My wife and I had completed our quest to visit every Major League Baseball park and for a new challenge we decided to get to all 47 Wisconsin state parks in one year. On May 3, 2015, we bought a twenty five dollar sticker for our car windshield and the adventure began.

Our first state park was Perrot and we finished with Big Bay. In between those were a variety of state parks that made us appreciate just how special Wisconsin was to visit and to call home.

Peninsula State Park

While most all of the state parks had camping sites and hiking trails, there were some with very unique features. Peninsula had a golf course, there was a boat marina at High Cliff and we were totally surprised by Harrington Beach’s observatory with its one ton telescope. There were state parks with beautiful waterfalls like Copper Falls, Willow River, and Amnicon Falls and state parks with stunning views such as Interstate, Nelson Dewey, Wyalusing, and Blue Mound. Two state parks were found within city limits Heritage Hill in Green Bay and Lakeshore State Park in Milwaukee.

Willow River State Park

There were state parks that were hard to find like (Straight Lake) that only allows foot traffic, as no car can drive to. At Straight Lake, fishing is allowed, but you must carry your boat in, no trailers and boat landings. Finally, there was one state park (Rock Island) that required us to take two ferry boat rides to reach. During our months of travelling throughout Wisconsin, park rangers and their assistants were friendly and helpful. They showed genuine interest in making our park visits enjoyable.

Natural Bridge State Park

If you are interested in visiting some of these wonderful parks our public library has some useful resources to get you started: Wisconsin State Parks (DVD), Wisconsin State Parks: Complete Outdoor Recreation Guide for Campers, Hikers, Anglers, Boaters and Nature Lovers (Book), Travelers Guide to Wisconsin State Parks and Forests (Book), and Wisconsin State Parks (Pamphlets).