Devil's Lake State Park — Attraction in Town of Baraboo

Want it Quiet? Come on a weekday. But if you like people-watching, being close to your neighbors, “participating” in triathlons, come on the weekend. On Friday 9/16 there were very few people, we literally met 12 people on the popular trails from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., there were 3 cars in the South parking lot, practically had the place to ourselves. Saturday and Sunday the place was packed, parking lots full, trails crawling with hikers, screaming kids from dawn to 11 p.m., dogs barking. If high volume action is your thing, this is the place for you on the weekend. Hiking-wise if you’re wondering if old-ish people can do these difficult hikes, it took us oldsters a good 3 hours to do the loop of the most popular sights: Balanced Rock, Devil’s Doorway, Potholes and Grottoes Trails. We climbed slowly (walking sticks REALLY HELP!). Save your energy for these strenuous climbs and drive from your campsite to the South parking lot, and then hit the trails EARLY in the morning. There will be hardly any people and plenty of parking spots. Younger people can do that same loop in about half the time or less. Camping-wise, the place was not buggy, the sites were clean, bathrooms were well-maintained, even had a shower and flush toilets. After Labor Day some of the stores and concession stands are closed for the season. There is no vegan Ice cream available, but the cafe does have a black bean veggie burger. It’s cheaper by a buck or two to buy your firewood outside of the park. When the acorns are falling from the oak trees, they may bonk you on the head or ding your vehicle, so be aware. On Friday, it seemed like the maintenance crew was preparing the property for the weekend by mowing all the grass at 7 a.m. or by circling your picnic table at the beach while you’re trying to eat lunch. Watch out for irresponsible pet owners who don’t bring poop bags and let their dogs poop on the trail without cleaning it up or they just leave their poop bags on the trail. A week before our reservation we got an email from the park notifying us that there would be a triathlon happening on the Sunday of our stay. The race would take place from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Promptly at 6:00 a.m. the music started blasting and the announcer began announcing through the loudspeaker, so forget about sleeping in if you’re in a tent in the Northern Lights campground. It felt like we were participating in the triathlon too. All in all, we had a good time, but don’t feel the need to go back again. We did a ton of hiking and had fun with our friends. We saw the sh*t out of the park, so now we can go on to another...

Absolutely breathtaking! There are 29 miles of trails in the park, ranging from easy strolls along a paved pathway along the lakeshore to a rocky hiking ascent up the south face of the East Bluff. With several different trail segments, visitors can choose a hike of varying lengths that includes vistas, woods, meadows, glacial moraines, talus slopes, and ridgetop backwoods. The park has 1.5 miles of trail that are accessible for people with disabilities. These include Tumbled Rocks Trail (the roughly paved northern half may be accessible to strollers and wheelchairs with adventurous attendants), Grottoes Trail (fairly smooth and level with a fine gravel surface), a sidewalk, and wooden boardwalk along the south shore of the lake, and the paved pathways in both the north and south shore day-use areas.

Biking:

The park has four miles of off-road bike trails—the Upland Trail Loop. Trails open to bikers are so posted. A state trail pass is not required to use the mountain bike trails. Bicyclists must use caution and give hikers the right-of-way. There are no official paved road-bike trails in the park, although many people enjoy riding several miles on all the paved campground roads. Many of the roads in the park and surrounding areas are not biker-friendly, since roads are often narrow, hilly, and winding, with guardrails and narrow shoulders. A 2-mile paved bicycle trail extends from the park's north shore entrance to the city of Baraboo.

CANOEING, KAYAKING, AND BOATING Two no-fee boat landings are available at the park; on the north shore near the Chateau and along Park Road between the north and south shores. Only electric motors are allowed. Watercraft may be rented at the park's concession areas. There is an adaptive kayak available through the rental program. Life preservers are required for each occupant in all boats, including rubber rafts. SWIMMING There are two beaches, one at each end of the lake, totaling 3,300 feet in length. Each beach has restroom facilities available in season. Lifeguards are not provided. There is a beach access mat at North Shore Beach. A beach wheelchair is available at the North Shore Beach and can be checked out at...

We recently had the opportunity to visit Devil's Park in Wisconsin, and overall, it was a great experience. The park offers a wide range of amenities and activities that cater to families and individuals alike.

One of the highlights of the park is its designated family picnic areas. These spots are well-spaced and equipped with picnic tables, making it convenient for families to have a fun outdoor meal together. We enjoyed a delightful picnic surrounded by the beauty of nature.

However, visiting Devil's Park during a long weekend did pose some challenges. The parking lot was extremely crowded, and we had to park quite far from the entrance, which was a bit inconvenient. Nevertheless, once we made our way inside, we found that the park was well-designed and offered different areas to explore.

Initially, we headed towards the north shore area, hoping to find a suitable spot for our picnic. However, it was already filled to capacity, and we had to make our way to the south shore instead. Fortunately, the south shore was just as picturesque and provided us with a comfortable spot to spend the day.

To our delight, there were multiple picnic areas located under covered roofs. This was especially beneficial given the scorching heat on the day of our visit. We were able to enjoy our meals in the shade in-front of the lake, creating a pleasant dining experience.

While most aspects of Devil's Park were impressive, one area that could use improvement is the restroom facilities. Unfortunately, many of the restrooms we encountered were not well-maintained and lacked cleanliness. It is possible that the high number of visitors during the long weekend contributed to this issue. It would be beneficial for the park management to address this aspect and ensure that the restrooms are regularly cleaned and stocked.

In conclusion, Devil's Park is a wonderful destination with a variety of amenities and picnic areas to enjoy. Despite the challenges of crowded parking and some restroom cleanliness issues, Devil's Park remains a fantastic place to spend quality time with friends and family. With its natural beauty and range of offerings, it is certainly...