Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
end of Devil's Lake and links to the Wisconsin River, it's a huge deal to an already im-
portant park. Scientists are highly interested in the chance to watch how, exactly, industrial
practices through decades might affect an attempt to reclaim the land.
CLIMATE
One revealing aspect of Devil's Lake is how the ranges affect the temperature. It's more
than 500 feet from the top of the bluff to the lake; the quartzite traps the air and inverts
it—warmer air up and cooler air down. Even the flora is affected—more climatically
hardened plantlife flourishes at the base of the rises, while easygoing oak and hickory are
scattered across the top reaches.
The views from the Grottos Trail are lovely.
Hiking
The hiking cannot be beat. Nearly 30 miles encompass both the east and west bluffs. The
west has only two trails and is a bit easier in grade.
On the east bluff, the best trails are the
Grottos Trail,
an easy one-mile skirt of the bot-
tom of the south end of the bluffs; from here, you can connect to the heart-stopping, knee-
bending, straight-uphill
Potholes Trail,
one-third of it torture (not for the faint of heart).
