Day hike to ‘Medieval castle’ in Wisconsin

Mound Hill Park Castle

Topo map of Mound Hill Park Castle Trail.

Day hikers can visit what looks like a Medieval castle in west-central Wisconsin.

A very brief walk – at most 0.2 miles-round trip – the Mound Hill Park Castle Trail – sits atop a tall hill surrounded by an expansive woods. The castle, located at Mound Hill Park in Elk Mound, closes when snow and ice cover the road leading to it.

To reach the trail, from downtown Elk Mound, head north on County Road H/North Holly Avenue. Go right/east onto Elk Mound Hill Road, taking the narrow one-and-a-half lane to the top of hill. A looping parking lot is at the road's end.

From the lot, walk south to a staircase that leads up to the tower. Made of gray stone, it looks more like a turret of a long-since destroyed castle. It has three
floors with its windows offering great views of the village below and the surrounding countryside.

The mound certainly is a good place to build a tower. At 1220 feet elevation, Native Americans once used the hilltop to spot elk and buffalo herds on the plains below.

Because the mound is among the highest points on the horizon, in 1926 a contractor who constructed U.S. Hwy. 12 to the south erected a flagpole on the hilltop. Then in 1934, a tree planted atop the mound was dedicated as a memorial to county postal workers who'd passed away, with soil from each of their routes placed around the tree.

The Works Progress Administration and Dunn County in 1937 constructed the 25-foot high observation tower. Its stones come from a quarry in nearby Downsville while other materials were culled from a village livery stable.

In 1987, the county closed the park, citing issues with the steep road leading up the mound. The castle rose like a phoenix, though – for the next six years, Elk Mound High School students worked to restore the park as part of a community service project. The site reopened as a village park in 1994 with a new flag pole and lighting were later added.

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of the Chippewa Valley guidebook.

Wetlands deliver primitive hiking experience

Muddy Creek Wildlife Area

Topo map, Elk Mound Swamp trails.

A couple of wetlands offer great bushwhacking country for hikers in west-central Wisconsin.

The Red Cedar Waterfowl Production Area and the Muddy Creek Wildlife Area are both conveniently located near the freeway in western Dunn County. Though there are no marked path, some deer and jeep trails do cut across both areas.

Red Cedar Waterfowl Production Area
From Menomonie, take Interstate 94 east then turn onto County Road B south. Go left/east onto 610th Avenue; turn right/south onto 730th Avenue. A parking lot is on the road’s left/east side. Cross the road and head west into the production area.

A U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service property, the area provides nesting and feeding grounds for waterfowl. Migratory birds – including songbirds – often can be spotted here in spring and fall.

Though only 336.1 acres in size, the production area is a vital zone for waterfowl, as Wisconsin has lost about 2 million hectares of wetland since gaining statehood in 1848. The Red Cedar WPA adjoins the Strehlau Waterfowl Production Area to its north.

Muddy Creek Wildlife Area
From Interstate 94, at Exit 52 take U.S. Hwy 12/Wis. Hwy. 29 west. Watch for the parking area on the highway’s right/north side. A gated jeep trail leads from the parking loop’s northwest corner into a woods that hugs Muddy Creek’s banks.

Most of the state wildlife area’s 4100 acres consists of marshy lowlands, known locally as the Elk Mound Swamp. But amid the wetlands are islands of prairie and woodlands, the latter mainly consisting of aspen, oaks and white pine. Farm fields along the wildlife area’s edges have been converted to tallgrass prairie.

For ecologists, though, the wetlands are what prove most interesting. As a transition zone, the area is one of the few spots in Wisconsin where plant species from both northern and southern sedge meadows can be found.

Bushwhacking tips
While you’ll want to stick to deer trails or vehicle tracks as much as possible when visiting these two areas, that won’t always be possible. Don’t cut grass, however, and tread lightly no matter where you walk.

Be aware that whether you stay on a trail or bushwhack, the ground can be soft and muddy. Because of this, hiking boots definitely are needed during any visit.

You’ll also want to wear pants as the grass often will be high and wet. Avoid denim pants and cotton shirts, which when wet are difficult to dry out, though a cotton/poly combo usually is okay.

Tall grasses are ideal spots for ticks, but they can be kept off you by wearing long-sleeved shirts and tying each pants leg bottom tight over your boots. Always check your body afterward for any hitchhiking critters.

Learn more about Chippewa Valley day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of the Chippewa Valley guidebook.