Devil's Lake

Best places to hike are found nearby

MEGHAN CARPENTER, CLARION ARTS AMD CULTURE EDITOR

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Posted: 10/22/08

Wisconsin's naturally beautiful landscape, with its rolling hills and boundless lakes, make for some of the best hiking spots which are conveniently located in your back yard! Madison, and the surrounding areas, contains some of the most beautiful, and challenging, hikes in the state.

A particularly beautiful path, especially at this time of year, is located directly downtown, and on the UW campus. The Lakeview trail is a simple walk, beginning behind the Memorial Union, and ending by Eagle Heights apartments. The views along this trail are quite breathtaking. With a sporadic, beautiful view of the lake and the fall colors joining you makes this one of Madison's best hikes to go on in a short amount of time.

Something also has to be said about Wisconsin's state parks in the southern part of the state that provide great day trips and harder hikes. The 1153 acre Blue Mounds State park is located in Blue Mounds Wisconsin, a mere 25 minutes from Madison. Blue Mounds has an expansive area for everything from hiking to skiing; a great place for physical challenges since Blue Mounds contains the seventh tallest hill in the entire state. Not to mention it's picture perfect setting.

Devils Lake, by far Wisconsin's most popular state park, provides some of the states best hiking, and some of the country's best climbing. It's unique development and natural beauty makes it a popular day attraction for Wisconsin-ites and Mid-Westerners alike. It's popular climbing is due to it's granite rock formations, rather than the traditional sandstone, making it one of the more unique climbing spots east of the Rocky Mountains. The numerous hiking trails, and 360 acre lake for paddling makes Devils lake a perfect day trip for everyone.

This fall has been a record breaking beautiful and warm season in Wisconsin. Be sure to take advantage of these beautiful trails while the weather still permits, before we're hit with a classic Wisconsin winter.