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Friendship, WI

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Roche-A-Cri State Park

4.4 (11 reviews)

Roche-A-Cri State Park Photos

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Roche-A-Cri and the prairie south of the mound
Eric E.

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

lookout
Ashlee K.

super cute hiking day, highly recommend. the map is a little confusing but the park is small enough to figure it out :)

Regular Site
Randall K.

Took the crew camping this summer and ended up here because all Baraboo sites full. (devils lake, mirror lake, rocky arbor). This facility is about 30 miles north of the Dells. Seriously this place was just fine as my 3rd choice. Very remote. The ranger station has limited hours, but the host was great. Very helpful. The sites were well kept and clean. They aren't really separated by deep woods. Most sites had one or two other sites in close proximity. The loss of the star is for the lack of shower facilities. Really missed the regular toliet/ showers. Bottom line... Not a bad camp site. We didn't have time to hike the trails or climb the mound. Next time.

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2 months ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

Great Park.....underrated, and overlooked, we've taken guests from other States and Countries there, everyone loves it !

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Review Highlights - Roche-A-Cri State Park

“One last place that you should try and visit is the Historical marker located on the west side of the mound.”

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Rabbit Rock Park - Lots of routes to the top of rabbit rock

Rabbit Rock Park

5.0(2 reviews)
6.1 mi

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.

Photos
Rabbit Rock Park - Walking up from parking lot

Walking up from parking lot

Rabbit Rock Park - Jutting rocks

Jutting rocks

Rabbit Rock Park - Art on the rocks

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Art on the rocks

Buckhorn State Park - Waterfront Campsite

Buckhorn State Park

3.8(18 reviews)
10.4 mi

I agree with Jeremy N. Make sure to call and check about mosquito and tick season…read more We brought a deet-free, "natural" mosquito repellant that did squat against the heaviest mosquito swarm I've ever experienced. This was also the trip where I was introduced to ticks lol. Even with long sleeves, pants, socks over pants, a jacket, and hat in the hot weather, we still got multiple mosquito bites on our face, hands, and through our clothes. Found about a dozen ticks on us underneath our clothes. Had fun though hiking, setting up our tent and campsite, kayaking for the first time, cooking meals, ears of corn, making smores, experiencing a rainstorm at night. Ty Dad for giving us the tarp to place underneath our tent, otherwise we would've been soaked lol. Also, we saw the cutest porcupine! The porcupine waddled and tried to climb a tree, but changed its mind. Friendly employees. Would like to return during non mosquito/tick season.

We had an absolute blast staying here and can't wait to return sometime again in the summer. The…read morephoto was taken right by our campsite. So beautiful waking up to this in the morning. We saw SO much wildlife in the 30 hours we stayed there. Fish of all types, deer, wild turkey, toads, owls, eagles, and even a porcupine! The stars were beautfiul and the park in well maintained. Porta potties we're throughout the park and close to our sight, they were clean too. There's a little shop nearby with everything you would need from fresh bait/fishing supplies to grocery items like raw meat and butter. They also had snacks, sodas, beers and we saw a few to go orders of pizza leave too. Such a beautiful lake and amazing representation of Wisconsin wildlife. There's boat launches and kayaks launches in the park. It is also bear country so inform yourself on rules before staying!

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Buckhorn State Park - From our campsite. Beautiful!

From our campsite. Beautiful!

Buckhorn State Park - Fishing pier, very roomy

Fishing pier, very roomy

Buckhorn State Park - Sunset dog!

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Sunset dog!

Natural Bridge State Park

Natural Bridge State Park

4.1(7 reviews)
45.6 mi

Wisconsin's Largest Natural Bridge/Arch…read more this natural arch is located in the "Driftless Area of Southwestern Wisconsin" meaning....this natural bridge was not glaciated during the last Ice Age & is still standing strong today! Quick Facts * archeologists found charred wood in fire pits underneath this natural bridge that dates as far back as 12,000 years * this is a 530 acre state park with lots of beauty...but stay on the trails!! ‼ * the trail to the natural bridge is quick & easy! Bring your family * there are no trash cans...keep your trash on you!! * this spot is located very close to the House on the Rock * add this spot to your list of Things To Do in Wisconsin!

This is the most bizarre State Park I've been to in Wisconsin, and I've been to many. I don't know…read morewhy it has State Park status, it's more of a State Natural Area, because there is no park office, no bathrooms of any kind, no picnic tables, no one enforcing or collecting the fee you're supposed to pay -- there's just a parking lot you drive into, for free as far as I can tell. The posted map says it has toilets and a picnic area, but they are not there. Anyway, once you park and take the mowed trail, it's a pretty short hike to the bridge, which is very, very beautiful. There are a couple of more trails you can continue to walk on, but they seemed to disappear into nothingness after a while, so we turned back. So definitely stop in for 30 minutes to see the natural beauty, but there's no reason to stay beyond that.

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Natural Bridge State Park
Natural Bridge State Park
Natural Bridge State Park

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Roche-A-Cri State Park - parks - Updated October 2026

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