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Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI

Photo: Joshua Mayer from Madison, WI, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Devil's Lake State Park

S5975 Park Rd · Baraboo, WI

Why you should go…

Devil's Lake State Park is Wisconsin's largest state park, covering 9,217 acres of the Baraboo Range. Quartzite bluffs rise 500 feet above a 360-acre lake that formed when glacial moraines plugged both ends of a gap in the bluffs. You can climb to formations like Balanced Rock and Devil's Doorway, swim, paddle, camp and hike nearly 30 miles of trails, including a stretch of the Ice Age Trail. Effigy mounds are scattered through the park.

  • #state park
  • #hiking
  • #swimming beach
  • #bluffs
  • #camping

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Devil's Lake State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Circus World

    Under $25

    A National Historic Landmark on the original Ringling Bros. winter quarters, with circus history exhibits and live big top shows.

    2.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Noah's Ark Waterpark

    $25–$50

    Spend a summer day on more than 70 acres of water slides, raft rides, wave pools and lazy rivers in the Wisconsin Dells.

    12 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Attractions
    Family Favorite

    Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park

    $25–$50

    A Greek-mythology themed resort where you ride roller coasters, go-karts and waterslides in both indoor and outdoor parks.

    13 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions

  • Tours
    Family Favorite

    Dells Boat Tours

    $25–$50

    Cruise the Wisconsin River past sandstone cliffs and step ashore at Witches Gulch and Stand Rock on the Upper Dells tour.

    14 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Taliesin

    $50+

    Tour Frank Lloyd Wright's own home and studio on a 600-acre estate in the hills of Wisconsin's Driftless Area.

    26 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Local Gem

    Olbrich Botanical Gardens

    Free

    Sixteen acres of free outdoor gardens near Lake Monona, with a Thai pavilion and a tropical conservatory under a glass pyramid.

    31 mi awayMore like this