Copper Falls State Park is often ranked among Wisconsin's top state parks, and it's easy to see why. Located in the Northwoods of northern Wisconsin, the park's highlight is the Doughboy Trail, a well-developed two-mile loop that offers excellent views of both Copper Falls and Brownstone Falls. The trail is easy to follow, well-maintained, and includes several scenic overlooks. Because of its distance--several hours from cities like Madison--I recommend combining a visit with other Northwoods attractions. A great option is to stop here while exploring the Apostle Islands or the Bayfield area. Once inside the park, follow the main road past the ranger station until it ends at the parking lot, where you'll find restrooms and the Doughboy Trailhead. This is a beautiful park and well worth the stop, especially if you plan it alongside other northern Wisconsin adventures. read more

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As we traveled north, we stopped at several state parks, and Copper Falls stood out as one of the prettiest--often noted in reviews for having the highest waterfall in the area. We were able to park easily and walk a short, fairly easy loop to reach the falls. The view of the waterfall was beautiful, though the trail itself isn't very shaded. Thankfully, the weather was mild during our visit, which made for a pleasant stop. Parking was plentiful, and the park overall felt accessible and well maintained. A worthwhile stop for an hour or so if you're exploring northern Wisconsin. read more

Copper Falls State Park - Parks Near Me - Mellen, Wisconsin

One of my favorite parks to go to. Has everything from hiking, fishing, bird watching and much more. read more

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Very rustic park. Nobody to assist with anything after 5:00pm. Bathrooms were horrible and full of mosquitos. 3 stalls for two full campground! Barely Warm water not hot from all the people waiting to use them! mosquitoes are everywhere and horrible bring repellant. No water except at drinking fountains and next to 1 dump station. It looked brown tinted in our white cups so did not drink it! $16 per day additional park pass required besides your camping fees which were $54 night for us! Highest paid in all the us states weve been to and for far less. Also no att or boost cell service except at main office is 2-3 bars. On sos the whole park so use satellite or starlink hotspots read more

Deep gorges, incredible waterfalls (plural), easy walking route around the Copper & Brownstone Falls Loop. Well worth the entrance fee and drive to Mellen, Wisconsin! After our hike around the falls, on our way out of the park we stopped at the beach at Loon Lake. Other than a couple of kayakers on the opposite side of the lake, we had the whole part of the park to ourselves! Great place to jump into the lake! Check out my photos-see if you can capture the falls better... read more

I live only 3o min from Copper Falls and I could visit it every week if it was even closer. There are great, well maintained trails and superb scenery. People like to chase waterfalls, and right here there are 3 all viewable from several vantage points. There is a little shop and restrooms open during the warm season, but you can still walk the trails when the snow doesnt prevent it. Highly sought after camp sites are available as well. Copper Falls is gorgeous! And purchasing a state park pass is a good idea to get into this and lots of the other amazing state parks in Wisconsin. I never think to review local spots, so here we go! read more

This is a beautiful park. We went for the North Country Trail and also did part of the Doughboy Trail. Today was a perfect day weather wise to walk the trail. Just beautiful and well kept. It did take us about 1.5 hours to do the full loop with stops for pictures. read more

This was an incredible hike. The different views of the falls were really nice! I also enjoyed a short dip in Loon Lake. read more

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A well kept park with clear signage and direction and a detailed map available from the office makes for fun hike of falls viewing. There is some history about the Doughboys and days gone by as the surviving touches of 1930's are still in place, such as log cabins and stone foundations and paths and wood bridges and the observation tower. More amenities in this year round park include a ball field, playground, a beach, camp sites multiple trails, two major waterfalls as well as the spin off of cascading streams. I'm sure it's more spectacular in the fall when there should be a colorful view from the observation tower. The park is open all year so that opens up all the wintery things you can choose. read more

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Great campground. Well laid out sites. We stayed on site 3 which required no leveling blocks for our 30' travel trailer. The hiking trails are great! Be aware there are no dogs allowed on the Doughboy trail for good reason, most of the trail has a VERY LARGE drop off just on the other side of wooden fences. If Fido goes over the edge he's not coming back or surviving the fall. Same applies for very small kids. Be very cautious. For what it is, basic, more rustic campground this is a 5*. read more

Wonderful park with many hiking trails and waterfalls. There are even secret tails that you can find more waterfalls.

Wow! This is one of the coolest parks I've ever been to! Seeing the name "falls" drew me in, and I detoured, stopping through on the way to the U.P. having no idea of what to expect. It is so unique in the the wooden structures are HUGE, (walking structures and bridges, etc) almost like it's built for giants. Even cooler that it was built by World War 1 vets shortly after the war ended. Ton's of cool trails that follow the river and falls that go over bridges so that you see multiple views, elevations of the various falls (there are many). Just a super POWERFUL place to visit. Worth a trip no matter where you're coming from. read more

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WOW! is all I can say about this place. We were planning our drive up to Bayfield, WI for a long weekend and many of the roads in northern WI were washed out due to massive flooding in several counties. We wanted to avoid delays and detours so I looked at alternate routes. And there I saw a WI state park south just northeast of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. I suggest we drive through the forest (which was awesome and we saw a big black bear cross the road in front of us) and stop off at the park for some hiking before we continued our journey north. Steve commented that he commends Wisconsin for doing a crappy job of promoting their parks. There were very few people there and we loved that! This by far is one of my all time favorite parks! Such a beautiful and majestic park with well maintained hiking trails, excellent observation decks to get full view of the falls (and pictures of course) and nice looking camp sites right near the falls. Another great thing about this park is that you don't have to hike for miles to see these beautiful falls. It's a short 2 mile hike in a loop with some boardwalk trail, stone stairs, 3 bridges and dirt paths to take in the best parts. But this park is big and has a lot more trails we did not get to explore that day. I look forward to going back and checking out all the park has to offer for hiking trails! read more

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Wisconsin state parks advertise as being dog friendly, but they aren't. Dogs aren't allowed on the trail past the falls (outside where every other creature does their business) and really are only allowed in 2 areas. Wasted my day and my money. To make matters worst they refused to refund my money. read more

Great, very short hike overlooking some waterfalls and rapids. Great for families. Most of the waterfalls are not accessible due to safety. Compared to other hiking places and waterfalls in Wisconsin, I gave this a lower rating. read more

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This is an absolutely beautiful State Park! It's about 6 hours from MKE and tends to be a popular spot for camping (make reservations!). It's a lovely spot for a day trip if you vacation in the area as we do. The main loop trail was constructed by WWI Veterans and thus is known as the Doughboy Trail. It's about 1 1/2 to 2 miles with several stair climbs thrown in. It's very well maintained and groomed and can be walked easily by anyone able to do a few flights of steps. There is a small section of the trail with a special parking lot that is considered handicap accessable. Expect spectacular views of several waterfalls, especially after a good rain. There's lots of wildlife too - bird watchers will be in heaven. We stood and watched 4 deer go about their business not 15 feet from the trail - they couldn't have cared less about us! At the main trailhead/parking lot there is a nice concession area that stocks sundries for campers and sells snacks + burgers. They even make pancakes on the weekends. If you visit, bring shoes with decent grip as the granite steps get sandy and slippery. Also, if you'd like to make Copper Falls part of a larger trek the trails here interface with the North Country Trail. read more

I am trying to separate the weather from the park itself. Bare with me! The park is actually very pretty. The falls themselves are not the most impressive but still nice to look at. I enjoyed the plaques with details on their history. The trails are abundant and fun to explore! There are mushrooms everywhere. I wish they had handouts on the mushroom types! The camp sites seem to be more for RV Campers than tent camping. Very rocky and uncomfortable. Bathrooms are hard to find as is the recycling. Overall a pretty park but I probably wouldn't come back. read more

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My first time exploring waterfalls in my own home state and I was blown away! Getting up close to some of these were really spectacular because you sometimes can't get that close to the falls out west. The scenic beauty rivals anything elsewhere, especially after it rains and the falls are at their peak. The copper-colored falls looked like they were flowing with beer. Don't skip the Red Granite Falls! I loved the gorgeous trails through the woodlands, seeing the flora and fauna up close and personal was a real treat. The plaques with the history and geology explained were fascinating. Great place to picnic, so bring food along with you. You can cook out on the grills that they provide near the picnic tables. If you want to hike and see falls, you'll be there at least three hours. There are bridges and benches along the trails, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a voluntary public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men. It's nice to see their craftsmanship and how they built things to last. Wish we had a program like that today. read more

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This is an amazing park! There is a beautiful nature trail that you can go on which takes you through around 4 waterfalls, but I would warn you that the name nature trail may sound tame but there are a good amount of ups and downs! If you come here I would definitely recommend bug repellent, but if you forget, don't worry because they sell it at the concessions/gift stand! The concessions building sells everything from delicious ice cream to little bottles of hand sanitizer! I definitely recommend coming and exploring this part of northern Wisconsin!! read more

Very cool sights. Great walking paths. Half frozen gave some incredible views. Need to come back in the summer to see the full effect.

I recently spent a weekend up in Copper Falls and was incredibly impressed. The scenery is great, the trails are well-maintained, and the views of the waterfalls -- along with history and geology lessons -- were spectacular. This seems to be a hidden secret of Northern Wisconsin and I was glad for that. The campground was not crowded, our neighbors were quiet and respectful, and the ranger/staff were incredibly helpful with their suggestions. My only disappointment was with the amount of trash we found while on the Doughboy Trail -- c'mon people! Reusable water bottles are inexpensive, and I highly doubt you need 14 bags of Fritos on this short jaunt of a trail! The Doughboy Trail offers the best views in the park, but the underrated Red Granite Falls is nice for longer hikes. Red Granite was not as well maintained in terms of signage, but was still a pretty walk. We got turned around at one point and realized about 1/2 mile in we were headed the wrong direction -- thank you, trusty compass! See if you can find my personal favorite, Gorilla Rock, on the trails. It's certainly not official but was the first thing I saw when noticing the rock formation. This will for sure be a return destination for me. Tacked on to a longer trip up to Apostle Islands (about 75 minutes away) it is a great place to stay for a couple of nights on the way to Lake Superior. If you're leaving from the Milwaukee area, I wouldn't recommend it as a weekend-only trip -- you'll be on the road 6 hours from MKE alone. Notes: we skipped the observation tower, distracted by a deer that locked eyes with us on the way up. Bring plenty of bug spray, or a citronella torch/candle if you can't handle the heat -- the mosquitos are out in full force even in early June! read more

My wife and I decided to stay at the backpacking site for the weekend and were not prepared for the amount of traffic that comes through the site. While this is a dog friendly park, 90% of the trails do not allow dogs. Our intention for the trip was to have some privacy, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and relax. This mostly did not happen. I will start with the positive. The scenery is absolutely amazing. The backpacking site is only about a 2 mile hike, and camp is set alongside the river. If you are deciding to stay on the backpacking site, just know there is a special parking spot for you along the handicap access route to the falls. I did not find this out until a day into our trip. It will save you some time hiking in your gear. Now the bad. I will start off with the majority of the reason this experience was bad is because we had a pet along. In order to get to the backpacking site with a pet, you have to take a route that is not marked on any of the maps that are provided to you when you check in since the majority of the hiking paths do not allow pets. Once we got to our camp site, we set up camp and turned in for the night only to be woke up the next day by other hikers trying to also enjoy the park scenery. One of the main reasons I enjoy backpacking over traditional camping, is that I enjoy the privacy. Just know that when you book this site, it is LITERALLY on the main hiking path. While I do trust fellow hikers to not steal or go through our stuff, I do have concerns leaving expensive gear behind while I explore the park knowing other hikers will be hanging out by my campfire. Also, having to leave my dog on a leash all weekend was not very enjoyable for all of us. If you are any of the groups I turned away this last weekend. I am sorry. I thought this was a private site at the time. read more

This is one of my favorite places in the world. IN. THE. WORLD. I grew up not far from here and always took for granted the annual day trips here with friends and family, and now that I'm 6 or so hours away, I realize what a gem this park truly is, and I miss it. The main trails are fairly easy to get around, but the less popular ones are worth the time as well. I'm particularly fond of Red Granite Falls. Maybe I'll make it up this year, it has been too long for sure. read more

Camped out one night, took a morning hike thru copper falls. Campground was very quiet, clean at the tent sites. Showers were spacious and clean. Bathroom a little old but clean. Short 1.7mile hike was great. Hike to devils tower was good however scene from tower was disappointing because treetops where equal to tower. I could only imagine the spectacular view it had when first built. Very nice and quiet campground. read more

An absolutely beautiful state park. Walked the Doughboy Trail in the early morning. One of the few that was there when it first opened. The gentlemen working the desk were helpful and very pleasant. Bought the day pass and went and walked the very scenic and accessible trails. The park was quiet at this time of the day, but have been here when it's been very busy during its peek hours. The park itself is very well taken care of. Highly recommend. read more

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Copper Falls State park is both lovely and breath taking. We had a lovely two day camping excursion into the north woods where we hiked and swam to our little hearts content. We were there in early summer and there were ticks everywhere, but I don't even know how you can be friends with someone without having dug one of those little buggers out of him/her. (kidding) The trails are amazing, allowing you to see the falls and river from all angles. They were also well kept and were also wheelchair accessible. The staff was incredibly helpful, and the lake had to be a blissful 60 degrees, which was perfect when you have been hiking all day. read more

Just finished a three day camp at Copper Falls. This is a place we love to visit every October during the fall leaf spectacular, but a first time mid summer visit. Electric sites are medium sized we were able to get our 35 foot travel trailer in easily enough. Shower house is long way away but is decent - not great not not bad either. As has been mentioned by others there are great hiking trails with beautiful views of the falls. I would highly recommend the Doughboy Trail, the hike back to read Granite Falls, and if you are more adventurous all the way back to the sandstone ledges. There are varying difficulties of trails, however most everyone should be able to find access to the Falls fairly easily. If you have never been, this is an excellent park and well worth the trip. Definitely a must-see! read more

Copper Falls State Park - Red Granite Falls - Parks Near Me - Mellen, Wisconsin

Gem of the northwoods! Amazing scenes and such an easy short walk. Awesome! read more

Copper Falls State Park - Parks Near Me - Mellen, Wisconsin

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Great state park minus the lazy ranger sitting on the computer who was too busy to notice me because she was starring at the computer screen. Normally they get up and ask if you need a map or information but she looked disturbed when I waved at her. She wasn't helping anybody else either. Other than that it's a Epic State Park. read more

I love this place! The sites are private with room in between. They have vault toilets which are ok not matter what it will smell like poop. They have a place to shower which was clean. There is a little icecream shop there too and the trails are nice. I brought my mountain bike and ride through the forest. It was hard because im out of shape but it was still fun. I will totally be back! read more

Amazing park. Make sure to take the Doughboy Trail. Multiple waterfalls, fantastic scenery. Trail is a bit of a challenge with hills but handicapped trail is available. The campground only has one shower building--pit toilets mostly. Sites are large and shaded. Pancake breakfast at the concession stand Sundays and Wednesday's. read more

Beautiful park! Have been tent camping there for years, great sites with privacy, a few nice walk ins in the southern campground. Nice hiking, and not too far from the Boulder Junction Area Trail System if you're looking for a nice 12 mile paved bike trail! Loon Lake is very nice, excellent hiking that isn't too taxing, this park has it all! Some nights can hear coyotes up on the ridge north of the park...just beautiful! We go last week of Sept. or first week of Oct. wonderful fall camping! read more

The Doughboy Trail at 1.7 miles was great. I did this on a 75 degree day while 7 months pregnant and was able to do it without being super exhausted. The bathrooms at the trailhead were very clean, the picnic area and playground were really popular with my kids. The sights on the trail were beautiful. My only gripe: we wanted to get nice cold popsicle-type treats for our kiddos and we couldn't because the ones that they stock are made in a place that processes all sorts of tree nuts and our kids are allergic to tree nuts. So, bummer. Please consider these things when you're purchasing your treats! We were excited that you had non-dairy options in twin pops, but disappointed when we read the manufacturing info on the label. read more