What an amazing slice of nature. I love a water feature - always so calming and beautiful. The…read moretrials were pretty accessible and it was crowded with a diverse group of ages and physical abilities. Seriously a great park!

The falls at this park are beautiful!…read more It's a short hike from the parking area ($5 fee to park) to the falls. The trails aren't labeled, but I believe most of them lead to the falls. With the water so high this year, you can hear the falls from the parking lot, so you can literally follow the sound. The trails are unpaved, and not flat and easy. We didn't find many hiking trails other than what led to the falls, but we were on the south side, so perhaps there are more on the north side?

Nice trail, but unfortunately flooded due to the rain so could only see 0.2 miles of it.read more

Anyone who tackles this trail must be…read more.. A) A historic bridge enthusiast and fan of engineering design B) The second coming of Aldo Leopold C) Someone off their nut D) A&C E) B&C F) All of the above. Okay, seriously, this is a a fascinating area and quite a trail for nature lovers. Alexander McGilvray saw an opportunity in 1854 and launched a ferry across the Black River. In 1892, the county built a steel bridge across the river, ending the ferry service. Since McGilvray Road went through backwaters of the Black River and a slough, six wooden bridges were built. The moist environment wrecked wooden bridges quickly, so between 1905 and 1908, a series of five bowstring truss bridges were built with one wooden bridge left behind. The road was closed in 1948 due to flooding, and in 1954 the steel bridge was removed. The five bowstring truss bridges remain in place and a fifth pony truss bridge was relocated here to replace the wooden bridge. The maintenance of the old bridges is accomplished with volunteer labor, the Friends of McGilvray Road in partnership with the Wisconsin DNR. Bowstring trusses, one time plentiful, are now rare and only eight examples remain in Wisconsin - five of those eight are on McGilvray Road. As for the hiking, well, nature has pretty much consumed McGilvray Road, popularly known as Seven Bridges Road. It is a hiking trail, being slowly developed by the Friends of McGilvray Road. You can take the 1.8 mile hike to the Black River and experience a piece of La Crosse County history yourself. Dress appropriately and wear good hiking shoes.The day I visited McGilvray Road, I met a couple on the trail. He was wearing sandals. Not smart. She was wearing cross trainers, still not very smart. Both were wearing shorts - really not smart as the mosquitoes were matched in size and maneuverability to a P-38. No motorized vehicles, in fact, no vehicles at all, including no bicycles. As a hiking trail, two stars. As a great example of private and public sector cooperation, four stars, as an example of historic preservation, five stars. Net result - four stars. I'd go back - would you like to join me?

Totally loved this Wisconsin state park that is nestled right on the waterways of the Mississippi…read moreRiver overlooking the Minnesota bluffs and a great sunset. The town is super cute for a bite to eat but this park is just 15 minutes north of lacrosse and totally worth it. I wish we had more time to explore the trails but it is one of my favorite state parks with new paved roads and so much wildlife to see with trains passing by too. Great camping spot to go to once a year and worth the drive!

The highlight of this park is the hike up Brady's bluff. Not an easy climb but the views are worth…read moreit. We climbed from the north and descended to the south. This was a good choice on this sunny and hot day since there was shade going up the stairs from the north. We followed the river side path back to the nature center from where we started. Be warned there is a lot of poison ivy along the river path. If we had kayaks or canoes they also have a very nice route through the nearby bay. Camping is available as are some picnic areas. A solid state park experience.

Pretty cool little excursion in LaCrosse. Easy drive up. Not a lot of signs alerting which…read moreparking lot is for the highest vantage point so my tip to you: drive through the open gates and drive until you see a parking lot with a gazebo-esque type outdoor building and that will be the highest point. Quick walk out to the edge. Some wild flowers added to the experience. It was a beautiful morning. Very clear and we were able to see the Mississippi river, Minnesota and of course Wisconsin. Worth taking the half hour to take in this view.

Nice little place to hike and just take in the scenery . I can only imagine how more beautiful it…read morewould be when the leaves change colors. Went a tad early.

I don't even want to rate 5 stars as this is a HUGE hidden gem. We stay nearby in warrens every…read moresummer and always take a day trip to Lake Wazee. It is beautiful and nothing like it in the Midwest (well what I have found) if you are in the area or have time traveling through you must stop. A day pass is $5 and well worth it. We always pack lunch and just enjoy the day. The water is SO clean and the beach sand is amazingly soft. Almost ocean like. Bring your floaty, beach toys and sunscreen and have the best day ever! New showers, bathrooms and even concessions on the beach. I like that there is NO lifeguard and no one hawking you about 'rules' *it can drop off pretty fast so be cautious about that. Lake Wazee is the best!

Lake Wazee Park and beach is amazing for $5 a car it's well worth the price. We have spent the day…read moreat the beach and on the lake. The water is clean and you can actually see the fish swimming in the water. Deep enough to scuba dive. Nice enough to kayak on. The beach is clean. Snack shack and clean rest rooms. It has it all for a nice day on the beach!

Loved this park. Some short, moderate hikes to get a gorgeous view of the river. I do wish that the…read moretrails were a little better marked, however, It is worth visiting when heading down to Southern Minnesota. The driftless region is amazing. However, it was my second favorite park today. We headed into effigy national monument immediately after, and that was even more breathtaking. They are a great one-two punch if you're driving down from the Twin Cities.

This was a nice spot for a hike. There is a series of trails throughout the park. I did the King's…read moreBluff and North and South Overlooks. There is no shortage of beautiful views and there were plenty of spring wildflowers to make the walk even more stunning! Parking is available at the trailheads, there are some nice picnic spots, and the vault toilets were well kept.

Take your time and walk the whole grounds. Each monument has a different outlook at different…read moreangles.

Wonderful park with spectacular views. I absolutely love this place . Will be back many timesread more

Absolutely beautiful in the winter. We visited for a ski trip and all of the snow was like a dream.read more

Great park for hiking and snow shoeing. Love the openness and the super clean air. I still call…read moreit rib mountain

Stayed here for a large group retreat and had a mixed experience. The accommodations were your…read morestandard bunk bed quad room setup with a shared bathroom. The center is quite large and can easily house a couple hundred guests. Lots of open common space for people to lounge, play games and meet. Great trails and extracurricular activities like ropes course and rock climbing wall. Here is the big downfall and why I can only give it 3 stars....the food is painfully awful. It's some of the worst cafeteria style food I've ever had. Bland, next to zero flavor and most things are over cooked so it's rubbery and tasteless. I packed my own snacks because I had heard about the negative food experiences from others and thankful I listened to them. While I wouldn't mind coming back to Eagle Bluff for a future to retreat, I would make sure to pack even more food next time to compensate for the abysmal dining.

I had the best experience with my class. If you go you have to go on the high ropes course! It is…read moreso fun and they have fine food. I don't know what Rachel S. was talking about.

This was a grade C campground. Wildcat Mountain is so named because the locals killed a wildcat…read morethere many years ago. The campsite we stayed in, #8, was directly across from the Park Office and was not secluded at all. We did see some other campsites that were secluded, but they all seem pretty close together, so if you're looking for privacy, search elsewhere. But the place was neat and clean, and the toilets were not bad at all. Not many bugs in June, in the toilets, and the toilets did not smell bad. The good thing about camping across from the Park Office is you get to use their beautiful facilities when they are open. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Just by sheer happenstance we heard on the radio that Natural Bridge State Park was in the area and it sounded cool, so we drove over there to see it and it's so beautiful! The Overlook Point here at Wildcat is also very beautiful and easy to get to. We walked most of the Starlight trail, until it got overgrown, but it was nice and level and an easy hike. The Amphitheater...whoa. This was definitely the most rustic one I've ever seen so far. And I can't imagine one that would be more rustic than this one. It's not bad, it's just small, the seats tip forward, the stage is barely a stage, I don't see how they can possibly hold productions on it, but what do I know? I'm not in the theater--I'm sure they make it work somehow. It's very intimate and cozy, let's put it that way. We came across a gigantic moth at the base of a tree and it turned out to be a Luna Moth, which after it emerges from its cocoon doesn't have mouth parts, so it can't eat! It lives a week to breed, and then dies! All in all, it's not worth a very far drive, but if you're in the general area and want to camp, it's OK. At least it was not noisy at night. Some really nice campgrounds have lots of nice features but are super loud in the evening. This one was quiet, and you could see tons of stars.

Wildcat Mountain State Park is a beautiful but smaller gem in the Wisconsin SP system. If you're…read morelucky enough to reserve one of the only 20 campsites on a weekend, good for you! (We were not quick enough on the draw). But the campgrounds by the entrance look very nice. In 2020 it's all Do It Yourself parking passes and camp check-in. We enjoyed the lookout stop, complete with a "selfie station" to put your phone. We also did a nice, but mildly rigorous hike of the Old Settler's Trail. The 2.5 mile trail has some steep stairs and elevation changes (don't wear your fashionable high heeled boots like we saw an older lady struggling down the stairs with). Would love to see the trail marked a little better- markings seem to date back a few decades, and we got lost on a switchback. (Note: the nicer looking Hemlock Trail was closed off June 2020 due to erosion or weather.) We loved the hike and the park, and it was nice to have access to clean bathrooms. Sitting at a picnic table enjoying lunch, there was an incredible amount of great bird watching! And yes, a drive or cycle through this park is incredible.