Big Bay State Park #25

We visited Big Bay State Park on the same day that we visited Copper Falls. It's only about an hour drive north of Copper Falls to Bayfield, where we boarded the ferry for Big Bay. As you may have surmised, this state park is located on Madeline Island, in Lake Superior. Madeline Island is the largest of the twenty two Apostle Islands, and is a larger park, at 2,350 acres. It was established in 1963, and is known for its' sandstone bluffs and caves.

We set-up camp as soon as we arrived, and then hiked to the beach from our camp site (which was great! point for camping!), and enjoyed the sunset. There is a beautiful boardwalk trail that runs through some wetlands and along the beach. At this point in the day, with a beer in hand (which may have contributed), we both lost the desire to parent very much as G had a fine time rolling in the sand and water in his clothes, at the beach. Neither of us made a move to do a thing, and just asked the other, "So, we are going to let him do this?" Luckily, we had a nice shower house near us in the campground.

We quickly learned that G has no "campground" voice, so when he woke up at 6am, everyone near us might have, too. But, as one of my dear friends said, "It's a beautiful morning, they can get the hell up and enjoy it!" I agreed wholeheartedly. Pics below as usual, I would love to visit this park again, so, it's at the top of my list. Next stop, Amnicon Falls State Park!

Copper Falls State Park #24

It became very clear early on in the planning process for the Wisconsin State Park Project, that we were going to need to camp to make the project feasible. Camping as a couple, and camping with a 2 year old are as many of you know, completely different endeavors. If you have been following our journey, you may recall our ill-fated camping attempt at Kohler Andrae State Park #10, where we packed up camp at 11:15pm to make the two hour drive home.

However, this time, we were headed north, really north, like get on a ferry to get to an island north of Wisconsin north. So, needless to say, (but I'll say it anyways), there was no heading home on this trip. We planned a long weekend to visit Copper Falls State Park, Big Bay State Park, Amnicon Falls State Park and Pattison State Park, and it was awesome.

We headed out early on a Saturday morning, with the first scheduled stop on our trip, or Weekend O' State Parks if you will, as Copper Falls State Park. We have visited Copper Falls before G, and it was one of our favorite parks to date, and I have to say, it still is. First though, we stopped for a lunch break at the Wisconsin Concrete Park. It's a good stopping point, but boy, it's also something to see. The artist, Fred Smith, started making concrete statues in the 1960's and over time, it became an attraction. It delighted G and honestly for me, emitted a slightly macabre vibe, so we didn't linger. (Photos below, I know I can't exclude those after that tidbit.)

Copper Falls was established in 1929, and in addition to having a great deal of history, it's also geographically stunning. Areas of the park have been mined for thousands of years, first by the Old Copper Culture Native Americans, and later by European settlers. In the 1860's, the river bed was mined for copper, and although there isn't a lot of information about this time, it was assumed it was to assist with the North's armament needs during the Civil War. Amenities were later added during the 1930's by the Civilian Conversation Core, a group who have pretty much done work in every state park we have visited.

We hiked the Doughboys Trail at Copper Falls, which winds around Brownstone Falls, Copper Falls, Devil's Gate, and the Cascades, providing a view of every fall in the park. The park was busier on this date than it had been during our previous visit which took place in the Fall. G's feet did start dragging about halfway through, but he was amenable to being carred, not so amenable lately to having pictures taken (more amusing evidence of that later).  There are several other great trails at this park, I look forward to returning when we can! Next stop, (on the same day), Big Bay State Park!

Yellowstone Lake State Park #23

We visited Yellowstone Lake State Park on a calm but overcast day. The lake itself is beautiful, surrounded by rolling, green hills, at times on this day, blue skies. At this point, G asks to visit a state park every weekend, which is good, because that is what our plans generally are for the weekend!

We hiked the Wildlife Trail, which follows the lake shore and wetlands on the north side of the park, and affords a great view of the lake and beach. There were a lot of people fishing along the first part of this trail, which of course prompted a lot of questions from G. Luckily, no one seemed to be offended by a barrage of questions about their chosen activity that afternoon!

The trail also runs through wetlands and a wooded area, so there is a lot to experience in just one hike. We also swam at the beach, which was moderately busy, but with a nice, sandy bottom. There were a lot of people using their boats on the lake, (and having a great time, I was only slightly envious). A nice park, and one we might revisit in the future. Next stop, (and our next attempt at camping),  Big Bay State Park!

 

Bigfoot Beach State Park #22

Bigfoot Beach..sounds like someplace with a Sasquatch or two? Nope, not here (much to my chagrin actually...). The park was named for Chief Bigfoot who was a local Potawatomi leader. The original name of the lake was Bigfoot Lake, before it was changed to Lake Geneva in the 1920s. We visited this park on a nice, warm and sunny day in July, ready for some swimming and hiking. There is a 100 foot beach with a marked swimming area, but unfortunately, the beach is located right alongside a busy roadway. Although this resulted in delight from G when he say numerous motorcyles along the way, it didn't make for a very peaceful experience. With that said, it's nice to have a piece of the lake available to the public through the state park. There were tons of boats there, (looked like a lot of fun!), with people actually boating and others anchored and enjoying the view. One (important) note I think, no alcohol in the park, so if you reward yourself with a post beer hike, which frankly, I do every time:), you may need to forego it this time (or find another surreptitious way to consume it).

There is a lot of history to the lake and property around it, and as evidenced by the plethora of boats touring the lake, options abound for learning about that history. Unfortunately for us, this will have to wait until another day! Next stop, Yellowstone Lake State Park!

Council Grounds State Park #21

We stopped at Council Grounds State Park on the way home from the anniversary celebration weekend. Council Grounds was thought to have once been the site of annual Native American councils and encampments. The park stretches along the shores of the Wisconsin River, and offers views of a dam which forms Lake Alexander. The park has a 217 foot beach with a grassy hill for picnicking with play equipment and shelters.

We hiked the Big Pines Nature Trail, and then followed the road north to view the dam and arrive back at the beach. The hike was pretty enough, through forests and meadows, but the most remarkable part of the park was the views of the river. We had a great picnic spot here, too, overlooking the river above the dam. There is a family campground with 55 sites, and fishing with canoes and kayaks available to rent. If you plan to visit though, be sure you have a map or printed directions, we had to stop at a gas station to ask for directions (just like the 90s, it was great!) as our GPS kept wanting us to drive in circles. Next stop, Bigfoot Beach State Park!

Note: G was not into the required selfie today, this is the only one showing any part of him!

 

Rib Mountain State Park #20

This was really the perfect year and summer for the State Park Challenge. We had another weekend planned with family, this time to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary, Happy Anniversary Pete and Sandy! We were heading up to Park Falls with my brothers, their families and our parents, so had a great opportunity to visit some state parks along the way. On the way there, we stopped at Rib Mountain. This was a beautiful park with one of my favorite hikes to date.

One of the upsides to this park is that there are roads to the summit, so anyone can see the outstanding view. As with many state parks established in the 1920s and 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of the roads and hiking trails. We climbed to the top of the 60 foot observation tower and then hiked the blue trail, which wove in and out of huge rock formations, with glimpses of valleys below (a la The Princess Bride scene where they head into the Fire Swamp for you movie buffs out there, I think Pete did ask me about ROUSs at some point). There are more than 13 miles of hiking trails with 13 miles accessible to people with disabilities.

The hill itself is one of the oldest geological formations on earth (I know I couldn't believe it either!), dating back 1.7 billion years. It is the fourth highest point in the state and has an interesting history, which I don't have time to cover in its' entirety here. As early as 1893, the mountain was used in the manufacture of sandpaper, and later the quartzite from the mountain was crushed to be used for grinding and polishing purposes. It housed one of the first ski areas in the country, opening in 1938, and continues to this day as Granite Peak. This was one of our favorite parks to date (and the best picnic view), we can't wait to return! Next stop, Council Grounds State Park!

Lakeshore State Park #19

We visited Lakeshore State Park after a wonderful party for my Grandfather's 90th birthday, Happy Birthday Grandpa! Lakeshore State Park is located in the heart of Milwaukee and was created to provide green space for people who reside in the city. It was a pretty area with paved trails for walking and biking that connect to the Hank Aaron State Trail and Oak Leaf Trail, and views of Lake Michigan and Milwaukee. There is a 20 slip marina for mooring boats up to 60 feet long (wish we had a need for this!) and lagoons where one can practice kayaking. It's a nice area for enjoying the outdoors. Next stop, Rib Mountain State Park!

Governor Thompson State Park #17 and Copper Culture State Park #18

Governor Thompson State Park was a new park for us and a part of the state we honestly haven't traveled much, so were were looking forward to visiting. The park is one of the newer ones in the system, just established in 2000, and has 2800 acres of land, with a family campground, skiing and hiking trails, and 6 miles of shoreline on the Caldron Falls Flowage.

On this particular day, we decided a more substantial hike was in order (when I say "we" I mean Pete). Not to say we haven't enjoyed longer hikes in the past, but with a 2 year old who refuses to ride, and insists on walking, (at the pace of a small dog, not to disparage small dogs), it was not doable to date. However, on the recommendation of the state park ranger in the office, we decided to take the Flowage Trail to the Sunset Trail to see a reportedly amazing view of Huber Lake.

Off we went, the bugs were out for blood, luckily, they liked Pete better than me. The hike was pretty, established forests, and traversing over large, pink granite. The lake view wasn't necessarily "amazing", but it was a lake view...

Halfway back, the topic of bears comes up (always good to be prepared for everything, right?). We hashed out a plan, on the off chance that we did encounter one, and unfortunately, it may have tentatively ended with Pete possibly having to fight said bear. Luckily, we made it back safely, possibly due to my louder than usual conversational tone. Unfortunately, time didn't allow for us to visit the beach, hopefully next time. Along the way, G fell asleep, vacation is tough!

Next stop was Copper Culture State Park, a little park outside of Oconto and all of 42 acres, quite a difference from the vast area of Governor Thompson. Copper Culture was really interesting though, it is the site of a prehistoric cemetary for the Old Copper Complex people, used between 4000 and 3000 BC. Copper tools and other ornaments were placed in the graves and the site was archaeologically excavated in 1952. There is a little brick building that houses a small museum showing some items from the excavation and a few picnic shelters, but this park is only for day use. There aren't really any hiking trails, just a short walk to the site of the ancient cemetary. Next stop Lakeshore State Park!

Newport State Park #16

Continuing our Week O' State Parks, we visited Newport State Park on a rainy, misty day. We took our awesome niece Kendall along with us on this particular venture. But, first and foremost, breakfast! We had breakfast at Al Johnson's, a must visit in Door County, (goats on the roof!), and then to the park.

  



We learned that Newport is Wisconsin's only formally designated wilderness park, with 11 miles of shoreline and 2300 acres total. The park offers16 hike-in campsites only, 13 are reservable. We particularly enjoyed learning about the logging town that once thrived on the shore, replete with a long, wooden pier reaching out into Lake Michigan. The hike itself was nice and a good length for little legs (the kids, not mine). Lynd Point trail travels right long the shore, you can hear the water lapping on the rocks. We didn't encounter another person during our time at Newport, which was a nice change from the hectic week. The beach is beautiful, much like other shoreline in Door County, but it offered solitude, which is rare. We are looking forward to returning to this park to camp some day! On to Governor Thompson State Park next!

 



 



Newport State Park #16

Continuing our Week O' State Parks, we visited Newport State Park on a rainy, misty day. We took our awesome niece Kendall along with us on this particular venture. But, first and foremost, breakfast! We had breakfast at Al Johnson's, a must visit in Door County, (goats on the roof!), and then to the park.

  



We learned that Newport is Wisconsin's only formally designated wilderness park, with 11 miles of shoreline and 2300 acres total. The park offers16 hike-in campsites only, 13 are reservable. We particularly enjoyed learning about the logging town that once thrived on the shore, replete with a long, wooden pier reaching out into Lake Michigan. The hike itself was nice and a good length for little legs (the kids, not mine). Lynd Point trail travels right long the shore, you can hear the water lapping on the rocks. We didn't encounter another person during our time at Newport, which was a nice change from the hectic week. The beach is beautiful, much like other shoreline in Door County, but it offered solitude, which is rare. We are looking forward to returning to this park to camp some day! On to Governor Thompson State Park next!