The Potholes Trail is a difficult vertical climb in the talus slope on the South Face of the East Bluff at Devil's Lake State Park. This brief .3-mile trail connects between the Grottos Trail and the East Bluff Trail near Devil's Doorway. Along the route, you will encounter many rock features including glacial potholes. This is one of the best trails at Devil's Lake and one I highly recommend.
{tocify} $title={Table of Contents}
$ads={1}
advertisement
A glacial pothole forms where eddies form in torrents of glacial meltwater. Stones caught in these eddies become grindstones that drill into the rocks at the bottom of the glacial river. Wisconsin has some of the largest potholes in the world at Interstate State Park in St. Croix Falls, and just across the river in Minnesota, there are cave-like potholes that you can walk into. At Devil's Lake State Park the potholes are small and you might not notice them if you aren't looking for them. They are series of smoothed divets in the quartzite rocks along the Potholes Trail.
The trail begins its steep and challenging climb from the Grottos Trail which can be reached from the South Shore parking areas. The initial climb is through the talus slope. The talus, or scree, are the piles of boulders at the base of a rock face.
One of the greatest features of this trail is a narrow stone passage that the trail navigates. It frames out the perfect photographs. Considering that most of the rock features at Devil's Lake have names such as Turks Head, Balanced Rock, and Devil's Doorway, I believe this one should have a proper name as well. It probably does or did at one time. But, I haven't found any feature titles so let's call it Fat Devil's Misery, or the Devil's Cut? Whatever may be its name, this is one of the most interesting rock features in the park, and all the more so because you must interact with it to continue on the trail.
The Potholes Trail may not be the most popular trail in the park, but I highly recommend that it be on the top of your to-hike list. It is a very challenging mountaineering rated climb, is packed with storied rock features, and includes splendid views all the way up.
|
| Pothole formations on the Potholes Trail at Devil's Lake State Park |
Devil's Lake State Park - Potholes Trail
COUNTY: Sauk
COMMUNITIES: Baraboo, Merrimac
TOTAL MILES: .3-Miles linear
DIFFICULTY: Difficult
POINTS OF INTEREST: East Bluff, Pothole Formations
CAMPING: Devil's Lake State Park Camping
Directions and Trail Map
Click/Touch Map Image to load the full interactive map.
Address for your GPS: S6513 WI-113, Merrimac, WI 53561
| Coordinates: N43.409566, W089.724014 |
| From Milwaukee | 2 Hours |
| From Madison | 45 minutes |
| From Green Bay | 2.5 Hours |
| From Wausau | 2 Hours |
| From Minneapolis | 3.5 Hours |
| From Chicago | 3 Hours |
Photos
|
| Potholes Trail at Devil's Lake State Park |
|
| Potholes Trail at Devil's Lake State Park |
|
| Potholes Trail at Devil's Lake State Park |
|
| Potholes Trail at Devil's Lake State Park |
Links
Devil's Lake State ParkOther Trails at Devil's Lake State Park
East Bluff Trail
West Bluff Trail
Tumbled Rocks Trail
Balanced Rock Trail
Devil's Doorway Trail
CCC Trail
Group Camp and Grottos Trail
Roznos Meadow Trail
Steinke Basin Trail
Upland Trail
East Bluff Woods Trail
Johnson Moraine Trail
Ice Age Trail Devil's Lake Segment
Ice Age Trail Sauk Point Segment
Ice Age Trail Merrimac Segment
Parfrey's Glen Trail