Video of Glen Lake West Trail

A peaceful stroll through a lakeside wood awaits day hikers on the Glen Lake West Trail in western Wisconsin.

Glen Hills County Park in St. Croix County offers a plethora of trails amid 700 acres of maple, birch and oak hardwoods. To reach the park, from U.S. Hwy. 12 west of Wilson, Wis., take Wis. Hwy. 128 north. Turn right/east onto Day Use Road then go right/south onto Picnic Point Lane, which dead ends at a parking lot atop a vista.

The 0.4-mile round trip Glen Lake West Trail (so christened here for convenience’s sake) begins at the north end of the vista overlooking a swimming beach.

Here’s a video of Glan Lake taken from the beach near the Glen Lake West trailhead:

• Glen Lake West Trail photo album

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of St. Croix County guidebook.

Photo album of Glen Hills County Park trail

A pleasant walk through the woods alongside a pretty lake awaits day hikers at Glen Hills County Park in western Wisconsin.

The park in St. Croix County offers a plethora of trails amid 700 acres of maple, birch and oak hardwoods. To reach the park, from U.S. Hwy. 12 west of Wilson, Wis., take Wis. Hwy. 128 north. Turn right/east onto Day Use Road then go right/south onto Picnic Point Lane, which dead ends at a parking lot atop a vista.

The 0.4-mile round trip Glen Lake West Trail (so christened here for convenience’s sake) begins at the north end of the vista overlooking a swimming beach (below).

Glen Lake is visible from the trail for the first 0.1 miles (below).

Most of the narrow trail heads through a mixed hardwood forest with a number of red pines (below).

The trail’s middle 0.2-miles veers away from the lake (below). Turn back at the 0.2-mile mark when the walking path reaches a mowed trail.

Upon returning to the lot, traipse down a small hill to the swimming beach (below), especially if you have children. Don’t forget the sand buckets and shovels!

Here's a map of the trail and its location in the county park:

Another popular trail at the park is the Glen Lake East Trail.

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of St. Croix County guidebook.

Trail runs from vista alongside wooded lake

Glen Lake from scenic overlook.

Glen Lake East Trail map

Flowage popular
among fishermen

Tucked within Wisconsin’s dairy country is a hilly, wooded region that gives day hikers the chance to get back to nature.

Glen Hills County Park in eastern St. Croix County offers a plethora of trails amid 700 acres of maple, birch and oak hardwoods. The 2-mile round trip Glen Lake East Trail (so christened here for convenience’s sake) heads from a vista to a campground.

Glen Lake
To reach the park, from U.S. Hwy. 12 in Wilson, Wis., take County Road W north. Turn left/north onto Rustic Road 4 then go left/northwest onto Thompson Lane, which dead ends at the parking lot.

The trailhead is t the lot’s southwest corner. Before hitting the trail, though, walk across the grass to the scenic overlook of Glen Lake.

Eighty-four-acre Glen Lake is a flowage that controls flooding from Beaver Creek. A dam sits north of the scenic overlook but is nicely shielded by trees. Running 36.4-feet deep, the lake sports largemouth bass, panfish and trout for anglers.

The first portion of the trail runs downhill toward the lake. In short order, the trail reaches the lake’s shores. It then angles away from the lake and hairpins to the campground’s south end.

Northwoods wildlife
Along the way, you’ll cross three intermittent streams. Keep an eye out for such northern Wisconsin wildlife as white-tailed deer, squirrels, chipmunks and a number of songbirds.

The turnback point is the road Campground Lane. Hikers with a little extra energy, however, can continue the trail by heading down the campground road and picking up a path as it heads along the lake’s southeast side.

Glen Hills County Park also offers a swimming beach and picnic area. Those facilities can be accessed by entering the park from the west via Rustic Road 3.

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of St. Croix County guidebook.