Favorite Spaces - Baraboo Edition
I have a lot of favorite places, too many to be called "favorites," really. So I mentally categorize and justify them. My favorite European city is Sevilla because I spent a lovely, though brief, part of my childhood there. My favorite national park is Glacier...the last best place (and it's true!). My favorite state is Colorado because it has unbeatable adventuring. My favorite place to crew an ultra is Superior, because it was my first and it's amazing. My favorite place to train for my own ultras is Scuppernong and my favorite local hike is the Ice Age Trail. So when I say "my favorite," understand that it has a place in my heart, but I've got a big heart.
So, today, when I went to one of my favorite Wisconsin places, I might be inclined to quantify it. But I won't because Parfrey's Glen and Pewit's Nest are pretty incredible and even more amazing because they are in my home state. Located in Baraboo, not far from the uber popular Devil's Lake State Park, both of these hidden treasures are ecologically unique and breathtaking.
Both parks are busy in the warmer months, but were nearly deserted today. In fact, I had Pewit's all to myself! Of the two, Parfrey's Glen has more space, a longer hike, and more challenge. Years ago, a meandering path led to a boardwalk and stone steps that took you all the way to the waterfall at the end of the trail. In 2008, a flood washed out the back half of the walkway, dumping boulders nad full-grown trees seemingly everywhere. What was left is better, if you ask me. It's much more natural and a whole lot more challenging to get to the prized view at the end of the trail!
Pewit's Nest is a new addition to my favorites list. I first hiked it this summer and loved it. Cairns littered the shore of the low side of the park while the high side puts hikers above a beautiful gorge through which a river flows fast and loud and lazy and wide in turns. It's a short hike unless you follow the meandering river along its banks, but it's lovely. That it lives only 15 minutes from Parfrey's Glen is a bonus.
In summer, I lose my shoes pretty quickly on these hikes. There's little I love more than immersing my feet in nature. But with temperatures in the low 40s, I did my best to keep my feet and shoes dry as I hopped from rock to rock crossing streams and exploring. I missed the foliage today, both the green of summer and the golden of fall, but it was quiet and peaceful and it felt like home.
If you haven't had a chance to visit these beautiful spaces, they're some of my favorites. 💜
So, today, when I went to one of my favorite Wisconsin places, I might be inclined to quantify it. But I won't because Parfrey's Glen and Pewit's Nest are pretty incredible and even more amazing because they are in my home state. Located in Baraboo, not far from the uber popular Devil's Lake State Park, both of these hidden treasures are ecologically unique and breathtaking.
Both parks are busy in the warmer months, but were nearly deserted today. In fact, I had Pewit's all to myself! Of the two, Parfrey's Glen has more space, a longer hike, and more challenge. Years ago, a meandering path led to a boardwalk and stone steps that took you all the way to the waterfall at the end of the trail. In 2008, a flood washed out the back half of the walkway, dumping boulders nad full-grown trees seemingly everywhere. What was left is better, if you ask me. It's much more natural and a whole lot more challenging to get to the prized view at the end of the trail!
Pewit's Nest is a new addition to my favorites list. I first hiked it this summer and loved it. Cairns littered the shore of the low side of the park while the high side puts hikers above a beautiful gorge through which a river flows fast and loud and lazy and wide in turns. It's a short hike unless you follow the meandering river along its banks, but it's lovely. That it lives only 15 minutes from Parfrey's Glen is a bonus.
In summer, I lose my shoes pretty quickly on these hikes. There's little I love more than immersing my feet in nature. But with temperatures in the low 40s, I did my best to keep my feet and shoes dry as I hopped from rock to rock crossing streams and exploring. I missed the foliage today, both the green of summer and the golden of fall, but it was quiet and peaceful and it felt like home.
If you haven't had a chance to visit these beautiful spaces, they're some of my favorites. 💜
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