List of Wisconsin state parks facts for kids
A Wisconsin state park is a special piece of land in Wisconsin that the state protects. These parks save beautiful natural areas, important historical sites, and other cool resources. The state park system includes both regular state parks and "state recreation areas." Right now, Wisconsin has 66 state parks and recreation areas. Together, they cover more than 60,570 acres (245.1 km2)!
Each park was created by a decision from the Wisconsin Legislature (like the state's government). The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) takes care of them. The DNR also looks after over 471,329 acres (1,907.40 km2) in Wisconsin's state forests.
Many Wisconsin state parks have special national importance. For example, Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area, Devil's Lake State Park, and Interstate State Park are part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. This reserve helps us learn about how glaciers shaped the land. The Wyalusing Hardwood Forest in Wyalusing State Park is also a National Natural Landmark because of its unique nature.
Two state parks, Aztalan and Copper Culture, are home to National Historic Landmarks. These are important Native American archaeological sites. In total, 15 state parks have 23 different places listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These include historic buildings, ancient mounds, and lighthouses.
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How Wisconsin State Parks Started
Wisconsin was the first state to create a state park! This happened in 1878 when they formed "The State Park." This huge park covered about 760 square miles (2,000 km2) in northern Wisconsin. However, lumber companies bought much of this land, which made it hard to protect the forests.
In 1895, the state government decided to look at land in Polk County to create a new state park. This led to the purchase of Interstate State Park, which officially opened on September 20, 1900.
Later, in 1907, an architect named John Nolen was asked to create a plan for a whole system of state parks. His report, State Parks for Wisconsin, suggested four main areas for new parks:
- The Dells of the Wisconsin River
- Devil's Lake
- Fish Creek in Door County (now Peninsula State Park)
- The meeting point of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers (now Wyalusing State Park)
Three of these became state parks, and the fourth became the Dells Natural Area. In 1915, several state groups that managed parks, forests, and wildlife were combined to form the State Conservation Commission. This helped manage Wisconsin's natural resources better.
Wisconsin State Parks and Recreation Areas
| Park Name | County or Counties | Size | Year established | Water Body(s) | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acres | ha | |||||
| Amnicon Falls State Park | Douglas | 828 | 335 | 1961 | Amnicon River | Features beautiful waterfalls and a historic covered bridge. |
| Aztalan State Park | Jefferson | 172 | 70 | 1947 | Crawfish River | Shows a partly rebuilt village from the ancient Mississippian culture (1000–1300 CE). It's a National Historic Landmark. |
| Belmont Mound State Park | Lafayette | 1961 | None | Has a 64-foot (20 m) observation tower on top of a 400-foot (120 m) hill. | ||
| Big Bay State Park | Ashland | 2,418 | 979 | 1963 | Lake Superior | Includes a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) beach on Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostle Islands. |
| Big Foot Beach State Park | Walworth | 272 | 110 | 1949 | Geneva Lake | Offers camping and fishing next to a 100-foot (30 m) beach. |
| Blue Mound State Park | Dane | 1,153 | 467 | 1959 | Ryan Creek | Has observation towers on the highest point in southern Wisconsin. It also has the state park system's only swimming pool. |
| Brunet Island State Park | Chippewa | 1,225 | 496 | 1936 | Chippewa and Fisher Rivers | Protects a 179-acre (72 ha) island and calm water channels, great for canoeing. |
| Buckhorn State Park | Juneau | 6,990 | 2,830 | 1971 | Castle Rock Lake | Protects a beautiful peninsula on a lake formed where the Wisconsin and Yellow Rivers meet. |
| Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area | Green | 644 | 261 | 1970 | Beckman and Zander Lakes | Offers water fun on two spring-fed lakes in an area of Wisconsin that doesn't have many natural lakes. |
| Campbellsport Drumlins State Park | Fond du Lac | 3,600 | 1,500 | 1971 | None | This park is part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. |
| Capital Springs State Recreation Area | Dane | 3,000 | 1,200 | 2000 | Lake Waubesa | Includes park areas just south of Madison. A Native American archaeological site here is on the NRHP. |
| Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area | Chippewa | 3,272 | 1,324 | 1971 | Numerous kettle lakes | Shows different landforms created by glaciers. It's part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. |
| Copper Culture State Park | Oconto | 42 | 17 | 1959 | Oconto River | Explains a burial ground used by the ancient Old Copper Culture (3000 to 2000 BCE). It's a National Historic Landmark. |
| Copper Falls State Park | Ashland | 3,068 | 1,242 | 1929 | Bad River | Has 7.5 miles (12.1 km) of the Bad River, including a 2-mile (3.2 km) gorge with several waterfalls. The park is listed on the NRHP. |
| Council Grounds State Park | Lincoln | 509 | 206 | 1938 | Wisconsin River | Located on a riverbank where Native Americans are said to have held important meetings. |
| Cross Plains State Park | Dane | 1,500 | 610 | 1971 | None | Part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. It includes land owned by different groups like the DNR and National Park Service. |
| Devil's Lake State Park | Sauk | 10,200 | 4,100 | 1911 | Devil's Lake | Protects a 360-acre (150 ha) lake surrounded by hills and 500-foot (150 m) rock cliffs. It's part of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. |
| Fischer Creek State Recreation Area | Manitowoc | 124 | 50 | 1991 | Lake Michigan | Protects a mile of shoreline where Fischer Creek meets Lake Michigan. |
| Governor Dodge State Park | Iowa | 5,270 | 2,130 | 1948 | Two man-made lakes | Preserves unique landforms in memory of Henry Dodge, Wisconsin's first governor. |
| Governor Nelson State Park | Dane | 422 | 171 | 1975 | Lake Mendota | Has a 500-foot (150 m) beach, restored prairie, and ancient Indian mounds. |
| Governor Thompson State Park | Marinette | 2,600 | 1,100 | 2000 | Peshtigo River, Woods Lake | Still being developed around a series of lakes and streams. |
| Grand Traverse Island State Park | Door | 5.05 | 2.04 | 1970 | Lake Michigan | Protects 5 acres (2.0 ha) of land on Detroit Island. |
| 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. |
| 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 | An outdoor museum with 25 historical buildings and over 11,000 artifacts. Six buildings are on the NRHP. |
| High Cliff State Park | Calumet | 1,147 | 464 | 1954 | Lake Winnebago | Sits on a cliff of the Niagara Escarpment by Wisconsin's largest lake. A group of ancient mounds is on the NRHP. |
| Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area | Dunn | 707 | 286 | 1980 | None | Has trails and a 60-foot (18 m) observation tower among forests, prairies, and wetlands. |
| Holzhueter Farm Conservation Park | Jefferson | 175 | 71 | 2009 | None | Still being developed. |
| Interstate State Park | Polk | 1,330 | 540 | 1900 | St. Croix River, Lake O' the Dalles | Protects a river gorge along with a park in Minnesota. It's part of the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. |
| Kinnickinnic State Park | Pierce | 1,239 | 501 | 1972 | St. Croix and Kinnickinnic Rivers | Offers boat-in camping and great views at the sandy river delta. |
| Kohler-Andrae State Park | Sheboygan | 988 | 400 | 1928 | Lake Michigan, Black River | Preserves sand dunes, golden beaches, and pine forests. |
| Lake Kegonsa State Park | Dane | 343 | 139 | 1962 | Lake Kegonsa | Next to a 3,209-acre (1,299 ha) lake formed by glaciers in rural Dane County. |
| Lake Wissota State Park | Chippewa | 1,062 | 430 | 1962 | Lake Wissota | Features forests, prairies, and a 285-foot (87 m) swimming beach on a lake created by the Chippewa River (Wisconsin). |
| Lakeshore State Park | Milwaukee | 22 | 8.9 | 1998 | Lake Michigan | Provides green space right on Milwaukee's lakefront. |
| Lizard Mound State Park | Washington | 22 | 8.9 | 2022 | None | Contains 28 ancient mounds shaped like animals, with walking trails and signs to explain them. |
| Menominee River State Park and Recreation Area | Marinette | 6,563 | 2,656 | 2010 | Menominee River | Protects several miles of the Menominee River, working with Michigan's state park. |
| Merrick State Park | Buffalo | 320 | 130 | 1932 | Mississippi River | Great for fishing and boating on the calm waters of the Mississippi. |
| Mill Bluff State Park | Monroe and Juneau | 1,337 | 541 | 1936 | Unnamed swimming pond | Has unusual steep sandstone cliffs that were once islands in an ancient glacial lake. |
| Mirror Lake State Park | Sauk | 2,179 | 882 | 1962 | Mirror Lake | Surrounds a lake whose wooded shores and 50-foot (15 m) cliffs often make the water perfectly still, like a mirror. 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 rock arch in Wisconsin and a rock shelter once used by ancient people. |
| Nelson Dewey State Park | Grant | 756 | 306 | 1935 | Mississippi River | Includes a 500-foot (200 m) river bluff that was once part of the home of Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin's first governor. The Stonefield estate is on the NRHP. |
| New Glarus Woods State Park | Green | 431 | 174 | 1934 | Little Sugar River branch | Protects old forests and restored prairie lands. |
| Newport State Park | Door | 2,373 | 960 | 1964 | Lake Michigan | Wisconsin's only park designated as a "wilderness" area. |
| Pattison State Park | Douglas | 1,476 | 597 | 1920 | Black River | Home to 165-foot (50 m) Big Manitou Falls, the highest waterfall in Wisconsin! |
| Peninsula State Park | Door | 3,776 | 1,528 | 1909 | Green Bay | Has a golf course, summer theater, and a lighthouse along almost 7 miles (11 km) of shoreline. 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 with rare "goat prairie" plants on their sunny sides. |
| Potawatomi State Park | Door | 1,225 | 496 | 1928 | Sturgeon Bay | Protects steep shoreline on the Door Peninsula. |
| Rib Mountain State Park | Marathon | 1,528 | 618 | 1927 | None | Sits on 1,924-foot (586 m) Rib Mountain, one of the highest points in Wisconsin. |
| Richard Bong State Recreation Area | Kenosha | 4,515 | 1,827 | 1963 | Several small lakes | A place for many activities like ATV riding, falconry, hunting, and model aircraft flying. It's on the site of a former Air Force Base. |
| Roche-a-Cri State Park | Adams | 604 | 244 | 1948 | Little Roche-a-Cri Creek | Contains a 300-foot (91 m) rock formation with ancient carvings (petroglyphs) that are on the NRHP. |
| Rock Island State Park | Door | 912 | 369 | 1965 | Lake Michigan | Covers most of Rock Island, which has no cars and is reached by two ferry rides. It has four places on the NRHP, including the 1836 Pottawatomie Lighthouse. |
| Rocky Arbor State Park | Juneau | 225 | 91 | 1932 | Unnamed creek | Preserves sandstone rock formations similar to the nearby Dells of the Wisconsin River. |
| Straight Lake State Park | Polk | 2,780 | 1,130 | 2002 | Straight Lake | Still being developed around a lake surrounded by old forests and glacial landforms. |
| Tower Hill State Park | Iowa | 77 | 31 | 1922 | Wisconsin River | Shows a rebuilt "shot tower" where lead balls for guns were made from 1832–1860. The tower is on the NRHP. |
| Whitefish Dunes State Park | Door | 863 | 349 | 1967 | Lake Michigan, Clark Lake | Protects sand dunes that formed across the mouth of a bay. An area with eight ancient living sites (from 100 BCE to 1800 CE) is on the NRHP. |
| Wildcat Mountain State Park | Vernon | 3,643 | 1,474 | 1948 | Kickapoo River | Features a steep ridge overlooking the Kickapoo Valley. |
| 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. |
| Wyalusing State Park | Grant | 2,628 | 1,064 | 1917 | Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers | Sits on a 500-foot-high (150 m) bluff overlooking where the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers meet. The park's hardwood forest is a National Natural Landmark, and a group of prehistoric mounds is on the NRHP. |
| Yellowstone Lake State Park | Lafayette | 968 | 392 | 1970 | Yellowstone Lake | Surrounds a 455-acre (184 ha) lake built in an area that doesn't have many natural lakes. |
Former Wisconsin State Parks
Some parks that were once state parks are now managed differently:
| 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 | Fox River | This park was around the cabin site of Eleazar Williams. The state still owns the land, now called Lost Dauphin Park. |
| Old Wade House State Park | Sheboygan | 240 | 97 | 1953 | 1992 | Mullet River | This site is now run by the Wisconsin Historical Society as the Wade House Historic Site. |
See also
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List of Wisconsin state parks Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.