Hiking White Mound County Park

Lake Trail

White Mound Sauk County Park is a 1,100-acre park between Loganville and Plain Wisconsin in central Sauk County. The park offers hiking trails, bridle trails, camping, horse camping, swimming, boating, and fishing.

Hiking trails range from the very easy and brief Willie Walsh Nature Trail to the moderately difficult Lime Kiln Trail. The most popular hiking trail is the Lake Trail, a wide mowed grass two-track easy footpath that encircles White Mound Lake.

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Lake Trail
Lake Trail


White Mound Park is a lesser-known recreation area in the Madison Area, but it is an extraordinary destination for a quick and easy get-away. It is about 40-minutes from the West Side of Madison and a beautiful drive through Driftless Valleys.

A manmade reservoir lake is set into a deep valley surrounded by forested driftless area mounds - steep rounded-top hills that define the topography of Southwestern Wisconsin. Far from interstate highways, and nestled into its own valley, hardly a sound of a car or motor can be heard. This quiet backdrop provides for crisp songbird calls.

I hiked all of the trails at this park, starting by parking in a small lot by the campground at the Willie Walsh Nature Trail. The nature trail was a very easy and brief trail that promenades out along the top of a narrow ridge. Views of the entire lake and valley below are afforded in the leaf-off seasons.

From the end of the nature trail, I quickly descended into the main hub of the park where there is a popular swimming beach and canoe launch. A new pavilion has been constructed by the beach with grand windows overlooking the lake. A wedding reception was taking place as I passed the pavilion.

I tackled the Lime Kiln trail which began with a long steep climb. There is a pile of rubble fenced in within the forest that is the remains of an old Lime Kiln - nothing really noteworthy to see.

Circling back from the Lime Kiln trail I continued around the lake on the easy Lake Trail which hugs the perimeter of the lake and rolls along its gentle route. The Lake Trail features a mix of shaded hardwood forest, pine forest, and open prairie.

In addition to the Lake Trail, I took the bifurcation called the Ridge Trail. Another steep long climb led to the top of a mound where the ridge trail lazily meanders on a relatively flat track. The ridge trail joins an ATV route and rapidly descends to a park road leading to the boat launch. In total, I logged 8.5-miles by hiking all of the trails which included a total of 3 steep climbs from the lake valley to the tops of mounds. It took approximately 3.5 hours to hike all of the trails in a single outing.

In addition to the hiking trails, hikers may also take the horse trails which total 12-miles. The horse trail loop includes many abrupt inclines and declines and makes for a difficult and athletic hike. Be aware of and respectful of horseback riders if choosing to hike the horse trails.

I drove through the campground which was nearly full on the first weekend of May, suggesting that this is a very popular camping location. The campground includes flush toilets, showers, and laundry.



View from Lake Trail
View from Lake Trail


COUNTY
SAUK
COMMUNITIES
LOGANVILLE, PLAIN

White Mound Lake Trail

TOTAL MILES
2.8-MILE LOOP
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
914 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
950 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
590 FT

White Mound Ridge Trail

TOTAL MILES
1.8-POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
MODERATE
LOWEST ELEVATION
924 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1112 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
526 FT

Lime Kiln Trail

TOTAL MILES
1.3-MILE LOLLIPOP
DIFFICULTY
MODERATE
LOWEST ELEVATION
924 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1098 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
484 FT

Willie Walsh Nature Trail

TOTAL MILES
1/2-MILE POINT-TO-POINT
DIFFICULTY
EASY
LOWEST ELEVATION
933 AMSL
HIGHEST ELEVATION
1060 AMSL
TOTAL ELEVATION GAIN
110 FT


Directions and Trail Map


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Address for your GPS: S7995 Whitemound Dr, Hill Point, WI 53937
| coordinates: 43.355429, -90.095174 |

From Milwaukee 2 Hours
From Madison 1 Hour
From Green Bay 3 Hours
From Wausau 2.5 Hours
From Minneapolis 4 Hours
From Chicago 3.5 Hours



Photos


Lake Trail
Lake Trail

Willie Walsh Nature Trail
Willie Walsh Nature Trail

Willie Walsh Nature Trail
Willie Walsh Nature Trail

Lake Trail
Lake Trail

Lime Kiln Trail
Lime Kiln Trail

Willie Walsh Nature Trail
Willie Walsh Nature Trail







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