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| Castle Rock Lake shoreline at Juneau County's Castle Rock County Park. |
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| Castle Rock Trail map. Click for larger version. |
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.
