The Gorgeous Natural Oasis In Wisconsin That You Can Only Visit On Foot
Way up in the northwest corner of the state, about 90 minutes from Eau Claire and Minneapolis, is Wisconsin’s newest state park. Straight Lake State Park is about 12 miles north of St. Croix Falls and is adjacent to a state natural area, meaning there are nearly 4,000 acres of pristine land just waiting to be explored.
But the best part about Straight Lake State Park is how well the state has worked to keep it pristine. It is open to foot traffic only. Boats are allowed on the many lakes and ponds, but only the boats that you can carry in yourself.
No motorized vehicles, boats or horses are allowed in the park, making it as peaceful a paradise as you could imagine.
Various volunteer groups have created walkways and boardwalks to help protect the area. It was once a Boy Scout camp, so there are many well-trodden hiking paths to be found among the woods here.
In addition, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail runs through the park, along Straight Lake and the Straight River. Because this was once prime logging area, there is also an abandoned logging road, The Clam Falls Trail, here. It runs roughly parallel to the Ice Age Trail and was once an important route in and out of this part of the state.
The beauty of this area is unmatched elsewhere in the state because it is so remote and has been so protected from the outside world. You'll never find a more serene place in the state to fish, hike and enjoy our beautiful surroundings.
Fishing is allowed and visitors can boat if they carry their boat in. So you may see a few folks in rowboats on the lake, but that's it for disturbances to the placid calm of Straight Lake.
The area is particularly gorgeous in fall when all the surrounding foliage starts to change color, but honestly, there's no bad time to visit this tranquil oasis.
This truly undisturbed land is home to some of the best bird-watching in the state, esecially for threatened species like the bald eagles, osprey and red-shouldered hawk and the endangered trumpeter swan.
