List of Wisconsin state parks

A Wisconsin state park is an area of land in the U.S. state of Wisconsin preserved by the state for its natural, historic, or other resources. The state park system in Wisconsin includes both state parks and state recreation areas. Wisconsin currently has 36 state park units, covering more than 60,570 acres (245.1 km²) in state parks and state recreation areas. Each unit was created by an act of the Wisconsin Legislature and is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Recreation. The Division of Forestry manages a further 471,329 acres (1,907.40 km²) in Wisconsin's state forests.

Several Wisconsin state parks contain resources that have been recognized on a national level. Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area, Devil's Lake State Park, and Interstate State Park are units of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve, while the Wyalusing Hardwood Forest in Wyalusing State Park is a National Natural Landmark. Two Wisconsin state parks contain National Historic Landmarks, both of which are Native American archaeological sites: Aztalan and Copper Culture. 15 state parks contain a total of 23 separate listings on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These are the two previously mentioned National Historic Landmarks, plus Lake Farms Archaeological District at Capital Springs State Recreation Area, Copper Falls State Park, six individual buildings at Heritage Hill State Historical Park (Baird Law Office, Cotton House, Fort Howard Hospital, Fort Howard Officers' Quarters, Fort Howard Ward Building, and Tank Cottage), High Cliff Mounds at High Cliff State Park, the Seth Peterson Cottage in Mirror Lake State Park, the Raddatz Rockshelter at Natural Bridge State Park, Stonefield partially within Nelson Dewey State Park, Eagle Bluff Lighthouse in Peninsula State Park, the Roche-a-Cri Petroglyphs in Roche-a-Cri State Park, the shot tower in Tower Hill State Park, Whitefish Dunes-Bay View Site in Whitefish Dunes State Park, Wyalusing State Park Mounds Archaeological District in Wyalusing State Park, and four listings in Rock Island State Park: the Pottawatomie Lighthouse, Rock Island Historic District, Thordarson Estate Historic District, and a water tower.

History

Wisconsin became the first state to have a state park in 1878^[1] when it formed "The State Park". The park consisted of 760 square miles (2,000 km²) in northern Wisconsin (most of present-day Vilas County).^[2] The state owned 50,631 acres (205 km²), which was less than 10% of the total area.^[2] There were few residents in the area. Lumber barons were powerful in the area, and they purchased 2/3 of the state's land at $8 per acre.^[2] This defeated the purpose of the parks for it didn't save the land from the ax.^[2]

In 1895, the state legislature created an act which authorized the state governor to examine some land in Polk County at the Dalles of the St. Croix River to become a state park.^[2] In 1899, the legislature approved the purchase of Interstate State Park and it was established on September 20, 1900.^[2] Architect John Nolen was hired in 1907 to draft a feasibility plan for a Wisconsin State Parks System and State Parks for Wisconsin was released later that year.^[2] The report was the guideline used to set up the state park system. It recommended the creation of four state parks: Dells of the Wisconsin River, Devil's Lake, Door County's Fish Creek (now Peninsula State Park) and the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers (now Wyalusing State Park). Three became state parks, and the fourth became Dells Natural Area in 2005.^[2] A State Conservation Commission was formed in 1915 by combining the State Park Board, the State Board of Forestry, the Fisheries Commission, and the state Game Warden Department.^[2]

List of Wisconsin state parks and recreation areas

Park Name	County or Counties	Size[3]		Year established[2]	Water Body(s)	Remarks
		acres	ha
Amnicon Falls State Park	Douglas	828	335	1961	Amnicon River	Contains a series of waterfalls and a historic covered bridge.[4]
Aztalan State Park	Jefferson	172	70	1947	Crawfish River	Interprets a partially reconstructed Mississippian culture village that flourished 1000–1300 CE. The site is a National Historic Landmark.[5]
Belmont Mound State Park	Lafayette			1961	None	Features a 64-foot (20 m) observation tower atop a 400-foot (120 m) hill. Operated by the Belmont Lions Club.
Big Bay State Park	Ashland	2,418	979	1963	Lake Superior	Includes a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) beach on Madeline Island, largest of the Apostle Islands.[6]
Big Foot Beach State Park	Walworth	272	110	1949	Geneva Lake	Offers camping and fishing adjacent to a 100-foot (30 m) beach.[7]
Blue Mound State Park	Dane	1,153	467	1959	Ryan Creek	Contains observation towers atop the highest point in southern Wisconsin and the state park system's only swimming pool.[8]
Brunet Island State Park	Chippewa	1,225	496	1936	Chippewa and Fisher Rivers	Preserves a 179-acre (72 ha) island and backwater channels popular with canoeists.[9]
Buckhorn State Park	Juneau	6,990	2,830	1971	Castle Rock Lake	Protects a scenic peninsula on a reservoir formed at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Yellow Rivers.[10]
Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area	Green	644	261	1970	Beckman and Zander Lakes	Offers water recreation on two spring-fed reservoirs in the mostly lakeless Driftless Area.[11]
Campbellsport Drumlins State Park	Fond du Lac	3,600	1,500	1971	None	A unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve.[12]: 2 [13]
Capital Springs State Recreation Area	Dane	3,000	1,200	2000	Lake Waubesa	Encompasses park properties just south of Madison unified in the centennial year of the state park system. A Native American archaeological site is on the NRHP.[14]
Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area	Chippewa	3,272	1,324	1971	Numerous kettle lakes	Interprets varied glacial landforms. The park is a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve.[15]
Copper Culture State Park	Oconto	42	17	1959	Oconto River	Interprets a burial ground used by the Old Copper Culture from 3000 to 2000 BCE.[16] The site is a National Historic Landmark.
Copper Falls State Park	Ashland	3,068	1,242	1929	Bad River	Contains 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of the Bad River, including a 2-mile (3.2 km) gorge with several waterfalls.[17] The park is listed on the NRHP.
Council Grounds State Park	Lincoln	509	206	1938	Wisconsin River	Lies on a riverbank where Native Americans were said to have once held councils.[18]
Cross Plains State Park	Dane	1,500	610	1971	None	A unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve.[19] Consists of land owned by Dane County, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[20]
Devil's Lake State Park	Sauk	10,200	4,100	1911	Devil's Lake	Protects a 360-acre (150 ha) endorheic lake in the Baraboo Range, hemmed in by moraines and 500-foot (150 m) quartzite bluffs.[21] The park is a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve.
Fischer Creek State Recreation Area	Manitowoc	124	50	1991	Lake Michigan	Preserves a mile of shoreline flanking the mouth of Fischer Creek. Managed by the Manitowoc County Park System.[22]
Governor Dodge State Park	Iowa	5,270	2,130	1948	Two man-made lakes	Preserves Driftless Area topography in memory of Henry Dodge, settler and first governor of the Wisconsin Territory.[23]
Governor Nelson State Park	Dane	422	171	1975	Lake Mendota	Contains a 500-foot (150 m) beach, restored prairie, and ancient Indian mounds.[24]
Governor Thompson State Park	Marinette	2,600	1,100	2000	Peshtigo River, Woods Lake	In development around a series of lakes and streams.[25]
Grand Traverse Island State Park	Door	5.05	2.04	1970	Lake Michigan	Protects 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land on Detroit Island.[26][27] There is currently a movement for this and surrounding lands to be established as a national lakeshore.[28]
Harrington Beach State Park	Ozaukee	637	258	1966	Lake Michigan	Features a mile-long beach, a white cedar swamp, and a 26-acre (11 ha) quarry lake.[29]
Hartman Creek State Park	Waupaca and Portage	1,417	573	1962	Hartman Creek, seven lakes
Heritage Hill State Historical Park	Brown	48	19	1973	Fox River	Comprises an open-air museum of 25 historical structures and over 11,000 artifacts managed by a non-profit organization. Six of the buildings are on the NRHP.[30]
High Cliff State Park	Calumet	1,147	464	1954	Lake Winnebago	Straddles the cliff of the Niagara Escarpment on the northeast shore of Wisconsin's largest lake.[31] A group of effigy mounds is on the NRHP.
Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area	Dunn	707	286	1980	None	Features trails and a 60-foot (18 m) observation tower among hills covered in forest, prairie, and wetlands.[32]
Holzhueter Farm Conservation Park	Jefferson	175	71	2009	None	Under development. Managed by Jefferson County, owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources[33][13]
Interstate State Park	Polk	1,330	540	1900	St. Croix River, Lake O' the Dalles	Preserves a basalt river gorge jointly with an adjacent state park in Minnesota. The park is within the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve and contains the western terminus of the Ice Age Trail.[34]
Kinnickinnic State Park	Pierce	1,239	501	1972	St. Croix and Kinnickinnic Rivers	Offers boat-in camping and overlooks at the sandy river delta at the mouth of the Kinnickinnic.[35]
Kohler-Andrae State Park	Sheboygan	988	400	1928	Lake Michigan, Black River	Preserves dunes, golden sand beaches, and pine woodland.[36]
Lake Kegonsa State Park	Dane	343	139	1962	Lake Kegonsa	Adjoins a 3,209-acre (1,299 ha) glacial lake in rural Dane County.[37]
Lake Wissota State Park	Chippewa	1,062	430	1962	Lake Wissota	Features forest, prairie, and a 285-foot (87 m) swimming beach on a reservoir of the Chippewa River (Wisconsin).[38]
Lakeshore State Park	Milwaukee	22	8.9	1998	Lake Michigan	Provides urban green space on Milwaukee's lakefront.[39]
Lizard Mound State Park	Washington	22	8.9	2022	None	Contains 28 effigy mounds in excellent states of preservation, walking trails and interpretive signage. Originally established as a State Park in 1950, it was taken over by Washington County in 1986. It was deeded back to the state in 2021 and redesignated a State Park in 2022.
Menominee River State Park and Recreation Area	Marinette	6,563	2,656	2010	Menominee River	Protects several miles of the Menominee River in conjunction with Michigan's Menominee River State Recreation Area.[40]
Merrick State Park	Buffalo	320	130	1932	Mississippi River	Offers fishing and boating on quiet backwaters of the Mississippi.[41]
Mill Bluff State Park	Monroe and Juneau	1,337	541	1936	Unnamed swimming pond	Contains unusual steep sandstone bluffs that formed as islands in Glacial Lake Wisconsin.[42]
Mirror Lake State Park	Sauk	2,179	882	1962	Mirror Lake	Surrounds a reservoir whose wooded shores and 50-foot (15 m) cliffs often keep the water mirror-smooth.[43] The Seth Peterson Cottage designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is on the NRHP.
Natural Bridge State Park	Sauk	530	210	1972	None	Contains the largest natural arch in the state and an NRHP-listed rock shelter once used by Paleo-Indians.[44]
Nelson Dewey State Park	Grant	756	306	1935	Mississippi River	Encompasses a 500-foot (200 m) river bluff that was once part of the estate of Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin's first governor.[45] Stonefield estate is on the NRHP.
New Glarus Woods State Park	Green	431	174	1934	Little Sugar River branch	Preserves mature forest and restored prairie.[46]
Newport State Park	Door	2,373	960	1964	Lake Michigan	Comprises Wisconsin's only wilderness-designated park.[47]
Pattison State Park	Douglas	1,476	597	1920	Black River	Contains 165-foot (50 m) Big Manitou Falls, the highest waterfall in Wisconsin and the fourth-highest east of the Rocky Mountains.[48]
Peninsula State Park	Door	3,776	1,528	1909	Green Bay	Contains a golf course, summer theater, group camps, and lighthouse on nearly 7 miles (11 km) of shoreline on the Door Peninsula.[49] The 1868 Eagle Bluff Lighthouse is on the NRHP.
Perrot State Park	Trempealeau	1,270	510	1918	Mississippi and Trempealeau Rivers	Features 500-foot-high (200 m) bluffs bearing rare goat prairie communities on their southwestern faces.[50]
Potawatomi State Park	Door	1,225	496	1928	Sturgeon Bay	Protects steep-to-sheer shoreline on the Door Peninsula.[51]
Rib Mountain State Park	Marathon	1,528	618	1927	None	Straddles 1,924-foot (586 m) Rib Mountain, one of the highest points in Wisconsin.[52]
Richard Bong State Recreation Area	Kenosha	4,515	1,827	1963	Several small lakes	Supports recreational activities, including ATVs, falconry, hunting and sled dog training, and model aircraft on the site of the abortive R.I. Bong Air Force Base.[53]
Roche-a-Cri State Park	Adams	604	244	1948	Little Roche-a-Cri Creek	Contains a 300-foot (91 m) outcropping bearing the NRHP-listed Roche-a-Cri Petroglyphs.[54]
Rock Island State Park	Door	912	369	1965	Lake Michigan	Encompasses most of vehicle-free Rock Island, accessed by two ferry rides at the tip of the Door Peninsula. Four listings are on the NRHP, including the 1836 Pottawatomie Lighthouse and inventor Chester Thordarson's 20th-century estate.[55]
Rocky Arbor State Park	Juneau	225	91	1932	Unnamed creek	Preserves sandstone outcroppings similar to the nearby Dells of the Wisconsin River along one of the river's former channels.[56]
Straight Lake State Park	Polk	2,780	1,130	2002	Straight Lake	In development around a lake surrounded by mature forest and glacial landforms.[57]
Tower Hill State Park	Iowa	77	31	1922	Wisconsin River	Interprets a reconstructed shot tower where lead shot was manufactured 1832–1860.[58] The tower is on the NRHP.
Whitefish Dunes State Park	Door	863	349	1967	Lake Michigan, Clark Lake	Protects dunes that formed across the mouth of a bay. A district of eight habitation sites dating from 100 BCE to 1800 CE are on the NRHP.[59]
Wildcat Mountain State Park	Vernon	3,643	1,474	1948	Kickapoo River	Comprises a steep ridge overlooking the Kickapoo Valley.[60]
Willow River State Park	St. Croix	2,891	1,170	1967	Willow River	Contains a waterfall in a sandstone gorge and a 172-acre (70 ha) lake.[61]
Wyalusing State Park	Grant	2,628	1,064	1917	Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers	Occupies a 500-foot-high (150 m) bluff overlooking the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers.[62] The park's hardwood forest is a National Natural Landmark and a district of prehistoric mounds is on the NRHP.
Yellowstone Lake State Park	Lafayette	968	392	1970	Yellowstone Lake	Surrounds a 455-acre (184 ha) reservoir built in the lake-poor Driftless Area.[63]

List of former Wisconsin state parks

Park name	County or counties	Area		Year founded	Year closed	Body of water	Remarks
		acres	ha
Lost Dauphin State Park	Brown	19	7.7	1947	1974[64][65]	Fox River	Surrounded the cabin site of Eleazar Williams, once rumored to be the Lost Dauphin. The state still owns the land (as of 2017), now known as Lost Dauphin Park.
Old Wade House State Park[66]	Sheboygan	240	97[67]	1953[68]	1992[69][70]	Mullet River	Now run by the Wisconsin Historical Society as the Wade House Historic Site

See also

• List of Wisconsin state forests

References

External links

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