Man, where did this summer go? I really can’t believe September is here. However, I won’t lament the passing of sun and fun. Autumn offers many fun filled activities, accompanied by cool crisp nights. I know, summer doesn’t officially end for a few more weeks. Yet, the children are at school and the temps have certainly dipped in this area of Wisconsin. Soon, in a matter of weeks, the green tree leaves will yield to vibrant hues of red, orange and yellow. And that’s what inspired this post. I’ve decided I would choose a few Wisconsin state parks that offer splendid fall foliage viewing.
You’ll have to pardon my pics. Many don’t sport fall colors. Yet, being that many of the photos depict one’s vantage, should one visit a particular spot, I figured I’d include them.
High Cliff State Park
High Cliff State Park resides a little over thirty miles southwest of Green Bay. And besides the wooded hiking trails, which course the Niagara Escarpment’s rocky bluffs and also meander past ancient Native American effigy mounds, one can climb a forty foot tower that stands atop the escarpment’s elevated platform. From there, one could survey an autumn spread along the shores of Lake Winnebago.
Kettle Moraine State Forest
My particular choice, being that Kettle Moraine State Forest is segmented into three separate units, is the Pike Lake unit. This hilly terrain, which sometimes flattens out and allows for picturesque fields, saunters through a delightful woodland. And hikes incorporating hill climbs are rewarded with autumnal vistas-ones that can spark the imagination. Besides that, the Powder Hill Tower rises to an elevation of 1,350 ft. God’s mosaic surrounds and lies before you in equal parts.
Peninsula State Park.
There’s plenty of hiking in Peninsula State Park, and bike riding for that matter. And one can find splashes of color on some of these hikes. But the park’s big autumn draw is the newly constructed Eagle Tower. There, standing sixty feet from the ground, and two hundred and fifty three feet over the waters below, you can surmise the bay, and the flame like hues bordering those clear waters. I should mention this tower is handicap friendly, or friendly to anyone who cares to use it. That’s because a ramp, with a rather gradual grade, serpentines towards the tower’s viewing platform.
Rib Mountain State Park
My fourth and final pick is much of the same, when juxtaposed with my first three choices. It offers hikes that saunter through a forest of reds, golds and oranges, not to mention panoramas from an elevated vantage. Yet, and this is an added bonus, on certain days during fall, one can purchase a pass to a ski lift. As you sit atop this massive chunk of quartzite, the colors carry for as far as the eye can see. And as one rides down its slope, dangling in a suspended carriage, the casual fall color endeavor is transformed into a thrilling adventure.
Well That’s my list of fall colors in Wisconsin state parks. I should mention that these are only a few, and they reside mainly on the east side of the state. There are plenty of other great parks in this state, ones that allow for premiere vantages of colorful landscapes.
Safe Travels!
Midwestern Escapes 