Awesome experience being surrounded by the beauty of the upper dells! Only wish there was more to…read morehike and that is accessible by cars and not just via a boat ride.

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

We were here as part of a Nature Foundation of Wisconsin outing so we were lucky to have the park's…read moresuperintendent as one of our tour guides. We hiked along the trail that overlooked both the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. It was beautiful. Lots of interesting birds, plant life and history. There are many beautiful vistas and historic/ geographical plaques and markers to help explain the area. The flood marker at the boat launch was impressive. We were only here for the day but we could see how this is a popular place for camping. We understand in summer that the mosquitoes can be fierce - lucky we were here in May. We brought our picnic lunch to the far south end of the park at the Henneger Point picnic area and had it to ourselves. A very nice state park.

This is a really nice park for easy hikes with outstanding views…read more Lookout point is a must with a beautiful view of the Wisconsin river flowing into the Mississippi. The sand caves loop is an easy shaded hike perfect for hot days (with bug repellent). Driving down to the boat landing also give an interesting view from the fishing platform. Overall a really nice park.

I can't even begin to estimate how may times I've been to Wisconsin and I had no idea there was a…read moretiny desert in Spring Green. Per the educational signs, this is a micro -climate created by the nearby bluffs. There are a ton of prickly pear cacti, and we even saw a couple of lizards. We didn't see any tortoises, but thankfully also didn't see the 10 varieties of wolf spiders. The trail is mostly full sun, so sunscreen and floppy hats are needed,and I'd highly recommend long pants and maybe even long sleeves. The grasses growing along the trail are tall and would most likely scratch up bare legs...and remember the wolf spiders too....we didn't climb up the ridge at the end as we encountered about a million mosquitoes within a few yards of entering the wooded area and they didn't seem deterred by deet. We had great views from bluffs on other trails in the area, so headed back rather than get eaten up! Just a heads up - no restrooms or even port-o-pots here, so plan ahead!

Huge sandy prairie full of prickly pear cacti is connected to a river bluff. Hiking trail winds…read morethrough the prairie and up to the bluff's top. Such a fascinating place to see this unusual ecosystem! The hike up the bluff is through a forest. Parts are steep. The view at the top is stunning and well worth the climb.

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.

great scenery and ambience with the stream running and different levels of view places to hike…read moreand views are spectacular highly recommend coming here

Nice little state park for an extended weekend. Please note that there are no shower facilities or…read moreflush toilets. Vault style only. The park features two camping areas. We stayed in Canyon Ridge, which is non electric. All 50 sites were spacious and clean. The camp host and a few area residents sold firewood, which was a nice surprise The park has a number of hiking trails that are short, but challenging. Many lead to, or start at the Apple River, so there is plenty to keep kids occupied.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place before starting to research a spring break trip…read more Effigy national monument is super close to Minnesota and should be a must see, must visit for anyone living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or Illinois within three hours. There's no entrance fee, but there's still several friendly and helpful rangers at the station as well as the museum explaining the significance. It is a very culturally important site to come up with mound stating back more than 1000 years. The scenery is outstanding. Is it the confluence of two rivers, you can see far and either direction if you hike to several of the scenic landing spots. We put in a good 5 mile hike and didn't even reach all of the places. It's great for history, cultural, and hiking. Highly recommend.

Very cool off-the-track national monument (free) with an easy 2-mile loop taking you past some…read moreancient burial mounds. The museum is worth checking out for more info about the mounds in the area.

Nice trail, but unfortunately flooded due to the rain so could only see 0.2 miles of it.read more

Anyone who tackles this trail must be…read more.. A) A historic bridge enthusiast and fan of engineering design B) The second coming of Aldo Leopold C) Someone off their nut D) A&C E) B&C F) All of the above. Okay, seriously, this is a a fascinating area and quite a trail for nature lovers. Alexander McGilvray saw an opportunity in 1854 and launched a ferry across the Black River. In 1892, the county built a steel bridge across the river, ending the ferry service. Since McGilvray Road went through backwaters of the Black River and a slough, six wooden bridges were built. The moist environment wrecked wooden bridges quickly, so between 1905 and 1908, a series of five bowstring truss bridges were built with one wooden bridge left behind. The road was closed in 1948 due to flooding, and in 1954 the steel bridge was removed. The five bowstring truss bridges remain in place and a fifth pony truss bridge was relocated here to replace the wooden bridge. The maintenance of the old bridges is accomplished with volunteer labor, the Friends of McGilvray Road in partnership with the Wisconsin DNR. Bowstring trusses, one time plentiful, are now rare and only eight examples remain in Wisconsin - five of those eight are on McGilvray Road. As for the hiking, well, nature has pretty much consumed McGilvray Road, popularly known as Seven Bridges Road. It is a hiking trail, being slowly developed by the Friends of McGilvray Road. You can take the 1.8 mile hike to the Black River and experience a piece of La Crosse County history yourself. Dress appropriately and wear good hiking shoes.The day I visited McGilvray Road, I met a couple on the trail. He was wearing sandals. Not smart. She was wearing cross trainers, still not very smart. Both were wearing shorts - really not smart as the mosquitoes were matched in size and maneuverability to a P-38. No motorized vehicles, in fact, no vehicles at all, including no bicycles. As a hiking trail, two stars. As a great example of private and public sector cooperation, four stars, as an example of historic preservation, five stars. Net result - four stars. I'd go back - would you like to join me?

Wanted to experience the Mississippi River while in town and made our way to the Riverwalk. It was…read morea weekday and it was relatively quiet. The weather was amazing so we enjoyed a nice stroll viewing all of the interesting art along the way and stopping to watch the various birds who were enjoying the river as well. A beautiful and well maintained place.

Scenic and clean, that's what I want in a walk. It's like a long curvy park, wonderful views of…read morethis immense and unbelievable river. Good for mild exercise, it's just the right distance. Good for meeting people and being friendly, but you can also keep your distance and contemplate by yourself. It's also the best walking path from the Grand River Conference Center, which has a big back door and deck onto the Riverwalk, to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. I found myself wondering, what did those French explorers think when they ran into this monstrous waterway? What indigenous technology from their guides helped them across? Turns out the newest part of the museum has these answers. I do wish Dubuque put this much consideration for pedestrian traffic into the rest of the downtown area. There aren't many crosswalks, and not enough stop signs for walking from downtown towards the river. Just look both ways before crossing the street and don't text and walk.

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.

Loved this area! We've been a few times over the years and it's always so calming…read more We were there for memorial day weekend so it was pretty busy. Prepare to bring extra shoes if you opt to hike beyond the end of the trail. Plenty of stepping stones and logs but still a chance to slip. Lots of people came back with wet shoes. Definitely recommend if you're in the area!