This route runs through land primarily inhabited by the Ho-Chunk Nation, with lake Tewakącac currently called Devil’s Lake as the jewel of trip.
Your day begins with a thoughtful walk up to a small waterfall. The clock starts/stops at the waterfall. From the parking lot it’s roughly 8/10 a mile to the small fall. You follow along the creek bed and find a bit of a scramble over boulders near the fall. Once you reach it, stop to take in the sounds, feel the cool dampness of moss covered canyon walls, find your center; then turn around to head back the way you came.
As you come back to the parking lot, follow the yellow blazes of the Ice Age Trail – you’ll be chasing these all day. The entire route follows the IAT. For the next 4 miles the trail rolls out on a single track with technical roots and rocks, and some decent gain. You’ll cross Hwy 113 and shortly after come to a ’T’ in the trail. Follow the yellow blazes to the right and the wide Upland Trail of Devils Lake State Park. You’ll cross four bridges just ahead. Then start looking for a turn to the right, just before crossing Hwy DL. The wide trail continues on the other side of the highway and eventually brings you to the Upper Ice Age Campground.
Yellow blazes direct you towards the campground roadway, and directional arrows will keep you on the road until you pass under Hwy DL. You’ll come to the Northern Lights Campground; look for a yellow blaze and a hard left bringing you into the woods, past the theater. Continue on the IAT until it puts you out on a campground roadway. This roadway takes you inside the formal bounds of Devils Lake State Park. If you’re unsupported, there are plenty of water stops here and clean restrooms for everyone. There’s a public filtered water stop outside of the concessions store.
Continue on towards the West Bluff, and prepare for a steep climb with the best views of the lake at the top. If you plan your day accordingly, you can catch a nice sunrise from up here. Descend to the south, trace the side of the lake and head across the boardwalk. There’s a few more restrooms and water stops here, including another filter stop at the concessions stand.
The East Bluff rises over 400 feet in a quarter mile, so have fun here. This is a popular climb for day trippers – be prepared to give a heads up as you move through.
At the top, take the trail to the right and follow the ridge and yellow blazes. After about a mile and a half the IAT breaks to the right for a long, free-wheeling, moderately technical single track descent towards the prairie.
At the bottom, cross the road and you’ll find yourself on the prairie. This prairie march continues for about 5 miles. This is mostly a wide trail with some single track wooded sections, and a few road crossings. There are beautiful views here, particularly on your return trip when you can see rolling hills and ridges to the northwest. You’ll exit the prairie section through an IAT parking lot, where you’ll head south along the road. The road comes to a ’T’ past the Oak Hills Cemetery; go right on Baraboo St, then left on Main St, and look for the Merrimac Ferry signs.
The ferry is the curveball of this route. You could catch a timely ferry ride and walk right on, or watch it breeze away. Either way, make the most of this opportunity to recenter yourself and fuel. There are public water fountains and restrooms on both sides of the crossing. If you’re unsupported, I recommend not even looking at the ice cream stands.
At the south bank, turn left and run through the parking lot. You’ll find the trail in the woods, running along the side of the hwy for a short distance before crossing the hwy and meandering up a ridge. This is a fun rolling section that leads out to Slack Rd, where you turn left and head down along the street to Hwy V. Turn left on V and continue towards Gibraltar Rock County Park. Head up the Gibraltar Rock Trail along the IAT, catching beautiful views of dairy land at the top. Enjoy the descent down the back side – it’s another good one. Roll with it all the way down to the parking lot and smile cause you’ve just reached the halfway point.
Return the way you came.
I am planning to carve a linoleum block and screen print it on an old shirt of mine to celebrate this route. Designing and carving the linoleum will be one of my winter projects this year, and I plan to keep the linoleum block. I’ll be happy to print a shirt for anyone else who completes this route, regardless of if you obtain an FKT. Reach out for a picture of the design and if you like it, send me a t-shirt. I’ll screen print it and send it back to you.
