautiful spots…read moreto take pictures if you are into photography, or just wade into the water. If you are in Baraboo and at Devils Lake, this is not to be missed.

It's a great place to go hiking and to take a dip in the natural reserve water nestled between to…read morerock cliffs where you can use the rope to swing into the warm flowing river water. It is a very cool place to check out and really was a great start to the trip. Also do not jump off the rocks into the water because there are rangers who watch that area and it is not allowed to jump off the cliffs.

Definitely wear solid shoes with good traction if you plan to climb the rocky trail to the top. Oh…read moreboy. I only made it half way, it's quite challenging! Very steep in parts. If you don't want to climb up to catch the views, there is still beauty all around and you can walk by the lake or around the flatter trails. $16 was the daily fee for my car, as I have Illinois plates. I'm guessing it's cheaper for folks who live in Wisconsin. I will have to return in the spring to see the colors! But this state park was gorgeous, even on a chilly March day!

DLSP is deceptive from the parking lot. It looks pretty chill, but once you venture forward, you…read morecome to find out that it is in charge, not you. If you have not read up on the history, please do, it is humbling how much time has transformed this place. There is a LOT to unpack. If you came here planning to trail run the park, you can try, but in my first experience, this is not the place, you would be better off doing that in Mirror Lake. We decided to explore the east bluff which is where the majority of the scenic points are located. I would not classify this hike as a casual jaunt, it was well earned. The scenic points were marked, but not explicit in their execution imho. Sometimes you got to a point marker only to find out that the scenic point was at the bottom of the bluff, so you had to hike down to the bottom of the bluff from the top of the bluff and then back up again, this was not obvious. The maps and trail heads could use some help imho, meaning that it was not obvious to the casual hiker where sh*t was exactly. Having said that, the park did not disappoint, it was amazing and I can't wait to come back again and experience additional aspects of it.

We rented kayaks on Mira Lake. It was one of the most beautiful kayaking trips we've taken. We did…read moreit an early fall, and it was absolutely perfect. The scenery is beautiful. The water was calm. And there weren't a lot of other people kayaking at the time. Highly recommend if you're in the Dells area.

Wonderful State Park! Memorable experience! Would certainly plan to return!…read more Our big annual camping trip with the family recently took us to Mirror Lake, a spot that was new to all of us. It's an easy distance from where we live in Milwaukee, as it's in close proximity to the Wisconsin Dells. That said, even though we were deep in the woods camping, there was plenty of civilization close by should we have needed to restock on anything. Since we had quite a big group, we booked a double-site and boy did we luck out. I think we had the largest double that was available. It fit two large RV/campers and five tents, leaving ample room for tons of chairs around the fire pit and the big picnic tables provided. Oh and they are *electric campsites* which can be hard to find! No water hook up though. Not too far down from our site was the big shower houses/bathrooms. And let me just say, these are NICE! Like very nice. And very clean. Probably the best campsite bathrooms I've ever seen. I feel as though the building was very new / freshly redone. Other pros: plenty of lake activities (we rented both kayaks and pontoon boats), great walking paths (freshly laid wood chips and clear signage), lakeside beaches, and various playgrounds for the kiddos. Oh and fun planned experiences by the park - it was "Smokey Bear's birthday" when we were there and they had a firetruck on-site, water games, bday treats, prizes, and a meet and greet with the bear himself. A hit with our kids. Even if you're not camping, this state park would be wonderful for a day trip!

Really liked this quick stop for a jaunty little hike before moving on our way…read more Loved the views and thankfully it was pretty quiet on a Monday afternoon. A bit of an uphill climb at the start but very manageable, especially compared to nearby Devil's Lake. There is a decent sized parking lot at the bottom of a hill driving in so you can usually find a spot. Recommend if you're in the area!

It's a fairly steep, but not too long hike to get to the top, but wow, the view is great. It's not…read moretoo busy up there, but I would not bring kids since there are cliffs there. My wife was nervous when I even got close to an edge.

Rabbit Rock is a good-sized rock formation near Big Flats Wisconsin, and one of many in this area…read more The parking lot has had some work done recently, so it's much nicer than it was before. Not quite as impressive as Roche-A-Cri, but still a fun (and free!) stop.

What a great park right off Hwy 13. You could easily pass this while driving on Hwy 13 though. Look…read morefor the sign and small parking lot. It's definitely worth the stop. There's lot of little routes to the top; some a little more adventurous than others; depending on your courage and activity level. The jutting rocks form a rabbit at the top. Some others have decided to decorate the rocks with other art too. There were lots of kids venturing around the formation peeking in to the cracks and hearing their voices echo in the caverns. There's lot of trees lining the rock trails to help you maneuver around. The weather was great for a hike to the top. Watch for leaves and pine needles, as these make the trails a little slick. This would be a great lookout place for sunsets and a picnic. There are tables at the parking lot area. I didn't see any bathrooms though. I don't think you need a park pass to use this park either. This was a perfect way to spend an hour! But the wayside is NOT open year round it's closed during the winter months. From the top of the rock you can see for mile including view of Roche-A-Cri Mound in the state park. It's about 60 feet high to the top.

Every year my family goes on a big camping trip, and this year we visited Governor Dodge! A first…read morefor us. Looking back, I'd say overall it was A-OK. We booked a double site as we had two RVs and multiple tents. It sure was plenty spacious! However, we all had noted it would have been great to see photos of the site when booking so we could know more that to expect. It was 100% full sun, and truly not chance for shade. Most other sites at this park had lots of tree coverage, which we would have loved and likely swapped to giving the chance. Being in a wide open space in the dead of summer can be tricky. The grounds are massive and well-kept, with tons of great hiking trails. Overall stunning views and vast green spaces. There's two large lakes with options to kayak, canoe, fish, ,etc. Concession stand with tasty ice cream, and a handful of convenience-store type items. Oh and we also definitely enjoyed the playground area with the kiddos. On the bad side: the shower-houses were pretty terrible. At least the one nearest to our site. It was to the point that half of us chose to forego showering all together just to avoid it. We also had a bummer experience at one of the beaches. We arrived around 10am and were all swimming for a few hours (along with tons of other visitors), when the rangers arrived and promptly closed the beach due to dangerous water bacteria. The closing wasn't the issue, but instead allowing 50+ folks to swim and fish in it before doing so. We'd all wished this water testing was done before the beach 'opened' for the day, as it left us fairly nervous having the quickly be rushed out. Overall, plenty of positives to this gorgeous state park - we made some great camping memories! Just hope those few shared pieces of feedback could help for future plans/changes.

What an absolute 'Sconi gem!…read more Anything other than 5-stars is insane! Awesome trail system with great views. The trails are wonderfully maintained. If you just want to laze about on a lake-beach, you can do that too! I have family that live less than an hour from here and they haven't been in 10+ years, that is CRAZY!

Driving down Hwy 21just happened to spot this amazing Ship Rock wayside. The wayside said closed,…read morebut pulled in. No bathroom services or garbage containers. But over abundance of graffiti unfortunately. Climbed the rocky paths and if I had hiking shoes would have been more adventurous. But still very cool place.

Ship Rock Wayside is a small, but well maintained loop of relatively new concrete which circles the…read morerock formation. In all my visits over the years, including this one, there wasn't anyone else there at all. This formation isn't as large or well-visited as the larger Roche-A-Cri park and formation, and where it's situated out of the way on Highway 21, it's not exactly something one is likely to "stumble" upon. The park is small, and dominated by the rocks. There is a "path" of sorts that leads up the rock structure, but this is a rough climbing route, so scale the rock at your own risk. All the same, it's a striking formation with a certain duality to it- the colorful shades of weathered rock on top, and the even more colorful layers of spray paint the locals have applied over the years. If you want to see something out of the way, or have ever wanted to climb a big rock, Ship Rock is out there waiting for you.

I have been going to Indian Lake for several years. I love that it's a short drive from Madison and…read morehas some nice, moderate inclines for hiking. The trails are mostly shaded too which is great, especially when it's super hot out! There are several variations to check out. I typically follow the outer loop trail which is about three miles. I rarely run into people while on the trail; however it has definitely become more popular in the last couple of years. If you want an extra bonus, check out the short trail to the little church and lean about the history while enjoying the view. This gem is worth visiting!

Great place to take medium to larger dogs. There is ample space for them to run. The woods offers…read moreexcitement for them and the lake side is a great place for them to cool off on warm days. This is the best dog park we have ever used. There is a fee for those out of town folks who may wish to run their 4 legged friend. All the dog owners we have encountered are great. This is the place to socialize your dog, do not keep them on a leash because they can feel trapped when meeting other dogs. The dogs figure out how to relate to each other. The only mark against this place are the walkers who don't have dogs who choose to walk thru the park. They seem to be annoyed that dogs run up to them. I don't care because they have acres and acres of amazing paths in the woods to trek, the dogs only have this one smaller place. I say if you don't like dogs then don't walk thru THEIR part of the park!