The "Ruffin' It Wisconsin" crew (8 humans and 6 dogs) met for our first camping trip of the season this weekend. We chose Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo in the hopes that Wisconsin's largest state park would be less crowded this early in the season than it is later in the summer. Well, it was less crowded than in, say July, but we still managed to hit the first 70 degree weekend of the year, so there were still quite a few people out enjoying the park.
We had a wonderful time and it was really nice to see everyone and spend some time around the campfire catching up. We took a long hike on Saturday around the lake, up Balanced Rock trail (which is almost verticle), and along the ridge above the opposite shore. I misplaced my camera and didn't get too many photos, but here are a few of the crew out in the sunshine.
My review of the park:
Devil's Lake is actually one of my least favorite of Wisconsin's state parks. It is always incredibly crowded and is so touristy. We chose it hoping to have it more or less to ourselves this early in the year, but it didn't turn out that way. Only one of the three campgrounds is open this early in the season, Quartzite. While the other two campgrounds are wooded and campers have at least some privacy, Quartzite is a former golf course and looks like it. We were completely out in the open and could see every other camper in the park. It felt like camping on a golf course, or at least in an RV park. The trails are plentiful although I am not the biggest fan of asphalt over natural surfaces. I do enjoy the Balanced Rock trail (which reminds me a bit of the stairs of Cirith Ungol in Lord of the Rings) and the views from the top are spectacular. Devil's Lake State Park is a camping destination for people who don't camp. This aside, I had a great time and look forward to our next camping trip.
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