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Devils Lake
Devil's Lake State Park
Where is Devil's Lake State Park?
Devil's Lake State Park is located north of Madison near Baraboo, Wisconsin. From Madison take Hwy 12 north to Hwy 78 north in Sauk City. Take Hwy 78 to Hwy 113 west. A few miles after leaving Merrimac on Hwy 113 county DL will join Hwy 113. Follow county DL to the left when it leaves 113. The main parking lot will appear on your left.
What is it like?
Devil's Lake State Park is located in the beautiful Baraboo hills region. There are about 17 miles of expertly groomed trails. Four and half miles of the trails are designated for skate skiing while the remaining trails are tracked for classical skiing only.
There are plenty of flat or gently sloping areas where you can practice your stride. These are broken up with some of the longest and fastest downhills in this part of the state. The trails travel through mostly wooded areas with long views south of the park possible from the east bluff.
Trail Descriptions from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:
Steinke Basin Loop
Start at P1 and follow the green markers (easiest level). Diagonal-stride trail is mostly level, half wooded, half open.
Ice Age Loop
Suggested starting point is P1. Follow read markers (intermediate level). Diagonal-stride trail has long uphills, long downhills, panoramic vistas, mostly wooded.East Bluff Woods Trail
Suggested starting point is P2. Follow the yellow markers (advanced level). Diagonal-stride trail, mostly wooded.
Suggested starting point is P1 or P2. Follow the white markers (intermediate level). Groomed for skate-skiing, half open, half wooded, rolling hills.
Suggested starting point is P2. Follow the white markers (intermediate level). Groomed for skate-skiing, completely wooded.Note: Skate-skiing is allowed on Johnson Moraine Loop and Ice Age Campground Loop trails ONLY.
Who will enjoy skiing at Devil's Lake State Park?
There is something for skiers of all abilities at Devil's Lake. There are skating loops, an easy loop, an intermediate loop and an advanced loop. The sledding hill provides an added attraction for youngsters of all ages. Skiers looking for expertly groomed trails in a beautiful quiet setting will not be disappointed.
Water, toilet facilities and parking are available.
How much does it cost?
A State Park sticker is required to enter. Stickers may be purchased from park staff or from a self-purchase box for the day or for the year for all of the Wisconsin State Parks and Forests.
Skiing Stories from Devil's Lake State Park
Where's the Pie?
Most people park at the upper parking area when they come to ski at Devil's Lake. From that parking lot on County DL you are within easy reach of all the trails. Since it was a bit colder than average, I decided to start down below near the lake and the park's main entrance. You only have access to the Yellow trail from this point. From here the Yellow trail takes you up a steep climb to the connections with the other trails. I would indeed be plenty warm before reaching the top.
Once you make the climb up the bluff you'll find the trails gently roll with a few short climbs and some short easy downhills thrown in to keep it interesting. I found a lovely day of skiing on top of the bluff under a sun filtered by whisppy clouds. With the temperature in the low teens I was quite comfortable except on the fastest of downhills when the wind chill nipped at my face.
What I look forward to most at Devil's Lake is the downhill. Today it would be a long, winding, fast ride back down the bluff to my car waiting below. The trail was in perfect condition for a fast yet controlled descent with plenty of soft snow on the hill. When I got to the bottom there were a few people standing around chatting. One expressed surprise that I didn't fall. The other was covered in snow.
Once in my car and heading toward home I realized that something was missing from a near perfect day skiing -- pie. If this were a bike ride I would have been looking for pie. Why not after skiing? So I followed the signs to the School House Restaurant on County DL.
The School House Restaurant is decorated to the hilt with old stuff of every shape and variety. After you walk in the door take a look to your right and behind. There in the corner you'll see a pair of Rocket Skis. Designed purely for the foolish, these are skis with handle bars. The all metal design virtually assures a one-time ride. Further on, in the sun room, you'll find a pair of skis associated with Red Grange.
The restaurant has old skis, typewriters, flags, maps, and you-name-it but it doesn't have pie. Well they don't have anything that I'd call "pie." For dessert they serve something called ice cream pie which might be a good pie-shaped ice cream treat but it's not pie. They have an interesting menu, however. It is the menu of a restaurant that does a lot of business -- no country diner fair here. No baked goods or anything what would take real time to prepare but a wide variety of fair including things like BBQ, spinach-basil pasta, and a vegi-burger.
The vegi-burger is made there according to the cooks own recipe so I decide to give that a try. It had a distinctive smoked flavor and an enjoyable consistency. It was served with tomato, a pickle, wilted lettuce, and fries. The burger itself was quite good. I suppose that this place is quite busy in the summer and that they get a lot of business from Devil's Lake and nearby Parfrey's Glen. I could see stopping here on a bike ride but then again, no pie.
Contributed by Joseph King on 20 January 1997
