Wisconsin

50 Hikes in Wisconsin: #33 Indian Lake County Park

August 18, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs Leave a Comment

I think this was my favorite hike we’ve done yet as part of the #50HikesWI project.

Hike #33 was Indian Lake County Park, just outside of Cross Plains, Wisconsin. In addition to being a lovely day – not quite too warm, and just enough breeze – the hike was a combination of prairie, woods, hills, and meadows, and all set next to a sparkling blue lake.

The hike was just over 4 miles total and went up, down, and up again all in one big circle. The hiking trail doubles as a cross country trail in the winter, and I am not entirely sure how those skiers make it up the slopes that we hiked up – they were intense!

I think the photos here pretty much speak for themselves:

This was hike 6/50 for us – looking forward to ticking a few more of the list before the weather gets too cold.

Do you have a favorite hiking spot near you? I’d love to hear about it! Especially if it’s nearby Wisconsin.

50 Hikes in Wisconsin: #27 & 26 – The Kickapoo Valley Region

August 6, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs Leave a Comment

I’m a bit behind in sharing about our #50HikesWi project this summer. Turns out, we are hiking at a faster pace than I can blog!

We went camping for the Fourth of July, and after kayaking down the Kickapoo River on Saturday morning, decided to further torture ourselves with a second hike from our book.

Wildcat Mountain State Park – Hike #27

Wildcat Mountain State Park is one our favorite camping spots. We’ve been there a half a dozen times, and had never taken this trail down through the valley and back up. And I mean UP. We had about six people from our camping crew and the only one itching to run back up the hill was the tiniest of the bunch: a rat terrier named Snickers.

(all iPhone photography here, so apologies of the low res)

This one was a pretty straightforward hike, except that a friend spotted a random 60+ year old parked in the middle of the ravine.

So maybe it wasn’t so straightforward after all.

Jersey Valley County Park – Hike #26

Our second hike of the weekend was also in the Kickapoo Valley, at a park that we found the dead end of a county road that skirted the ridge and then dove down between two corn fields to this lake tucked deep in the valley.

This hike was also hilly – it essentially skirted the whole lake, up through the woods on the right hand side, around the back of the lake, and then back up the hill and down again on the left. It was a good hike, but at least in July the forest was so think that you really couldn’t see anything for most of the trail other than the trail itself.

Except that we did see a juvenile Bald Eagle, so that was cool. He’s sitting on a tree in the photo below.

The Jersey Valley hike would probably be lovely in the fall – and less buggy, too.

Next up: the hilarious, almost-disastrous hike we took in late July at Governor Dodge. It taught me more about my personality than most anything else in life.

What about you? Have you gotten out to explore any new-to-you places in your neck of the woods lately?

50 Hikes in Wisconsin: #35 – Picnic Point

July 30, 2015 by Abbigail Kriebs 2 Comments

*Edited to Add: I have NO idea why all the photos in this post turned sideways on me. Until I figure it out, please enjoy the slightly odd experience of viewing them all at an angle.*

As a UW-Madison graduate, I am ashamed to say that I have never been to Picnic Point until July of 2015, a full four years after I graduated.

In my defense, I never lived on campus. At the end of the day, I drove away with Madison in my rear-view headed for my own little yellow house out in the valley. I had my own space: I didn’t need to find it in downtown Madison.

So I never made it to Picnic Point until this last weekend. And let me tell you: had I lived on campus, this would have been my spot. A tree-lined, gently walking path, plenty of seating along that way that just beckoned for a girl and a good book… this would have been the slice of get-a-way paradise I would have needed back then.

It was a lovely walk, an easy walk, filled with little paths that jutted off to the water every so often, a small stretch of sandy beach, and several places to strike up a campfire. I took all these photos with my iPhone, so be gentle when you judge. :)

And the best part of the hike? When you’re done you can walk, drive, or take the 80 bus down to Memorial Union Terrace for brats, fries, and beer with friends. And sunsets like this one.

This was our 4th hike out of our “50 Hikes in Wisconsin” book. I’ll share hikes 2 & 3 once I get the photos edited, and the hilarious, could-have-been-so-so-bad story about hike #5 soon thereafter.

Have you ever sat out on “the Terrace” as everyone loves to call it here in Madison? It’s lovely, isn’t it?

(and if you haven’t, you are totally invited to my city and I will buy you a beer while we watch people sail around Lake Mendota. Promise.)