Devil's Lake State Park

The Baraboo Range is Precambrian quartzite around 1.6 billion years old, among the oldest exposed rock in North America, and it was once a range of considerable height worn down and then buried and re-exposed. The lake sits in a gorge cut through it, dammed at both ends by moraine left when the last glacier stopped exactly here - the terminal position of the Green Bay lobe runs through the park, which is why it is a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. The East and West Bluffs rise about a hundred and fifty metres above the water with talus fields of quartzite blocks and trails that climb them on rock steps. It is the most visited state park in Wisconsin.

What you'll find

• Quartzite about 1.6 billion years old - among the oldest exposed rock.
• Bluffs 150 metres above the lake - with quartzite talus fields.
• A glacier's terminal position - running through the park.
• Rock-step trails - climbing both bluffs.

When to go

April to October; colour in October. A full day.

Good to know

It is Wisconsin's busiest state park and the lots fill early on summer weekends - the park closes entry when full. Bluff trails are steep with loose rock. Swimming beaches are crowded. A vehicle sticker is required.

Nearby

Baraboo and Circus World are north; Wisconsin Dells is north-east.

Key facts