Griegol Gulch - Baraboo

Griegol Gulch at Devil's Lake State Park

Griegol Gulch is an off the beaten path hiking and natural area at Devil's Lake State Park. You won't find it on park maps. It isn't an official trail. But there is a parking area off the shoulder of Highway 113 and you can walk along an overgrown access road most of the way. You'll have trailblaze the rest of the way.

If you are looking for an out of the way place for a private romantic picnic this will be your place. The scenery is beautiful and fun to explore. and don't worry - you're on State Park Land, so feel free to let loose and enjoy being outdoors.

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Just when you think you've seen everything Devil's Lake has to offer ... Griegol Gulch is a wonderful wilderness retreat in a forested gully beside Clark Creek. There are grassy areas along the banks of the creek that are perfect picnic spots.

Devil's Lake State Park is Wisconsin's premiere state park. It has a land area of 9,217 acres. The most well known areas of the park are the quartizite bluff areas that surround the lake, but this land area also extends all of the way to Parfrey's Glen. There are quite a few hidden areas to explore such as Griegol Gulch that are out of the main park area and do not feature official trails. But, park areas like this one offer more of wilderness retreat for intrepid expolorers, those who do not need a formal trail to wander in the woods.

One of the ideal recreational uses for Griegol Gulch is snowshoeing in the winter. Typical hiking trails that are often used for snowshoeing are already packed down and ice covered, making it unnecessary to don the show shoes. But, Griegol Gulch presents a chance to be the first to blaze through drifts deep enough for snow shoes to do their job.

In recent years the area around and in this gulch have been improved. As a result of flooding, the open fields in the surrounding watershed were reforested with new young saplings, and a now a few years old the new forest is taking hold. The area in the gulch was also excavated to form a clearer path for floodwaters which rage in deep revines at Griegol Gulch annually.

Despite these erosion and ecology improvements, it's kind of a pain to get into Griegol Gulch during late summer. The access road will be very overgrown and even the shoulder parking areas can be overgrown. But, for intrepid hikers, this will be a great place to escape the crowded trails at the main park.

Overview: Griegol Gulch

COUNTY: Sauk
COMMUNITIES: Baraboo, Merrimac

TOTAL MILES: 2.0
DIFFICULTY: Moderate

POINTS OF INTEREST: Griegol Gulch, Clark Creek, Devil's Lake State Park

Directions and Trail Map

Address for your GPS: WI-113 Baraboo, WI 53913

| Highway 113 Parking coordinates: 43.434205, -89.697568 |

| Tower Road Parking coordinates: 43.433204, -89.690645 |