Devil's Lake State Park
A full range of recreational activities and scenery that is spectacular make this a very popular park. The nearly-10,000-acre state park is 2 miles south of Baraboo and about 40 miles northwest of downtown Madison on State Highway 12. The park also has a full time naturalist on site. Devil's Lake is south of Wisconsin Dells oh State Highway 12, about 15 miles.
Annually, 1.2 to 1.4 million people visit Devil’s Lake State Park. That is more than any other state park in Wisconsin. Since it is so popular, it makes reserving a campsite just about a necessity The park has a 360 acre lake, Devil's Lake, that is spring fed. Peak visitation is during the late spring, summer and fall, when visitors can swim in or boat on the lake.
The park is a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. Federal Golden Eagle, Golden Age and Golden Access Passports as well as Wisconsin state park admission stickers are honored. Devil's Lake also has a segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Prehistoric Indians that inhabited the park constructed many effigy mounds in the shape of birds and animals. In more recent times, the Winnebago or "Ho-Chunk" Indian tribe had a winter camp on the southeast shore and a summer fishing village along the north shore of Devil's Lake. From 1866 until 1904 resort hotels operated along the lakeshore. The Baraboo Hills are approximately 1.6 billion years old and were once part of the Baraboo Range which is thought to have been taller than the newer Rocky Mountains.
There are two beaches and each has a bath house. There are no lifeguards and you swim at your own risk. Among the "risks" is swimmer's itch. Swimmer's itch is dermatitis caused by a small fluke which penetrates the skin. It is not dangerous but it can be "itchy." The symptoms usually go away in about a week.
Because of the 500 foot high, rocky quartzite bluffs, Devil's Lake is very popular for rock climbers. Rock climbing is permitted but you do so at your own risk. Any person needing to be rescued will be charged accordingly. People die or are seriously injured attempting to climb these bluffs every year. For the most part, it is not the experianced climbers who are getting hurt.
The trails around Devil's Lake are certainly safe for the inexperianced sightseer or hiker. It is when the inexperianced person gets the urge to do some climbing that they get into trouble. Also, in many cases, there are other possible causes other than inexperiance. Some people have fallen and died or been injured because they were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
April 22, 2008:
A 20 year old Baraboo man fell forty feet while free climbing at Devil's Lake State Park today. He was flown from the park by helicopter. He had a broken leg as well as other injuries. The incident was the first one for 2008. In 2007, ambulance workers were called to the park eighteen times for rock climbing incidents.
July 21, 2007:
A 21 year old man fell and ended up 250 below where he was climbing today. The Illinois man was free-climbing at Devil's Lake State Park. He was climbing on a rock face when he slipped. It took a rope rescue team four hours to get him to safety. He was flown to the UW Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisconsin.
One person fell and died because they camped at the top of the bluff, where camping is not allowed, and they are suspected of falling because they were sleep-walking. One person was jogging down one of the normally safe trails and was going so fast that they couldn't slow down to make a turn in the trail and went off the bluff. Just remember that you don't have to fall 80 feet to be seriously injured. Just think of falling off your front porch onto the sidewalk and not being able to use your hands to cushion the fall. Now, picture doing that in an area where it may take rescuers hours to get you to a hospital.
Recent Climbing or Falling Deaths in Devil's Lake State Park
- August 1994: Steven Burke, 40, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Fell 100 feet.
- May 2002: Scott Laporte, 36, Mount Horeb, Wisconsin. Fell 21 feet.
- September 2002: Wm. Straus, 17. Fell 80 feet.
- August 2003: Matthew Sloss, 20, Lake Zurich, Illinois. Fell 50 feet.
- September 2006: Kevin Gaynor, 24, Waukesha, WI. Fell 20 feet.
The park does not actively promote itself as a rock climbing destination. In fact the park literature says that it is "not maintained for rock climbing." Park officials do not actively try to stop anyone from climbing the rocks. There are hundreds of signs telling people to stay on the trails. The trails are safe, if you stay on them. People have to take responsibility for being irresponsible and, if they fall, they will be charged for rescue services.
Baraboo Rope Rescue Team
Baraboo has a rope rescue team that might get between 12 - 14 rescue calls a year. Considering that the park gets about 1,300,000 visitors per year, the number of deaths and injuries are relatively few. From bee stings to sprains, to near drownings to falls, there are only about 80 - 100 injuries reported per year. The park has designated areas and undesignated areas. The designated areas are campsites, shelters and trails that the park administration inspects to assure they are safe. The undesignated areas are where people can climb or hike at their own risk and this is where most of the problems occur.
The historic chateau building along the North side of the lake is often used for dances on Summer weekend evenings.
Devil's Lake State Park is open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Visitor Center hours are from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily in the summer and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in other seasons.
Directions:
From the south or east on Interstate Highway 90/94, take State Highway 33 west about 15 miles to Baraboo. Turn left (south) on State Highway 123 and go 3 miles to the park.
From the northwest on I-90/94, go right (south) at exit 92. Take US Highway 12-East about 10 miles to State Highway 159. Turn left (east) on Highway 159 and go about 2 miles to the park.
From the south on US 12, turn right (east) on Highway 159 and go about 2 miles to the park.
Reserve a campsite by clicking here.
Devil’s Lake State Park
S5975 Park Rd.
Baraboo WI 53913-9299
(608) 356-8301
Free climbing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In free soloing and bouldering, the climber carries nothing but a chalk bag. The dangers of climbing more than a couple of metres from the ground are evident.Free climbing is the most common style of rock climbing, in which the climber uses no artificial aids to make upwards progress. In this way, the climber will use only hands, feet and other parts of the body. Ropes and protective equipment are used only for protection against the consequences of a fall. The term is used in contrast to aid climbing, a much less prevalent practice in which equipment is used directly (i.e. pulled or stood on) in order to make progress.
Styles of free climbing include traditional climbing, sport climbing, free soloing and bouldering.
The term free climbing is commonly confused with free soloing by non-climbers. This is a type of free climbing where no rope or protective equipment is used for protection, and a fall would clearly be disastrous. In contrast, the vast majority of free climbers will make use of such equipment as a safeguard when climbing at height.
Free climbing "guidelines" from a U.S. perspective (Stonemaster's, et al.): the adventure of exploring the unknown, living on the cutting edge of the possible and the impossible, and striving to go one better. In light of those ideals, the climbing community espoused a goal of avoiding behavior that sullies (makes less challenging in any way beyond personal improvement) a climbing route.