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Governor Dodge State Park
Governor Dodge State Park
Where is Governor Dodge State Park?
Governor Dodge State Park is located on Hwy 23, 3 miles north of Dodgeville. From Madison, take US 18/151 to Dodgeville. Exit onto Hwy 18, then take Hwy 23 north. Follow the signs to the park entrance.
What is it like?
Governor Dodge State Park is located in hilly Iowa county, and is most well known for its scenic hiking, canoeing, fishing, camping, and horseback riding sites. But the winter is not an exception, because that is when cross-country skiers become the only visitors of the park. The trails are groomed for classical Nordic style skiing only, but after a snowfall, one can usually count on making new tracks.
The trails take you through both wooded and prairie regions, with hills scattered numerously throughout. One may get the feeling that they are skiing on a rare untouched region of south-central Wisconsin, but this feeling only tells you that the park commission has done a good job in maintaining and preserving the natural beauty of this park. It was not too long ago this this park was populated with several farms. Eventually the land was sold to the state of Wisconsin and several wooded areas were cut for lumber. In the process, a levee and dam system was constructed to produce two lakes (Cox Hollow Lake and Twin Valley Lake), and thus a sportsman's paradise was born.
There are four trails at this park, each of increasing difficulty. The shortest trail, called the Gold Mine Trail, is 2.5 miles (4 Km) long, and is considered the "beginners loop" (ski time ~ 45 minutes). This loop is not clearly marked on the park map, so you may need to ask a park ranger for assistance in finding its trail head.
The Mill Creek Trail is rated intermediate, and is 3.3 miles (5.4 Km) long (ski time ~ 1 hour). This trail consists of a winding tour through the hills of the southern area of the park. In the non-winter months, much of this trail is also a hiking and mountain bike trail, which connects to the Military Ridge Bike trail. The trail consists mostly of flat and smooth skiing, but there are also several slight uphill ascents, where a herring- bone climb may not always be necessary. Of course, there are also two significant downhill treks through curvy wooded areas. The "caution" signs that mark these areas should be taken lightly for advanced skiers. Much of the enjoyment of this trail is the beautiful scenery, including magnificent views of both Cox Hollow and Twin Valley lakes throughout the journey. The trail head for this trail begins at the parking lot at Cox Hollow Lake (beach access).
The Meadow Valley Trail is rated More Difficult, and is 6.7 miles (10.7 Km) long (ski time ~ 2.25 hours). The Lost Canyon Trail is rated Most Difficult, and is 8.1 miles (13 Km) long (ski time ~ 2.5 to 3 hours). These two trails share much of the trail areas, but do split apart in several areas. They both span much of the central region of the park, from prairies to scattered and thick wooded regions. These trails can be accessed either from their starting point at Cox Hollow Beach or where the trail crosses the road in several places. It's always a good idea to consult the park map when you arrive.
Who will enjoy skiing at Governor Dodge State Park?
Skiers of all capabilities will find Governor Dodge State Park a fun place to visit, if not for the skiing challenge, then for the quiet and desolate experience (no housing developments nearby :) with nice scenery.
Toilet facilities are located at the park office and at the Cox Hollow Lake parking lot. There are facilities scattered throughout the camping areas of the park, but it is not clear whether these will be open in the winter months.
How much does it cost?
A State Park sticker for your vehicle is required to enter. Stickers may be purchased for the day or for the year for all of the Wisconsin State Parks and Forests.
A state trail pass is also required of all skiers aged 16 and over (in addition to the vehicle admission sticker).
Skiing Stories from Governor Dodge State Park
Toddler Skis Governor Dodge State Park
About a foot of snow blanketed the park, although only two other vehicles were at the trailhead. Tracks on the trails gave evidence of significant use on Sunday, and this was fortunate because there has been NO grooming. The park attendant said that they did not have the manpower to groom. Skiers on Sunday made their own classical trails, and these worked well for us.
Governor Dodge is absolutely beautiful for skiing, the trails are fairly well marked and the terrain is gorgeous. We took the Meadow Valley trail, cutting off the far west portion of this loop by taking the Goldmine short-cut. The trail winded through forest along the edges of the sandstone bluffs and then through grassy prairies. The descent from the high area to Twin Valley Lake was the best I have ever cross-country skied, a long winding rush of adrenaline. The grade was steep enough to propel me so that my heart was racing and smooth enough to maintain control. I just held on and whizzed through the woods.
After reaching the Twin Valley area, the trail twisted around the edge of the woods, climbing up and down the small gulches leading down from the high plateau. The entire loop took us about 2 1/2 hours, but would be faster for skiers not carrying a toddler in a backpack.
Peter Taglia
A first-time visit to ski
We have been to this park numerous times to enjoy camping and swimming at both of the lakes, but never to ski. So we skied the Mill Creek Trail for starters. There were about twenty cars in the parking lot, but on the trail, only saw two people who were in front of us. It was surprising to start out on the trail with a descent on a two-way trail across the bridge and onto the levee. The reason why it was surprising was because it seemed a bit dangerous to be crossing this bridge at a high speed on skis, and a glance off the side of the bridge showed rocks and running water down below. Without good control of your skis, a mishap could be fatal. The longest downhill descent on the trail was a fun glide through the woods. But the desire for more downhill time became strong. Our next visit to this park to ski definitely will be on one of the difficult trails.
Contributed by L. Feuling on 25 January 1995.
