Fall trails abound in central Wisconsin, Part I

Roche-A-Cri State Park

There’s no better way to experience autumn colors around central

Wisconsin than a hike.

The brilliant yellows, oranges and red

of maples to the scarlet and russets of oaks...the crisp, fresh autumn air and

the last warm rays of sunlight before winter arrives...the crunch of fallen leaves and acorns beneath your boots...stopping to enjoy a warm

mug of apple cider or a caramel apple pulled from your backpack – it all calls for an afternoon on the trail.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails around central Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that

you can do in an afternoon.

Adams County
Day hikers can head to to the top of a 300-foot-high half-billion-year-old rock formation at Roche-A-Cri State Park. The 0.12-mile round trip stairway goes up the side of the prominent Roche-A-Cri formation. While short in length, the first-half is all uphill. It’s a beautiful hike in autumn when scarlet, amber and orange leaves line the forest canopy and float upon the stairs. From Adams-Friendship, take Wis. Hwy. 13 north. Turn left/west at the park entrance. Follow the park road to the opposite side of the formation, where there is a lot. A short trail leads to informative kiosks about the formation and the stairs.

Clark County
Day hikers can enjoy impressive views of the surrounding woodlands from atop a high mound on the Self-guided Interpretive Trail. The 1.94-mile trail at the Levis Mound and Trow Mound Recreational Area runs through an oak savanna, a grove of mature aspen, and historic white pine. A side trail heads up to Porky Point, a great vista for seeing autumn colors below. Fifteen stations on the nature trail point out interesting facts about local wildlife, trees and geology. From Neillsville, take Wis. Hwy. 95 south. After crossing the Black River, turn right/north onto Fisher Avenue/Columbia Road. Take the first left/west into the Levis Mound Trail Center.

Juneau County
The trail to Mill Bluff’s summit delivers a fantastic vista for viewing fall colors. Jutting 120 feet above the terrain, the blufftop allows view of forests and farmland for several miles around. The dark red leaves of northern red oak and russet of white oak nicely balance the green of jack pine, red pine, eastern white pine that dominates the bluff. The trail is short but steep – just 223 stone steps. From Interstate 94, take either Exit 48 for Oakdale and travel south on U.S. Hwy. 12 or Exit 55 at Camp Douglas and travel north to Mill Bluff State Park.

Marquette County
Day hikers can stand on extremely ancient rock 300 feet above the surrounding terrain at Observatory Hill State Natural Area. The 1.2-mile round trip Observatory Hill Trail crosses an oak savanna, where in autumn the burr oaks turn yellow-brown. The hill’s slopes are lit up with the orange-red leaves of red oak, the russet of white oak, the chartreuse of basswood, and the rich yellow of shagbark hickory. At the summit, the 1.76 billion-year-old volcanic rock offers a grand view. From Montello, take County Road F south. Turn straight-left/south on 14th Road then left/south on 13th Road and lastly straight-left/east on Gillette Avenue. The parking lot is on the road’s left/north side.

Wood County
Leaves aren’t the only things of beauty descending from the sky in autumn. Migratory birds make their way south through Wisconsin, and one of the best places to see them is at the Sandhill State Wildlife Area. The 7-mile round trip Swamp Buck Hiking Trail heads past a few of their rest stops and then to the summit of North Bluff. An observation tower there offers a sweeping view of the pine and russet-leaved oaks common to the central sandy plain. You’ll also see in flight, flocks of sandhill cranes, herons, geese, teal and wood ducks. From Babcock, take Wis. Hwy. 80/173 southwest. Turn right/north on County Road X then left/west into the wildlife area. The gravel Trumpeter Trail heads north from it. Park in a pullout about a mile from the entry when the road bends west to north. The trail heads southwest from the pullout.

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Orange-gold to yellow oaks and crimson red maples await day hikers at Hamus Nature Preserve and Recreation Area in Marshfield. Some of the trees on the 32-acre site are 150-plus years old. A 0.9-mile trail – a combination of the Swamp White Oak and the Whitetail trails – passes a pond and circles the heavily wooded property. Along the way you’ll pass a large swamp white oak tree. Other paths – the Fox Run and Boardwalk trails – head to a large red maple tree in the forest’s interior. From Wis. Hwy. 97 in Marshfield, go west onto Northridge Street then right/north onto Hamus Drive. When the street curves east, it becomes Wilderness View Drive. Turn left/north into the nature preserve. Parking is at the road’s end.

Short hike heads along large Wisconsin lake

Castle Rock Lake shoreline at Juneau County's Castle Rock County Park.

Castle Rock Trail map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk alongside Wisconsin’s fourth largest lake at Castle Rock County Park.

The Castle Rock Trail (so christened here for the unnamed footpaths) runs 0.5-miles in length in the Juneau County park. Note that neighboring Adams County has a park of the same name.

To reach the trailhead, from Mauston take County Hwy. G northeast out of town. The road zigzags through the countryside before finally reaching Castle Rock Lake. Enter the park by turning right/northeast onto 22nd Avenue. Once past the park office, veer right at the next two road junctions. The road after the second junction curls south. When the road splits, turn left/east and head to the boat launch parking lot. Leave your vehicle there.

Head out on the trail from the lot’s southern side. The wide, wooded trail is largely shaded, but there are some open spots depending on the time of the day and angle of sun. After crossing the road, the scent of fresh pine greets you.

At the four-way, turn left/east, then at the next split, head right/south. The trail at that point goes alongside Castle Rock Lake, which you can see through breaks in the trees.

At 16,640 acres with 60 miles of shorelines, only three lakes in Wisconsin are larger – Lake Winnebago, Petenwall Lake (which is just a few miles to the north of the Castle Rock Lake), and the Chippewa Flowage. Castle Rock Lake is a shallow 8-20 feet at most places and never more than 30 feet at its deepest.

Castle Rock Lake since 1947
As the trail curves west, the lake leaves your view. But the park is fundamentally influenced by the waterbody. Before World War II, this part of the trail would have been high ground overlooking the mouth of the Yellow River where it flowed into the Wisconsin River.

A man-made lake, the flowage formed in 1947 when construction of Castle Rock Dam to the southeast began. Completed four years later, the dam holds back both the Wisconsin and Yellow rivers.

On the trail’s south side, ignore the trail junction. Instead, continue straight/west.

Castle Rock Lake has become a popular destination for boaters, water skiers and fishermen. Crappies, walleyes and white bass are the most common catch, but there’s also plenty of largemouth bass, northern pike, panfish, and smallmouth bass.

The trail next curves north. It soon enters the group camp area. Upon reaching the road, walk along its shoulder.

Green lake
A number of protected areas line the lake, including Buckhorn State Park and Yellow River State Wildlife area to the north, and a few county parks. The Juneau County shoreline generally is more developed than the Adams County side.

After passing the group camp area, a trail heads southeast from road. Take that footpath.

Being in the middle of an agricultural and tourism state, Castle Rock Lake does have its problems. In late summer, algae can turn the lake green. Thanks to phosphorous, nitrogen and other chemical fertilizers washed into the Yellow and Wisconsin Rivers, the lake is eutrophic – meaning it’s rich in nutrients so can support a dense plant population. When those plants decompose, though, fish in the water are deprived of oxygen and die. Still, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources recently rated Castle Rock’s water quality as good for a reservoir lake.

In addition, thanks to a few careless boaters using other waterbodies, invasive species have made their way into the lake. Among them are cylindro, Eurasian water-milfoil, and the zebra mussel.

At the next trail junction, go left/east. Upon reaching road, you’re back at boat parking lot.

Trail heads thru woodland, along flowage

Black oak trees can be found on the Central Sands Nature
Trail at Wisconsin's Buckhorn State Park.

Central Sands Nature Trail map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk alongside a massive lake created by the impounding of two rivers and discover the black oak tree on Wisconsin’s Central Sands Nature Trail.

The 1.4-mile loop sits on a peninsula in the Castle Rock Flowage at Buckhorn State Park. Wisconsin’s second largest state park, many of the campsites here are hike-in, adding a level of primitiveness to the area.

To reach the trailhead, from Adams-Friendship take Wis. Hwy. 13 north. Turn left/west onto Wis. Hwy. 21. In Necedah, go left/south onto Wis. Hwy. 80 then straight/south on Wis. Hwy. 54. Next, turn left/east onto County Hwy. G. Once in the park, go right/south onto Buckhorn Park Avenue. At 36th Street, turn left/west. Just before the street curves north is an access road heading left/south to backpack campsites. The access road dead ends at the South Parking Lot. Walk back to the parking lot entry. A stem trail next to the park amphitheater heads right/east to the loop.

A wooden bridge crosses a forested wetlands. Once the connector reaches the loop, go left/north. The trail is sandy, thanks to sediment laid down some 14,000 years when advancing glaciers blocked the Wisconsin River’s flow, creating Glacial Lake Wisconsin. Today, the sandy soil of the Wisconsin’s Central Sands region – which matches the shape of the glacial lake – largely sports an oak/pine barrens.

Black oak
A variety of trees can be spotted along the way. Most are jack pines, but there are a few small birch groves in the wetter areas. Among the highlights is the black oak.

In Wisconsin, the black oak largely is limited to the southern part of the state, though it can be found in small numbers in a couple of northern counties. A large tree, it usually reaches 2-3 feet in diameter and can grow up to 80 feet tall. Its dark, almost black, bark is thick and deeply furrowed.

Usually black oak in Wisconsin is found on only ridge tops or the lower two-thirds of south- and west-facing slopes. It sometimes hybridize with red oak, making identification of it difficult.

About 0.7 miles from the trailhead, you’ll reach the first intersection with the looping Turkey Hollow Trail. This segment of the Turkey Hollow connects to the Partridge Trail farther east. To remain on the Central Sands Nature Trail, continue straight/southwest.

Wildlife is abundant at Buckhorn State Park, and there’s a good chance that you’ll see some of it on the nature trail. Canada geese, ducks, herons and sandhill cranes often can be heard overhead while owls search the forest floor for insects, mice and snakes. Mink, muskrats and otters – or at least signs of them – can be spotted in the wetland areas. Inland, white-tail deer, turkeys, coyotes and even black bear hang out.

Castle Rock Lake
The trail reaches its second intersection with Turkey Hollow Trail at 1.1 miles. Go left/northwest. You’ll be greeted by a view of Castle Rock Lake.

The man-made lake was created in 1947 when the hydroelectric Castle Rock Dam was built a few miles south of what is now the park. Holding back the Wisconsin and Yellow rivers, the 16,000-acre flowage never is deeper than 30 feet.

The trail then curves inland back to the woods with a wetlands on the left before reaching the stem trail that returns to the parking lot.

Most of the trail is shade, so sunscreen is unneeded. Insect repellent is, however, especially near the wetlands during summer; fortunately, the bugs are tolerable in the drier barrens.