Devil's Punchbowl Preserve — Attraction in Town of Menomonie

Stopped Labor Day weekend 2024. What a great place to visit! You only need a half hour to see everything, but could easily spend more time enjoying the area. There are probably about a dozen spots in the gravel parking lot right off the road. No restrooms. There are two paths just steps from the parking lot. One goes along the top rim of the bowl, across the water that feeds the fall, and has a couple dozen stairs. There's also a tunnel that runs under the road which we didn't explore. The second path is probably about 100 steps on sturdy staircases with plenty of landings where you can catch your breath or allow people to pass. The steps take you down into the bowl where you'll be surrounded by beautiful rock ledges and lush forest. You'll cross rivulets of water (depending on how much is flowing) to make your way to the waterfall. This walk is easy enough to do in everything shoes/sandals, but it is uneven, so a hiking sandal or waterproof boot would be ideal. Don't forget your bug spray! A towel and a plastic bag for wet shoes would be a smart thing...

It is a really neat scenic view down in the punch bowl but there is graffiti everywhere and the water is very polluted.

Do not expect to get a good hike out of it because it is literally a few sections of stairs down and you are there.

It is a good mild hike for families because it is not too rigorous, I did it in sandels and a jumper. I think there is an option to go on a route that goes around the gorge, just because I saw others walking there, but I am not for sure because I didn't go on that route too far myself. We had to turn around due to some felled trees and a washed out trail.

The waterfall itself is beautiful. It is pretty and kind of tranquil just to watch and listen to the water drip off of the wisteria like moss that clung to the jutting cliff side that surrounded...

The trails were much shorter than I expected, but the area was stunning. Make sure to wear shoes. You can get dirty and wet because you will be walking through water most of the time. Lots and lots of stairs, you really can’t see anything without tackling them. They’re also was a cool concrete tunnel full of graffiti. Definitely worth exploring if you’re not scared of the bugs. I appreciate that the taggers did not touch any of the rock formations and kept their art to the man-made tunnel. The area does allow dogs, but make sure your animal can handle lots of steep stairs. Parking lot was small, but easy to directly off the road. No...