Willow River State Park

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Willow River State Park is a 3000 acre Wisconsin state park located five miles north of Hudson. The centerpiece of the park is Willow Falls, a powerful cascade within a 200 foot deep gorge. Another popular feature is Little Falls Lake, a shallow reservoir on the Willow River. The land is still being restored from damming and farming, but owing to its proximity to Minneapolis-St. Paul it is one of the most visited state parks in Wisconsin. Trilobite fossils found in the lower layers of the gorge indicate the rock is around 600 million years old.[1]

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[edit] History

Santee Sioux and Ojibwa lived in the region and clashed over rights to wild rice lakes. European explorers witnessed one of their battles in 1795 at the mouth of the Willow River. Settlers moved in and by 1830 logging and wheat farming were common in the Willow River Valley. The river was invaluable for the former, as logs were floated downstream to the St. Croix. A German immigrant named Christian Burkhardt realized the river could also be harnessed for the latter industry, and built a grist mill here in 1868. Burkhardt became a wealthy landowner and followed developments in water-powered industry. He traveled home to Germany to examine hydroelectric power plants and returned in 1891 to build his own on the Willow River. Burkhardt eventually built four power plants and dams on the river which provided electricity to Hudson. Northern States Power purchased Burkhardt's power company in 1945 and operated its sites until 1963, when damage to one of the plants from a lightning strike prompted the company to liquidate their Willow River holdings. In 1967 Northern States Power sold the land to the Wisconsin Conservation Commission for a state park, and stabilized the dams at a financial loss. The state park opened in 1971. Some of the dams were removed in the 1990s to improve the scenery and trout fishery, and now only one remains.[2]

[edit] Recreation

  • Boating : A boat ramp provides access to Little Falls Lake for non-motorized watercraft.
  • Camping: There is a shaded campground with 72 sites (19 with electrical hookups). The park is currently working on adding additional campsites as the campground is commonly filled during summer months. There is a separate parking area with electrical hookups for up to six oversized RVs.
  • Fishing: Stocked and naturally reproducing trout can be found throughout the Willow River.
  • Frisbee golf: The course is near the beach, and the park office sells and rents discs. There are a total of 13 holes, with some on open fields and some through forest. The course is challenging yet fairly short in length. The marks on the trees reflect the frustration of disc golfers trying to tame the tight fairways in the woods.
  • Rock climbing: There are several bolted sport climbs on the gorge walls, ranging from 5.9 to 5.14c in difficulty. The rock is a mixture of limestone and dolomite. There are some restrictions on climbing; there's no climbing allowed on Saturday or after noon on Friday or Sunday. These are enforced year-round. Also, leaving fixed gear is prohibited, and rappelling from the top of the gorge is not allowed.
  • Swimming: There is a spacious beach along the southern shore of Little Falls Lake with picnic tables, a beachhouse, a nature center, and extensive parking.
  • Trails
    • Hidden Ponds Nature Trail (hiking, accessible): Guides are available at the head of this paved loop around a wetland (0.6 mi).
    • Little Falls Trail (hiking, biking, rollerblading): Follows the developed shoreline from the campground to the dam (0.9 mi).
    • Willow Falls Trail (hiking): Follows the shoreline from the campground to Willow Falls (0.9 mi).
    • Willow Falls Hill Trail (hiking): A steep shortcut to the falls from a separate parking lot (0.3 mi).
    • Trout Brook Trail (hiking): A level out-and-back route along the river below the dam (1.1 mi).
    • Oak Ridge Trail (hiking): A forested path between the lake parking and the campground (0.9 mi).
    • White Tail Trail (hiking): A loop off the Oak Ridge Trail through forest meadows popular with white tail deer (1.6 mi).
    • Knapweed Trail (hiking): Passes through fields being restored into prairie and forest (0.9 mi)
    • Pioneer Trail (hiking): Leads past the gravesite of early European settlers to an overlook of Willow Falls (0.9 mi).
    • Burkhardt Trail (hiking): A network of trails above the falls with several overlooks (3 mi)
    • Mound Trail (hiking): Follows the Willow River in the undeveloped northeastern part of the park, past a glacial mound (1.1 mi).

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bogue, Margaret Beattie. Exploring Wisconsin's Waterways. Madison, Wis.: Legislative Reference Bureau, 1990.
  2. ^ Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Willow River State Park Visitor . 2005.

[edit] External links