Wyalusing State Park

I’ve got an idea. We’re going to cover every state park in this blog, so let’s rank them as we go on. I’m always hesitant to rank some of these Wisconsin gems because I don’t want to bash some of my favorite things about this state. If I had to rank wineries, breweries, restaurants, supper clubs, etc. it will eventually turn into me finding negatives about all these things, which I don’t want to do. I’d like to think that when it comes to stuff like this I’m an optimist. I’m also the type of person that if a restaurant screws up my order I will not say anything and eat whatever they give me without complaint. Anyways, that’s a long way of saying I’m going to try my hardest to rank the things that humans aren’t directly in ownership of: state parks, museums, locations, festivals, cheese curds (I realize this doesn’t really fit the same as the others but food is rank-able, so we’re going to go with it) etc. We’ve already covered Rock Island State Park, for the next two weeks we’ll discuss Wyalusing State Park.

Out of all the parks I’ve been to, I think Wyalusing has the best views. Covering bluffs, lowlands, and prairies, Wyalusing is probably one of the most varied of our parks. Quite a few unique ecosystems are located within the parks boundaries, and if you’re willing to hike a bit, you can visit them all. Wyalusing State Park lies at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. Putting a state park at the meeting place of the two most defining rivers in our state is probably one of the better idea’s the people in this state have had. Due to being in the driftless region (the area unaffected by the glaciers), the two rivers have slowly over time carved their respective valleys down so that the park offers sweeping views of the river plains, providing those spectacular views.

When I visit a state park I’m looking for three main aspects: views/beauty, hike-ability, and uniqueness. Wyalusing checks the boxes in all three categories. Some of the hiking trails are tougher than others, but the views they provide along the way are well worth it. When I went I wanted to see as much of the park as possible, which meant hiking numerous connecting trails, but I made sure to start and end at the northern end of the park, which offered the best views. On the complete opposite end of where I started I was walking through a wildflower prairie. I passed caves and dense forests in between, leading to a very unique state park experience.

The northern and western edges of the park line the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, respectively, and are located rather high up on the bluffs. The center of the park is open prairie, and to get there you change quite a bit in elevation, at first going down to the river and then back up to the plateau that the bluff sits on. This park is too big for one visit, so I recommend visiting at least twice to see all it has to offer. I will be back at some point, and the three main trails I missed the first time will be covered then. For your first visit though, I think it’s wise to hug the northern and western edges of the park. You get to see the most this way, and like I’ve now said a dozen times, the views can’t be beat.

Another unique aspect of this park is all the effigy mounds found within. Effigy mounds are sacred Native American burial sites, sometimes in the shape of humans or animals, and Wyalusing has more than 20 of them. A visit to Wyalusing is more than just the views, and you can learn a thing or two on your hikes here. Lastly, Wyalusing is home to four caves of varying size and scope. Pictured Rock Cave and Treasured Cave were the only two I saw this visit, and Pictured Rock stood out to me the most.

For those that aren’t interested in visiting every state park, or can’t for whatever reason, I’m going to give you a spoiler and say that if you had to narrow it down to 10 or so, Wyalusing will end up making that list. But if you’re a hiker aficionado or just a fan of the Wisconsin State Park system in general, Wyalusing proves to be a multi-visit park. For reference, our last state park post – Rock Island, doesn’t really carry the same revisit weight as Wyalusing. Being much smaller, I was able to see pretty much the entire park on my one trip there, save for a few shortcut trails. I would like to revisit just to camp because I said back then, seeing the stars at night have got to be phenomenal, but from a hiking/viewing standpoint, Rock Island is a one and done.

TL;DR
– Hiking Difficulty ~ I used a scale of 1-10 here last time but I’m finding out that doesn’t really work, so we’ll go with Easy, Moderate, or Difficult. Anyways, this park is a Moderate. You CAN make it difficult, but most of it is moderate save for a few trails
– Scenic Rating ~ 10/10
– Location ~ 3/10 – Just like Rock Island was furthest NE, Wyalusing is the second most SW park in our system
– Extra Opportunities ~ 7/10 – Right next door to Prairie du Chien, which as I’ve stated before is worth a visit
– Worth it? ~ Yes. Duh
– Rankings:
1) Wyalusing
2) Rock Island