Wait...I thought you said 47 state parks?

For those of you who have been following our journey (thank you!), you may remember that initially the goal was 47 state parks in 365 days. Well...we did visit 47 parks, but one of the ones that we originally counted, Belmont Mount State Park, isn't actually a state park. :)  It was a nice place to visit, (with an old, not in use viewing tower we climbed anyways). However, I decided not to include this park in our count as it is not technically a state park.


So it's Thanksgiving today, (yes, I'm behind on my blogging, every time I open my laptop there are demands from G to watch Paw Patrol), and I decided it's the perfect day to be thankful for the opportunity that we had to actually embark on this goal to "Traverse the Dairyland". Thankful for my husband, who willingly embarked on the journey and maintained an extraordinarily positive attitude the entire time, even when we were being consumed alive by mosquitoes, breaking camp at 11pm to drive home two hours, or convincing G to leave the beach yet again, (the exit strategy typically involved promises of ice cream, a treat for Mom and Dad, too!). And also thankful that we had the time and resources to be able to just decide on a whim to spend the summer traveling across the state.

But for every challenging part of the journey, there were some really awesome parts. Spending every weekend outside, hiking to overlooks on top of the Bluffs of the Mississippi, trekking to see waterfalls crashing through gorges, and walking around coastlines of islands in the Great Lakes. It truly was amazing. As were our picnics (I have a great Italian pressed sandwich recipe if you want it).






In the end, we visited 46 parks in 160 days, completing a hike, visit to the ranger office, and a selfie in each park. The question that we receive a lot of the time from friends and family is "So, what is your favorite park?", which is a tough one to answer. Don't get me wrong, we do have a few outstanding favorites, but everyone is looking for a different experience. With that in mind, we have complete some rankings below for your information.


Favorite Parks Overall
1. Rock Island State Park
2. Devil's Lake State Park
3. Pattison State Park
4. Copper Falls State Park
5. Interstate State Park
6. Big Bay State Park
7. Willow River State Park
8. Perrot State Park
9. Wyalusing State Park
10. Nelson Dewey State Park


Best Views
1. Pattison State Park
2. Willow River State Park
3. Perrot State Park
4. Mill Bluff State Park
5. Wyalusing State Park


Best Parks for Kids
1. Kohler Andrae State Park
2. Mirror Lake State Park
3. Governor Dodge State Park
4. Blue Mounds State Park
5. Devil's Lake State Park
6. Rib Mountain State Park


Best Beaches
1. Rock Island State Park
2. Big Bay State Park
3. Kohler Andrae State Park
4. Harrington Beach State Park
5. Governor Dodge State Park
6. Devils' Lake State Park


Happy Thanksgiving!