Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Hiking In Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin

My husband and I recently met up with our kids at Devil's Lake State Park for a weekend get-together.   Devil's Lake is a good halfway distance for both of us, and it is such a pretty park to hike, especially in the fall.

On this day, we hiked two trails:  the West Bluff Trail and the Tumbling Rock Trail.  First I'll show you the West Bluff Trail.

The West Bluff Trail is a medium effort trail that is 1.5 miles long.  If you start on the south end, like we did, it is quite a long steep climb up, but once your at the top, the trail is level for quite some distance and you enjoy gorgeous views like this till it's time to head back down.


Devil's Lake State Park is known for it's gorgeous bluffs which surround Devil's Lake.  This is such a beautiful lake.  You can rent boats at the park to take out onto the lake.  There is also a nice swimming beach.


There are several beautiful look out spots on the West Bluff Trail where you can see for miles!


It was a cold, cloudy, dreary day on the day we were there, but it did little to damper our spirits.  We enjoyed just being together again and loved being out in nature.


The foliage on the trees was not vibrant yet, my guess is they were only 25% color.  That was disappointing, but it was still pretty!



The picture below shows the swimming beach.  The large pavilion is where you can rent boats.  They also have a nice restaurant, gift shop, and a great coffee bar!  It was wonderful to be able to get a hot vanilla latte after a long hike on a chilly day.  I said to my husband "This is the only Wisconsin state park where one can buy a great vanilla latte!".


These are my beautiful children, Ashley and Jordan.


And this is my handsome son-in-law Jason with our granddaughter Alethea.  She was such a good girl!  She rode on daddy's back half the day with little complaining.  She even fell asleep once!  She preferred me to always hike in front of them so she could see me.  She kept leaning over, peeking over Jason's back and saying "Hi!" to me.  She's such a cutie!


 We took advantage of the beautiful scenery to take lots of family photos!





The West Bluff Trail is a one-way trail.  The best way to get back is to take the Tumbling Rocks Trail.  This is a easy, level, .8 mile asphalt trail that winds through large quartzite boulders along the lake shore.  It's one of my favorite trails because the boulders are just amazing and I love the gorgeous lake views. 




We did stop on this trail and rest awhile and fueled up on some healthy snacks.







As I said earlier, the boulders on this trail is amazing.  It is such a fascinating trail.  They definitely gave it the right name, for all these boulders "tumbled" down the hill and came to a sudden stop.  They then created a trail through the boulders.  It's such a surreal feeling hiking this trail, you feel surrounded by rock.  It's fun to climb the rocks too.




After we finished this trail, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the beach.  We were planning on going on the East Bluff trail next, but we weren't sure Alethea was up to hanging out on dad's back for a few more hours.  Plus, it got colder and we all thought some time spent in a hot tub was a good idea;  so, we headed to Wisconsin Dells for our hotel instead!  But, more on that next week!

Have A Great Day!  Amy

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38 comments:

  1. You have such a beautiful family! Your photos of the trails and lake are stunning! Thank you for sharing them. -Marci @ Stone Cottage Adventures

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  2. The autumn leaves look amazing, such beautiful photos. Alethea looks like she enjoyed being out in nature so much!! We visited this State Park a few times while visiting the Wisconsin Dells area. It's so beautiful there and we loved hiking by those boulders.

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    1. Thank you! I think she did too, and I think she was happy seeing us again as much as we were to see her. I think this is one of the best state parks in Wisconsin, and perhaps the most popular among Illinois residents.

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  3. Beautiful photos, looks like a great place to hike

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  4. What a great bike you all had, and the autumn colours are just gorgeous! I enjoyed reading, visited from #mlstl

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    1. Thanks for visiting! Yes, it was a great hike.

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  5. I loved all your photos Amy - it looks like a lovely place for a hike. Could I also say that Alethea looks a lot like her dad in the last photo!
    MLSTL and I've shared on my SM :)

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    1. Thanks Leanne. You're not the first one to say Alethea looks like her dad. We always joke when Ashley has a boy, he will look just like her!

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  6. Looks like a beautiful family day. Your photos are gorgeous. #MSLTL Shared on SM

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  7. What a lovely time to hike. The Autumn colours look gorgeous. And how wonderful to be able to hike as a family. Your grandaughter is very cute too. #MLSTL and shared on SM :)

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    1. Thanks so much! Hiking in the fall is so nice. The weather is cooler, so you don't get hot and sweaty, and the colors add so much!

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  8. It looks so beautiful! I can only imagine how vibrant it is when the foliage changes. I'm glad despite the cloudy day, you guys had a wonderful time together!

    Brooke
    Pumps and Push-Ups

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    1. Thanks. I wish we were there when the colors were at peak. But, it was pretty crowded when we were there, I can only imagine how crowded it is now!

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  9. Wow! What a beautiful place to visit in the fall with so many beautiful colors. Looks like a perfect way to spend some time together.

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  10. I love Devil's Lake! It's so scenic, especially this time of year. I used to do a scouting hike there each fall. These photos are beautiful!

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    1. When we lived in Milwaukee, we went to Devil's Lake a lot too. It's not that far of a drive.

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  11. I don't know if there is anything more wonderful than spending time with family in nature. It's sounds like a wonderful time.

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  12. What a great hike and a nice way to spend time with family. In another week or so those trees will look stunning.

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    1. Yes, I'm sure they will. Too bad I can't go back. :(

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  13. The landscapes are so beautiful! It must be spectacular when the leaves turn golden

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    1. Yes, it is gorgeous. I'm sure it is spectacular at peak autumn foliage.

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  14. What a gorgeous view, the trees are just starting to turn! :) Its great you get to see your family so much and your sweet and adorable granddaughter! :)

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

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    1. It was. I just looked out my kitchen window and most of the trees have lost their leaves already. It's always over too soon. Thanks Carrie!

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  15. What a breathtaking view, your photos are really lovely dear. Thansk for sharing!

    Jessica | notjessfashion.com

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  16. It is always great to spend time with family. I do think it is hard to hit on exactly when the leaves are at their peak but this are beautiful pictures.

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    1. Thank you. Yes, that is so true! And it's different every year! Plus, the weather has to cooperate too. We wanted to hike so many times this fall but the weather was so bad. It was always raining.

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  17. What a wonderful and cool hike. Such beautiful pics.

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  18. A beautiful locale, Amy, and what a wonderful reason to visit it - catching up with your family. Lovely shots!
    Thanks for taking part in the Travel Tuesday meme.

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  19. I'm from Wisconsin, I love Devil's Lake, even if I've only been there 1-2x in the last 1-2 decades. I had a great hike there with my children in the last 3 years.

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    1. Thank you for visiting, I'm always excited to have a fellow Wisconsinite visit my blog. I think Devil's Lake is Wisconsin's most popular park. The location has a lot to do with that, but it is so gorgeous as well!

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