State park featuring the centerpiece of the park, Willow Falls, a powerful cascade in a 200-foot deep gorge, and Little Falls Lake, a shallow reservoir on the Willow River

How to Get There

Overview

Willow River State Park is a 2,891-acre (1,170 ha) Wisconsin state park located five miles (8 km) north of Hudson. The centerpiece of the park is Willow Falls, a powerful cascade in a 200-foot (61 m) deep gorge. Another popular feature is Little Falls Lake, a shallow reservoir on the Willow River. Because of its proximity to Minneapolis-St. Paul it is one of the most visited state parks in Wisconsin. Trilobite fossils found in the lower layers of the gorge indicate the rock is around 600 million years old.

Recreation

The park includes boating, camping, fishing, hiking, and swimming.

Trails

• Hidden Ponds Nature Trail (hiking, accessible): Guides are available at the head of this paved loop around a wetland (0.6 miles (3,200 ft; 970 m)).
• Little Falls Trail (hiking, biking, rollerblading): Follows the developed shoreline from the campground to the dam (0.9 miles (4,800 ft; 1,400 m)).
• Willow Falls Trail (hiking): Follows the shoreline from the campground to Willow Falls (0.9 miles (4,800 ft; 1,400 m)).
• Willow Falls Hill Trail (hiking): A steep shortcut to the falls from a separate parking lot (0.3 miles (1,600 ft; 480 m)).
• Trout Brook Trail (hiking): A level out-and-back route along the river below the dam (1.1 miles (5,800 ft; 1,800 m)).
• Oak Ridge Trail (hiking): A forested path between the lake parking and the campground (0.9 miles (4,800 ft; 1,400 m)).
• White Tail Trail (hiking): A loop off the Oak Ridge Trail through forest meadows popular with white tail deer (1.6 miles (8,400 ft; 2,600 m)).
• Knapweed Trail (hiking): Passes through fields being restored into prairie and forest (0.9 miles (4,800 ft; 1,400 m)).
• Pioneer Trail (hiking): Leads past the gravesite of early European settlers to an overlook of Willow Falls (0.9 miles (4,800 ft; 1,400 m)).
• Burkhardt Trail (hiking): A network of trails above the falls with several overlooks (3.0 miles (15,800 ft; 4,800 m)).
• Mound Trail (hiking): Follows the Willow River in the undeveloped northeastern part of the park, past a glacial mound (1.1 miles (5,800 ft; 1,800 m)).

Willow River Nature Center

The Willow River Nature Center is located near the main picnic area, and features natural history exhibits. Naturalists offer public programs throughout the year.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Willow River State Park", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0