Fall colorful time to see waterfall at Willow River State Park
Willow Falls is no secret. The multitiered waterfall near Hudson has been attracting tourists since the town was settled in the mid-19th century. Today the cascade is part of the thirdmost visited state park in Wisconsin, Willow River State Park.
But the waterfall and park is probably more frequented by visitors from the Twin Cities, about 30 miles west, than visitors from southeastern Wisconsin who speed past on the interstate on their way to Minnesota.
The nearly 3,000-acre park is well worth a pit stop, however, just four miles off I-94 east of Hudson.
The highlight is the waterfall, which drops 45 feet over a handful of ledges in a narrow limestone gorge along the Willow River. The waterfall is wide — about 100 feet — and the drops range from 5 to 15 feet.
The park used to feature the 172-acre Little Falls Lake, created by a dam on the Willow River. The lake had a boat launch popular with fishermen, canoers and kayakers, as well as a beach.
In 2015, the dam, built in the 1920s, was deemed unsafe and the lake was drawn down. There are plans to replace the dam, but for now the lake has reverted to marshland surrounding the river.
The lake was a big draw for visitors in summer months and helped make the campground one of the busiest in the state park system. The campground has been 10% to 15% less busy since the lake was drawn down, said park Superintendent Aaron Mason.
“We’ve seen a little bit of a decrease in camping, and it certainly has shifted use of the park,” he said, noting that the beach and picnic area aren’t as busy as they were when the lake was there.
October and November are quieter months at the park anyway, and fall colors provide a beautiful backdrop for seeing the waterfall.
Mason said because the park has many oak trees (it’s located in a western prairie landscape), fall colors peak a little later at the park than at similar latitudes in Wisconsin. While the maples are turning yellow and red right now, there’s still a lot of green at the park and Mason usually tells people that the oaks will peak around Halloween.
Willow River has more than 15 miles of hiking trails, and while many people come to see the waterfall, “there’s some really nice overlooks and vistas in other
areas of the park,” Mason said.
The 0.4-mile Willow Falls Hill trail — accessible via a small parking lot off County Highway A — is the quickest way to get to the waterfall, but it travels down a steep hill.
For a longer hike, park near the nature center and follow the 0.7-mile Little Falls trail along the former shoreline of the lake. The paved trail is the only one in the park (other than park roads) that allows bikes and in-line skates.
The trail ends at the 300 campground, where you can pick up the 1mile Willow Falls trail. The scenic trail follows the Willow River to an overlook of the waterfall.
In the summer, adventurous hikers wade into the pools below the cascade’s drops. When I visited early in the summer, though, the falls roared from late spring rains and effectively scared off anyone from intruding.
There’s a viewing area close to the falls, but don’t stop there. Cross the bridge and climb the stairs to an overlook for views of the falls and the river valley from above.
At the overlook, the Burkhardt trail continues to wind up and down along the river.
In the winter, nine miles of trails along the south side river are groomed for cross-country skiing. Snowshoers and hikers can trek along two miles of packed trails on the river’s north bank.
“If people are looking for a crosscountry ski destination, we do have some of the best ski trails in the area, both classic and skate-skiing,” Mason said, noting that people come from the Twin Cities and use the trails to train for races like the American Birkebeiner.
The park has three family campgrounds and one group campground. The campgrounds are not plowed and close around the first snowfall (usually Thanksgiving), but 30 sites are available for walk- or ski-in camping in the winter. More information: On Oct. 28, the park will play host to a Halloween Bash. The free event (state parks admission sticker required) will include games, rafts, storytelling and more from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
For more, call (715) 386-5931 or see wiparks.net.
Getting there: Willow River is at 1034 County Highway A, Hudson, about 310 miles northwest of Milwaukee.