WISCONSIN

The Wisconsin Northwoods have been a Midwest tourist destination as long as there have been midwesterners. In the 1850s the first boat tours were offered in the Wisconsin Dells, a glacially-carved gorge with fanciful sandstone formations along the Wisconsin River. Your dog can check out the 500-foot quartzite bluffs from every angle in nearby Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin's most-visited state park. Devil’s Lake is one of the highlights of the cross-state Ice Age Trail but only a portion of this stunning landscape is attributed to the crunching of glaciers. The crags ringing the lake are remnants of the Baraboo Hills that are much older - 1.6 billion years old, when the mountains were taller than the Rockies. The Ice Age and other trails are cutting through the largest contiguous deciduous forests in the Midwest. But those woods are a mixed bag for dog hikers. Another popular destination, Parfrey’s Glen State Natural Area, doesn’t allow dogs. Dogs are allowed on trails and beaches at the Apostle Islands National Seashore but you need to consult your rule book when taking dogs to Lake Michigan beaches. Your dog’s best shot at experiencing the 300 miles of shoreline is at Whitefish Dunes State Park, including the boardwalk crossing of the 93-foot Old Baldy, the Dairy State’s biggest pile of sand. That’s sorta the way it is for dogs in Wisconsin - it’s mostly fun and games until it isn’t. Most state parks allow trail dogs, but not all. Canine waterfall hunters need not worry - dogs can visit displays of tumbling water on the Potato River, the nine quick-stepping rapids in Marinette County, and the Big Manitou Falls in Pattison State Park taking the fourth-highest plunge east of the Rocky Mountains.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In Wisconsin

East Bluff/East Bluff Woods Trails
Devil’s Lake State Park • Baraboo

Devil’s Lake State Park is one of the highlights of the Wisconsin cross-stateIce Age Trail but only a portion of this stunning landscape is attributed to the crunching of glaciers. The quartzite bluffs ringing the lake are remnants of the Baraboo Hills that are much older - 1.6 billion years old, when the moun-tains were taller than the Rockies.

This is one of Wisconsin’s most popular parks but one way to shed the crowds is to tackle the East Bluff Trail with Seaman. The paw-friendly route uses natural dirt and rock steps to ascend 500-foot bluffs leading to calendar-worthy observation points of Devil’s Lake. Short loop trails take in rock formations such as Devil’s Doorway and Balanced Rock that you will be certain were sculpted by man, not nature.

The Baraboo Hills are home to one of the largest contiguous deciduous forests in the Midwest and on top o fEast Bluff is one of the most magical. Here the shagbark hickories and white ash trees struggle with nutrient-deficient soils on the super hard quartzite and have only reached 20 feet tall after 125 years of growth. You could wrap Seaman’s collar around the trunks of some of the stunted trees in the pygmy forest.

The East Bluff Woods Trail dials down the excitement and returns your dog away from the cliffs through an airy forest highlighted by a tumbling stream to complete a 3.5-mile loop. Or retrace pawprints along the bluff for even more views in the opposite direction.

HIKING TIME: 2-3 hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)