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| Ruins of Spring House at Paradise Springs |
Paradise Springs is a brief loop walk and interpretative trail to a spring fed pond among the ruins of a resort which operated between 1937 and 1948. It is a natural area sited in the Southern Kettle Moraine Forest in Eagle WI (not far from Old World Wisconsin).
Up until recently the pond was stocked with trout and was a popular fishing destination. The crystal clear water of the shallow pond reflected overhanging trees and set a magical scene. But, in 2015 the dam which created the pond failed and most of the water depth and fish were flushed downstream. Today, Paradise Springs is a forgotten roadside attraction. The ruins of the spring house still attract urban explorers, but this once popular strolling park is empty even on busy holiday weekends.
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| Ruins of Spring House at Paradise Springs |
I have a brightly burned childhood memory of Paradise Springs. The first time I visited this magical place I was about 4 years old and it was the first time that I experienced walking into a real life fairy tale. The treelined pond was an emerald aquamarine color and hundreds of fish darted out of man-made fish shelters and glided along in the crystal water. Fly fishermen lined the pond banks and families picnicked in shaded grassy areas along the path. On the far end of the pond sat the field stone spring house like a Roman ruin. The entire scene is like that of an Italian Renaissance landscape painting.
With the pond drained in 2015 due to a failure beneath the small dam this scene is not even a shadow of its former self. The beauty is gone, and what remains are a few rapidly degrading structures that are irresistible to graffiti artists. Not a single other person was out strolling at this once bustling attraction on a summer Saturday afternoon. Time drags all things down.
The history of Paradise Springs in its glory days is well documented, So I will leave history buffs with this link which tell the story behind the ruined spring house: https://wizzley.com/paradise-springs-wisconsin/
and the official brochure which correlates to the numbered interpretative trail markers: http://dnr.wi.gov/files/pdf/pubs/pr/pr0228.pdf
Otherwise, I expect only a few urban explorers and curious travelers to read this post, so I will leave it here.
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| Ruins of Spring House at Paradise Springs |
Overview: Paradise Springs Natural Area
COUNTY: Waukesha
COMMUNITIES: Eagle
TOTAL MILES: .65 mile loop
DIFFICULTY: Very Easy
POINTS OF INTEREST: Paradise Spring, ruins of spring house,
Directions and Trail Map
Click Map Image to load the full interactive map.
If viewing on a mobile device, open the trail map above to load into Google Maps App by touching the expand rectangle in the upper right corner
Address for your GPS: W374 S8640 County Rd N, Eagle, WI 53119
| coordinates: 42.887331, -88.492848 |
| From Milwaukee | 50 Minutes |
| From Madison | 1 Hour |
| From Green Bay | 2.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 3 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 4.5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 2 Hours |
Photos
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| Ruins of Spring House at Paradise Springs |
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| Ruins of Spring House at Paradise Springs |
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| Paradise Springs ruins of trout pond |
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| Paradise Springs ruins of trout pond |
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| Paradise Springs Picnic Shelter |
Video
A Walk in the Park - Paradise Springs, Wisconsin from Gabe Rules! on Vimeo.
Went out for a ride with some buddies, stumbled across a neat state trail.
Music: (c) Electric Mantis - Ticking and Tocking