Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Hiking Parfrey's Glen in Winter

Every year my husband and I like to take a little weekend trip not too far away to celebrate Valentines Day.  Last year we went winter hiking at a golf course in Black River Falls and we also did a beautiful snow shoe trail in the Black River Forest.  This year we went to Parfrey's Glen in the Wisconsin Dells area.

The last time we hiked Parfrey's Glen was in the summer of 2012 when we still had kids at home!  It looks really different in the summer than in the winter, and it is a little more challenging to hike because of the snow and ice.  I think I enjoyed the beauty of Parfrey's Glen more in the summer than in the winter because you can see all the ferns and moss, but it was still fun to view it in winter too.  If you'd like to see what Parfrey's Glen looks like in summer, go to THIS POST.


The trail starts out nice and level through a forest.



Very quickly you will come upon a babbling brook and from then on will be following it all the way till the end of the trail.



You know you've officially arrived in Parfrey's Glen when you start seeing huge rock formations.


Here's where you need to be careful.  In some spots the snow/ice is covering the water and you could be walking right on top of water and not even know it.  It's not deep, but you sure don't want to break through the ice and get a soaking foot in the freezing cold.



You have to step on rocks to cross the river several times, and those rocks are slippery in winter.  Be sure to wear footwear that grips well and bring walking sticks if you can.  I put my walking sticks right in the water to stabilize myself as I stepped on the rocks.



It is only 0.8 miles to the end of the path that leads to Parfrey's Glen.  From there you are not allowed to go any further, and frankly, it's kinda tough as you really have to rock scramble if you want to see the small waterfall.



At its uppermost part the glen reaches a depth of 100 feet.  The walls are sandstone embedded with pebbles and boulders of granite. 



Parfrey's Glen is Wisconsin's Number One snow shoe trail.  I however would not recommend wearing snow shoes here because of all the rock scrambling.  No one on the trail had snow shoes on, so how this trail earned that title I have no idea.  However, it is a nice winter hike!




Sorry that I'm in most of the photos, but it was Valentine's Day weekend and I think hubby was a little enamored with me.  I do think however that having a person inside the photos gives you perspective of the size of the glen walls.





This is as far as I went as the trail was sheer ice at this point and lots of rock scrambling.  My poles were useless here as the spokes couldn't poke through the hard ice.  Hubby went a little further to hunt for the waterfall, but he said it wasn't much to see as it was only a few feet high.



Even though it was a beautiful day, this was the only hike we took.  I've been having issues with my leg and we didn't want to push it.  I had hoped to start physical therapy this week, but now we have a winter storm coming so I may have to cancel.  Bummer!  I've been waiting weeks to see a physical therapist.



There's a large outlet mall in the Wisconsin Dells so after our hike we grabbed some lunch and did some shopping.  Hubby was thrilled.  JK!  This picture was posed!  I didn't buy much:  just this cool new frying pan and a couple of Under Armor hiking tops.  Oh, we did go downtown to get some fudge and that was incredible!



 Have A Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

24 comments:

  1. Oh, I would love to hike in the snow! I am sharing a walk in the snow today but just on the road. This hike looks so beautiful!
    www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com

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    1. It is quite a different experience and it's nice to get outside in the winter instead of being indoors all the time.

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  2. It's been a few years since we visited the Wisconsin Dells area but so glad we got the chance to hike Parfrey Glenn! I think it was in October l and was absolutely amazing!! It looks really nice in winter too! Great pictures! The fudge in downtown Dells is amazing!

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    1. You are so lucky you got to hike it, especially in October. It's a very popular hike!

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  3. A hike in gorgeous scenery followed by a mall - you had Valentine's Day sussed! Hope the physical therapy starts soon. Thanks for linking.

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    1. Yea, it was a fun Valentine's Day. No, we got a huge winter storm so I had to cancel my physical therapy appointment and now I have to wait another month. I am so bummed. Medical care is just terrible all over the world...even in America.

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  4. Oh a picture's worth a thousand words. That one of your husband is simply priceless!

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  5. Replies
    1. Ha ha. It was actually a warm winter day here in Wisconsin...in the 40's!

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  6. Oh wow, it looks beautiful. We have had no snow this year. :(

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    1. I can't even imagine not having snow in winter. That would be so nice. It's beautiful, but this year we've had too many scary winter storms.

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  7. That sounds like a wonderful hike! As much as I do enjoy hiking in winter it can be so treacherous not knowing what's underfoot and when you might encounter some ice.

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    1. Yes, it was. I think if you hike in winter you just have to be more prepared with the right clothes, shoes, and hiking poles.

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  8. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedLinkParty 101. Shared.

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  9. I have never hiked in the snow. It does look beautiful and you make it look so easy. It was fun taking a virtual hike! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. My first time hiking in the snow was last year, and we enjoyed ourselves so much we decided to do it more often.

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  10. Parfrey's Glen is beautiful in the snow. The pristine, white snow against the dark boulders is a dramatic scene. Thank you for sharing this post in the Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 55.
    Carol
    www.scribblingboomer.com

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    1. It sure is! Thanks so much, and you're welcome.

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  11. I love Parfreys Glen! I didn't know it was even open in the winter :) Great post.

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    1. It was a surprise to me too, especially since they are so protective of it. It's also rated "Wisconsin's #1 Snow Shoe Trail"

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  12. What a beautiful place. So very nice.

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