This state park deserves a hell of a lot more attention! RAC is a three hour drive for me and a stretch past other state parks that I prefer to climb at. I'm glad I reached outside of my comfort zone yesterday and made the trip here. Before you head up though, make sure you know what's here so that you can see what's most important to you.
There are several places to park at RAC, most of which are within the inner drive. There's also a lot on Czech Avenue to the south of the prairie. RAC offers at least five miles of combined path around the base of the mound and each path offers a little something different. Each path is wide, well marked and maintained. Paths range from earth, grass, compacted sand and rock. I chose to park at the Winter Prairie Lot on the south side of the park to get more exposure to the paths. This was a great choice and I recommend it if you want some extra trail time to see some some unique pieces of the park.
The prairie portion of the path is only a half mile if that. In the summer this area is filled with beautiful flowers and plants natural to the area. Once into the treeline on your way to the mound, you'll cross a bridge over a small stream that's orange in color. Yes..orange water! Well, actually it's not the water that's orange, but rather the sand lining the stream. The sand is eroded stone from the mound and it makes this little stream a one-of-a kind.
The Petroglyph's were my next stop. I had no idea these existed until I saw them, and was even more intrigued by the history of the markings. Detailed signs near the cliff give an excellent account of what you're looking at and a complete history of the petroglyph's. If you visit RAC this is one of two areas that cannot be missed.
After the petroglyph's I made my way around the base of the mound to the stairs going up to the observation deck. This is a 300+ ft climb up and the best part of the park in my opinion. The observation deck offers about a 240 degree view of the surrounding area. Up here there's plenty to see including other mounds, state parks, buildings, cranberry fields and other sites. Like the petroglyph's, the observation deck is lined with informative signs that explain what you can see from each vantage point, and more history of the park. I took my time taking it all in, after all, this is the only part of the mound that you can ascend.
Once back at the bottom I decided to walk most of the trail north, west and south of the mound. One of my first stops was at Chickadee Rock, a collection of boulders that anyone can climb and explore. I like climbing things to I made a point of getting to the top. After that I did the Acorn, Eagle Ridge and Spring Peeper trails. One of the cool things about these paths is the sound. When you're on the leeward side of the mound the trails can be devoid of sound as the wind is removed. Even the forest can't knock down all of the wind once you're on a windward side. Both are neat to experience and on a hot day, the windward side is a nice reward. The paths themselves take you through mostly forested areas. I was impressed with the vast array of pine and birch back here. For those of you who like birds, there's plenty to go around. I'm not a birder but did spot a nice Oriole flying through. I'm sure there's a great deal of wildlife as well.
One last place that you should try and visit is the Historical marker located on the west side of the mound. Even if you have to drive over to see it, reading about the history of the park really add's to the experience here. I don't want to spill too many spoilers, but the top of RAC was once an island.
RAC is a very cool state park. Be sure to see all that it has to offer!
Cheers read more