I don't even want to rate 5 stars as this is a HUGE hidden gem. We stay nearby in warrens every…read moresummer and always take a day trip to Lake Wazee. It is beautiful and nothing like it in the Midwest (well what I have found) if you are in the area or have time traveling through you must stop. A day pass is $5 and well worth it. We always pack lunch and just enjoy the day. The water is SO clean and the beach sand is amazingly soft. Almost ocean like. Bring your floaty, beach toys and sunscreen and have the best day ever! New showers, bathrooms and even concessions on the beach. I like that there is NO lifeguard and no one hawking you about 'rules' *it can drop off pretty fast so be cautious about that. Lake Wazee is the best!

Lake Wazee Park and beach is amazing for $5 a car it's well worth the price. We have spent the day…read moreat the beach and on the lake. The water is clean and you can actually see the fish swimming in the water. Deep enough to scuba dive. Nice enough to kayak on. The beach is clean. Snack shack and clean rest rooms. It has it all for a nice day on the beach!

Loved this park. Some short, moderate hikes to get a gorgeous view of the river. I do wish that the…read moretrails were a little better marked, however, It is worth visiting when heading down to Southern Minnesota. The driftless region is amazing. However, it was my second favorite park today. We headed into effigy national monument immediately after, and that was even more breathtaking. They are a great one-two punch if you're driving down from the Twin Cities.

This was a nice spot for a hike. There is a series of trails throughout the park. I did the King's…read moreBluff and North and South Overlooks. There is no shortage of beautiful views and there were plenty of spring wildflowers to make the walk even more stunning! Parking is available at the trailheads, there are some nice picnic spots, and the vault toilets were well kept.

This review is about the park area only not the Mystery Cave which is further down the road…read more Start with the unfortunate news, the walking bridge to the historic town of Forestville was closed. I did read about that in the state's info about the park ahead of time. I picked up a map at the office and was told there is a stone walking bridge at marker 8. More bad news on the trail. The field and location maps show markers on the trail but the numbers didn't correspond with the ground signs as many were missing. I just couldn't find the temporary bridge, or marker 8, but took a decent hike on the other trails. The park isn't as scenic as others but there is a variety of trails from easy to difficult, which is what I like. Some steep hills will test your true endurance. Driving out about another 1/2 mile I see more trails I missed, lo leads to marker 8.

We started on the Hiking Club Trail and took an extra loop up to the lookout trail. Well worth the…read moreextra 2m or so round trip to see a view of the valley. Trail was well marked, wide and well groomed. It took us over the creek with stepping stones to keep our feet dry. There were some bigger hills so be prepared for a climb. Much of the hiking trail is shared with horses so be prepared to watch where you step. It was also covered with soft gravel which was hard to walk in at times. This is a huge area and we saw lot of people and activity. A bridge was out so we didn't get to see the old Forestville town as we would have to detour an extra 20 minutes. Very happy we stopped here. We enjoyed the hike very much.

Back before this place was a park, it was all swamp land. Who knew that this place could have…read moretransitioned into such a beautiful area to bring the kids to run around, play, eat, or swim! The park has many different things to offer from playground equipment, a lake, many soccer fields, and a walking path that encircles the lake and then some (not sure of distance, but a couple miles at least), places to fish, and a large shelter with bathrooms. Some parts of the playground, like the plastic coating on the metal, is starting to come off and is starting to show some age. Some parts may be sharp, so make sure kids are wearing shoes. Otherwise it is a great place to occupy your time with all the different things you can do!

What an amazing park! Picnic tables galore, beautiful playground, beach, soccer fields. Benches…read moreeverywhere. We will be back!

This larger park is between US-53 and the Black River which feeds into the Mississippi not far from…read morehere. Only one block wide but five blocks long, the park includes a set of tennis courts, baseball field, playground and a large picnic pavilion with a steam locomotive set. The train set is accessible and in very good condition for those who appreciate such things. There isn't an active or obvious decommissioned rail line here so it's interesting that a huge steam locomotive is here on display. The park is in reasonable condition with too much litter and dumping from people who should know better. This was a nice break from exploring the area and in the warmer months, I'm sure the place is packed. [Review 20709 overall - 278 in Wisconsin - 1690 of 2023.]

While staying in la Cross doing my rail fan thing I stumbled on this park that has an old steam…read morelocomotive and caboose next to a rail tower that looks like it was moved to the property. The steam locomotive has Burlington route markings and the tower has grand crossing which is a real railroad tower that that was moved to the park. Rail fair takes place on the third Saturday in July with $5 tours of the tower and locomotive.

They have a cute little ROTARY LIGHTS event going on for Christmas right now. You can either take a…read morestroll at night time in the cold and freeze your balls off like I did OR take your vehicle and drive around to see all the Christmas lights! choose your poison. They had a cute little place for us to make s'mores got me all giddy. They also sell hot drinks and it was pretty crowded when I went. You can really see the effort La Crosse put into this event. There's also an ice rink that they are working on. Might have to come back and try it out.

Lovely park area with shady trees, beautiful flowers - perennials and annuals. Nice walking…read moresidewalk next to the river. Enjoyed watching all the boats on the river.

There are two things to do at this State Park. Have a picnic in one of the tables near the small…read moreparking lot. Climb the steps for a spectacular view of the area which is the Mississippi. The park is easy to miss along Hwy 61. There is a short drive into a small parking lot and keep in mind no rest facilities. If you are in shape take the climb which is 450 ft. There are a few rest areas and also some spots with no steps, just muddy rocks. The steps are listed as "difficult" with an estimated time of 1 hour. The actual stepping time was about 20 minutes, 10 minutes or so to look around the top and less than 10 minutes to descend. It's all for the view.

It's a tiny park, really just a lookout but totally worth the stop! A half mile climb up many…read morestairs but totally worth the view of the river valley and lock and dam.

Pretty cool little excursion in LaCrosse. Easy drive up. Not a lot of signs alerting which…read moreparking lot is for the highest vantage point so my tip to you: drive through the open gates and drive until you see a parking lot with a gazebo-esque type outdoor building and that will be the highest point. Quick walk out to the edge. Some wild flowers added to the experience. It was a beautiful morning. Very clear and we were able to see the Mississippi river, Minnesota and of course Wisconsin. Worth taking the half hour to take in this view.

Nice little place to hike and just take in the scenery . I can only imagine how more beautiful it…read morewould be when the leaves change colors. Went a tad early.

As a previous campground host, this was THE # 1 place I recommended people check out while here…read more It's only a 5 minute drive up. It is SPECTACULAR. I cannot imagine why anyone would give it less than 5 stars. While there are only swings here ( marked down by a previous viewer for this reason) there is lots of grassy area for kids to run around far away from the cliffs. Be aware, there are no guardrails at the viewing point... so watch kiddos closely . Enjoy the views of the Minnesota bluffs across the water as you gaze upon the Mississippi river down below and the Alma dam to your right ! You might get lucky and see a barge coming through. There is a steep hiking trail @ the north end of 2nd St in Alma to start your way up. Otherwise, you drive up from the far South end of town. Well marked. Don't miss this "beautiful view"!

Buena vista park is nice little place with a terrific view of the Mississippi, the Alma lock and…read moredam and a lot of interesting scenery in between. There are some nice stair and benches, plus a restroom (that I did not go into, so no idea if it is a flush one or not) by the parking lot. Not any barriers between you and the bluff, but it isnt too bad as far as the fear factor. We had a nice little visit and the photo ops are GREAT!! It was an easy enough drive up to the park from Alma as well. Nice little place