Midwest Adventurers

Donald Park Perimeter Loop via North Access Trail

Don’t let the length of this hike scare you, if you haven't hiked this far, this is a great way to challenge yourself to do it. My hiking events are about enjoying the scenery, making friends and enjoying yourself, not rushing to get them completed at a fast pace.

We will be taking multiple breaks. At 4 miles, we'll come to the end of a grassy field and I plan on bringing a tarp and we can all sit down, have snacks, a light lunch, drink water, and take a break. Then again at 6.5 miles, there's another nice place to take a break with benches. This trail is great for hiking and running and not too crowded. This trail has a variety of terrain including woods, prairie, grass fields, a couple little hills, meadows, ponds and streams. Well behaved dogs are always welcome.

Donald County Park is a 775 acre park. The park contains oak woods, intriguing rock outcroppings, scenic vistas and springs. This park is known for its hiking, equestrian trails and trout streams.

This hike is on AllTrails if you would like to download the map before we meet.

Meeting Location
We will be meet at 10:00 AM at Delma’s Shelter. There is a pit toilet on site by the shelter, which may or may not be open at this time of year. 

Weather
This is a winter outing, please come prepared for colder temperatures and check the forecast beforehand.

What to Bring
Water, snacks, a light lunch if you desire.

Fee
There is no fee for this outing.

This event is open to all skill levels. Mirror Lake State Park is named for its centerpiece, a lake, which often is so calm that not a ripple marks its surface. The lake reflects a wooded shoreline with cliffs up to 50 feet high, a swimming beach and wetlands that are home to a variety of wildlife. The parks 2,200 acres includes several picnic areas, wooded campsites, summer rentals and a cabin for people with disabilities. The park offers recreational opportunities year around for everyone. Winter activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing and hiking. In the spring/summer/fall months enjoy kayaking, swimming, paddle boarding, canoeing, fishing, hiking, biking, camping, shelters, and a playground.

Please be sure and bring water and snacks for the hike. Friendly dogs are welcome.

We will do the Lakeview Trail/Newport Trail/Northwest Trail a little over 3 miles. These trails are very nice with some steep, rolling hills through sandstone rock outcroppings. This hike will begin at the boat landing and go by the lake, beach and through the woods. If you have never been to the park before this is where you can rent kayaks and canoes.

If some would like to do more hiking afterwards we can hit another trail.

Weather
This is a winter outing weather could be anything, please come prepared for various temperatures and check the weather forecast before hand.

Fees
There are no fees for this hike.

You will need a Wisconsin State Park Pass to go into the park. Once you enter the park, follow the signs to the boat launch parking lot. We will meet down by the boat rental building. 

This event is open to everyone. Black River State Forest is a 68,000-acre public forest in Jackson County, that offers many recreational opportunities, including: camping, hiking through the forest, which is made up of pine and oak woods, Castle Mound's dramatic rock formations make for a nice hike, hunting in the forest, canoeing/kayaking on the Black River, which flows through the forest, cross country skiing/snowshoeing, ATV/snowmobiling, fishing in the Black River, where steelhead and trout can be caught in the spring and salmon can be caught in the fall. Visitors may even see elk roaming the forest.

The forest is also known for its unique geological formations, including 300-foot-high glacial mounds that look like islands in a sea of trees. Visitors can hike to scenic overlooks on the glacial mounds to see the area where Lake Wisconsin once covered 1,800 square miles.

Directions -
To Black River State Forest East Fork Group Campground - N9507 Campground Rd, Black River Falls, WI 54615

Weather
This is a winter trip, please check the weather forecast and come prepared for various temperatures and various activities depending on what you would like to do.

Cabin
We will be staying at the East Fork Indoor Group Camp. This modern group camp is a secluded and quiet indoor four-season facility that can sleep 12. There are wood bunks in the cabin (bring a mattress, sleeping bag, pillow etc.) as well as a stove, refrigerator, gas fireplace, picnic table, heated floors and a bathroom with a shower (bring your own towel/shampoo/soap etc.) The surrounding outdoor area has picnic tables, cooking grills and a fire ring. Sorry pets are not allowed in the cabin. If you have a snowmobile/ATV and you want to take it out on the trails, there is room to park it at the cabin parking lot.

Activities
Depending on if there is snow or not, hiking, biking, fishing (license needed) cross country skiing, snowshoeing. If you want to bring some fun games to do in the cabin since it gets dark so early that would be great also (cards/board games) I may bring my projector/movie screen for us to watch a movie in the evening. There is no Wi-Fi or TV at the cabin.

Meals
Since we have a refrigerator and stove, we can do some cooking inside. For Friday night I plan on bringing a crock pot full of shredded BBQ pork for sandwiches, Danielle is brining homemade cole slaw to go with it. For dinner Saturday, I will bring 2 pans of Lasagna. It would be great if others could bring some sides/desserts to go with the dinners possibly garlic bread/green salad to go with the lasagna. Breakfast and lunch will be on your own, so bring whatever you want to fix. Bring your own beverages. If you want to bring some snacks to share that would be great too! There are no pots/pans/plates/cups/bowels/silverware etc., so if you plan on doing some cooking with the stove/oven please bring what you will need to do it with. If someone wants to sign up to bring disposable plates/silverware/napkins that would be great. Please let me know what other items you would like to bring for the dinners.

Food Items so far:
Sherri – BBQ Pork, Buns & 2 Pans of Lasagna
Daniel – Cole Slaw
Dan – Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread w/Ice Cream
Matt -Caprese Salad and anther side TBD

Friday
Arrive at the cabin any time after 3pm. Pick out your bunk, explore the group outside area. Hang out inside or by the firepit outside. For dinner we will plan on having the BBQ Pork sandwiches, cole slaw and other yummies people bring.

Saturday
This is your time to have some fun, go on a hike, take your bike out, go fishing catch your lunch! If there is snow we can hit the trail with our snow boots, snowshoes or cross country skis. Then for dinner it will be Lasagna, plus other yummies that are brought.

Sunday
Have breakfast, do some more exploring of the forest area. We don’t have to check out until 12pm.

Fees
Your $20.00 meetup fee covers 2 nights of cabin costs and $2 in Meetup fees. The fee DOES NOT cover personal equipment, or any extra activities you want to do when you arrive at the state forest. You will need a WI state pass to enter the state park. Please send your fee through Venmo @Sherri-Lockwood or you can send it through Zelle at 414-759-6317. Payment is due within 48 hours of signing up. Refunds will be issued if notified by Friday, February 7th.

This one-night winter camping trip is designed for both beginner and intermediate camper/backpacker trying out winter camping for the first time or maybe you had a horrible fail last time and bought some new stuff to try out. We’ll provide a safe place to put yourself and your gear to the test for cold weather. We can talk about ideas, what others do to keep warm, and the different type of gear for backpacking and for regular camping. Take advantage of this experience and simulate a winter trip. If you want to expand into winter backpacking only bring your backpack and the gear you will use, if you like loading up your car and doing regular camping bring those items. We have a separate building just in case you get cold in the middle of the night and want to move in there. If you want to try out winter hammock camping, we have lots of trees. We will also have flush bathrooms on site.

We have two very friendly dogs and other friendly dogs are more than welcome. We only ask that you clean up after them, and make sure and bring warm jackets/blankets for them. Don’t forget a chair for sitting around the campfire!

Saturday
Head over to our place any time after 9:30am and get your tent/area set up. We have a large area so don’t worry about the size of your tent if you are doing “regular” camping and not “backpack” camping. Hang out and meet everyone, then at around 11am we will head off to get a nice hike in at either Mirror Lake, Devil's Lake or Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area which are all close by. We can decide which one as a group and carpool over. State parking passes will be needed. Afterwards we can head back for lunch that you brought or stop on the way to grab something at a local restaurant in town. After we get back, we can go around and look at everyone’s set ups, discuss what they like about it, what they are trying new, what happened wrong last time, why they chose those certain items, offer suggestions and then relax. In the evening we will sit around the fire, socialize more and have the dinner that you brought.

Sunday
Enjoy the breakfast you brought and for those who would like to, we can carpool and go on a after breakfast hike, or you can pack up and head home.

Weather
This is a winter trip, please check the weather forecast and come prepared for cold temperatures, and with warm sleeping gear for inside your tent.

Directions
This will be happening in the Wisconsin Dells at a private residence, the address will be given before the event.

Fees
This is a free event.