High Cliff State Park — Attraction in Sherwood

It is a standad state park on the shores of Lake Winnebago. We were actually pretty bored with our 6, 8, and 10 year old after a few hours. I think the issue was that during the summer, there's too much cover from trees and overgrown invasive vegetation to see much of the rock formations or the views of the lake from the Lime Kiln trail. Also, there's really no lake access outside of the marina and the beach, which is just a patch of grass on the lake and had a warning against algae, like all Lake Winnebago beaches do this time of year. The trails that are shown on the lake's edge are almost 40 feet higher on a ledge; several of the other trails through the established natural area are not easily reached without a hike of several miles first. Those didn't look like they were by the lake either, but perhaps they had better views of the lake, forest or wildlife. The lime kiln trail was too long for our inexperienced hiking family, so we just at went far enough to see the creek flowing down the hillside. The mound trail was an easy hike and showed very limited, but better views of the lake and natural limestone formations in the summer; the mounds were interesting and the forest surrounding them was quite nice. The butterfly pond trail was quite popular, as it was paved and accessible; there were many seniors and those in wheelchairs using it. It has tons of wildlife and native flowers. We drove through the campground, which was standard, although they had a separate area for group camping that would be fantastic for scouts. They were in a totally different area than the beach/marina/tower areas and you'd need bikes or a car to get around if staying. The observation tower and nearby playground were nice, but only good for 15-20 minutes of fun. Like many parks, they either lack the budget/staffing or refuse to trim the trees, so the entire upper level/overlook area views are invisible except from the top of the tower. There were stone steps that descended into a natural crack in the stone that would have been fun to explore but they were fenced off and not entirely safe (no handrails, etc.) It would be a great feature to make a few improvements and open that area. They had huge shelters for rent throughout the park for parties. I think my biggest complaint is that the whole thing was build on an old lime processing plant, which was expanded into a quarry later; the campground and other parts of the park were clearly farmland. That means there's almost no trees older than 60 years old; the lime kiln ruins even say that they clearcut the trees to run the furnaces; those operations ceased in 1957. The mound trail says the quarry destroyed most of the mounds on site and a huge portion of the upper park remains paved from the use as a quarry-unsure when it stopped being a quarry, but it seems as if it was only a few decades ago. I like to see undisturbed nature when I go to parks like this and the footprint of human industry is still very prevelent in the entire park and not in an interesting way. Its good for a casual afternoon trip, and may be more interesting in the early spring or fall/winter, but would have been miserable if it would have been a...

High Cliff State Park is 1,100+ acres of beauty that lie on the northeastern shore of Lake Winnebago. The park features many nooks and crannies along the shoreline that present great swimming opportunities in the summertime.

There's roughly 16 total miles of trails throughout the park with the long loop of the Lime Kiln Trail (pictured) being the most challenging but possibly the most rewarding. The trail begins at the abandoned Lime Kiln which is a sight to see. From there, you begin to enter the forest which grows more and more dense the further you get in. The first half of the loop provides thick forest on your left and the lakeshore to your left. It's a beautiful experience to be in the forest but to also hear the waves crashing no more than 50 feet away. While the sights on the Lime Kiln Trail are exceptional, the sounds take the experience one step further to total serenity. Eventually you'll reach a turning point in the loop where you turn your back to the lake and begin climbing. This section could be considered moderate in difficulty. The trees are absolutely massive in this area (pictured but doesn't do it justice). From there, you turn left again and that's where you'll have the opportunity to see the Niagara Escarpment before the trail makes it way downhill and back to the lakeside portion, closing the loop.

I was here in July and the bugs were not bad.

There is a General Store Museum that is open in the afternoons on Saturdays in the summertime.

High Cliff State Park has both family camping and group camping available. The campground area is somewhat pushed off in a separate area than most of the park. This keeps the area quiet. The campground is clean and well-maintained.

There is a 40-foot tall observation tower at the top of the escarpment that is definitely worth the climb and provide panoramic views of northern Lake Winnebago and the northern lakeshore.

The marina at High Cliff State Park offers more than 100 slips available for rent. Winter boat storage is available as well as basics like on-site gas and power to each slip.

All in all, this is a great place to spend a day (or a few days, if camping). With skiing trails available, it's also a park that is truly a year...

We spent two nights camping here with our kids. An absolutely awesome experience. I was a little put off by some of the reviews about animal activity and bathrooms. The pit toilets were actually really clean...I mean they're pit toilets. But there weren't a lot of bugs and we saw staff coming by to clean them. The hard stand toilets and showers were clean within the campground. They also have a filtered water bottle filling station there which was great. Yes, there are animals. We weren't even in bed and there was a big fat raccoon searching our campsite. I wouldn't say that's a "ton" of raccoons like some reviews. Lots of chipmunks scurrying around but they weren't a nuisance. Campground was almost at capacity but everyone was really respectful regarding quiet hours. Could be a pro or con depending on your lifestyle - there were a ton of kids. It did get loud after dinner/before bed with screaming. We were also close to the playground in the family campground so maybe if you get a site further back, you wouldn't hear it so much. The sites are VERY well shaded which is nice. The sites at the back of the campground back up to one of the trails which could be annoying if you want privacy. Trails are very friendly for all abilities. The Butterfly trail is paved around a pond. The Red Bird trail was packed dirt and my kids were able to hike most of it (all in all its around 3 miles). The Indian Mound trail was super cool as well, packed dirt and shaded through the woods. We didn't hike the Lime Kiln trail due to time but it looked most challenging out of any of the trails. The "beach" (its mostly grass) was clean. Lots of picnics going on, but the lake is so huge there's a ton of space to spread out. You can swim really far out and still touch the bottom. It was clear and sandy bottom, although there's a lot of shells close to the shore. Overall, really nice, large state park. Was a very easy drive from Milwaukee. We plan to come back for a longer stay...