Contact Information
TTP (text only): (608) 690 -6620
State Park: (608) 356-8301
Theo: (608) 338-2865
Stephanie: (608) 250-9982
Max: (608) 215-7759
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Schedule
Schedule
| 8:30 am – 9:00am | Check-in at Chazen |
| 9:00 AM | Departure |
| 10:00 AM | Arrives at North Shore |
| 10:00am – 10:30am | Review Day at TTP basecamp |
| 10:30 AM | Meet up with Naturalist at Visitor Center |
| 10:30am – 1:00pm | East Bluff Trail Hike with Sue |
| 1:00pm – 1:30pm | Guided tour of the Nature Center |
| 1:00 PM | Lunch ready (food available until 3:40pm) |
| 1:30pm – 4:00pm | Free & Easy Time |
3:40 PM |
Meet at basecamp |
Park Map
click to view large version
Effigy Mounds
Hiking Trail Guide
Click the button above to learn more about each hiking trail that Devil’s Lake has to offer. During our optional guided hike, we’ll be following the East Bluff Trail.
EAST BLUFF TRAIL
MODERATE (1.7 MILES, 45-90 MINUTES)
Connecting the North Shore and South Shore areas of Devils Lake State Park, the East Bluff Trail is one of two trails offering lofty, inspiring views of Devil’s Lake and its tall, craggy bluffs. Departing from the east end of the North Shore Visitors’ Area is the easiest, most gradual way to reach the Devils Lake cliff tops.
The route mixes dirt trails with occasional stone stairways, all through a wonderful hardwood forest landscape with regular opportunities to see grand views of the Lake. While you gain 500 feet of elevation along the way, the East Bluff Trail is much more manageable then the heart-thumping Balanced Rock, Potholes, or CCC trails.
Visitor Guide
Devil’s Lake State Park is located in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and is Wisconsin’s most popular state park with about 3 million visitors per year. The over 10,000-acre park anchors more than 27,000 acres of parkland and natural areas open to public recreation in Sauk County. Historically Devil’s Lake or “Tewakącąk”, which means Spirit Lake, sits on ancestral Ho-Chunk land and contains ancient effigy mounds that are part of their cultural heritage.
Boat Rental
Boat Rental & Concessions Info
Boat Rentals
Standup Board, Paddleboat & recreational kayak rentals are available through concessions on either side of the lake during the summer season.
- $100 deposit & valid ID required
- PFDs provided
- Rentals are available on a first come, first served basis. While both rental locations have a large selection of watercraft, availability may be an issue on busy days i.e. weekends/holidays.
- Specialized kayak available for people with disabilities. To reserve, please call ahead.
Prices:
- Single Kayak- $15.00 per hour
- Double Kayak- $ 24.00 per hour
- Canoe- $20.00 per hour
- Paddle Boards- $20.00 per hour
- Paddle Pontoons – $35.00 per hour
ALL BOAT RENTALS ARE DEPENDENT ON AVAILABILITY, WEATHER & WIND CONDITIONS
Tewakącąk
(Ta-wah-cun-chunk-dah)
On a cool foggy day, it’s not too hard to imagine why Devil’s Lake got its name. In fact, imagination probably had a lot to do with it. At the time when white trappers, then settlers were moving into the area, they learned from the local Ho-Chunk people that their name of the lake was Tewakącąk which roughly translated, meant “Sacred lake”. Sometimes this was also interpreted as “spirit” or “holy” lake. With a misunderstanding, and most likely some prejudice as well, the name “Devil’s Lake” came to be. While the Ho-Chunk consider the lake a sacred space, the early Europeans turned toward something more sinister.
-Kenneth Lange, Ancient Rocks And Vanished Glaciers
Oral History
Long ago — a good Ho-Chunk went on the bank of Tewakącąk lake, offering his devotions aloud and crying to the Supreme Being for twenty days, fasting — when he saw an animal resembling a cat rise up to the surface, hearing the Indian’s sorrow — told him he would help him to live a long and happy life. He did long live. The animal was called Wakjexira (wock-cheth-thwe-dah) — with long tail and horns. Many others also saw this animal.
-Smithsonian Institution, National Anthropological Archives 1885