812 Wrigley Drive, Lake Geneva, WI, 53147, United States
10527 Main Street, Hayward, WI, 54843, United States
East Irving Avenue at Hazel Street, Oshkosh, WI, 54903, United States
Various locations, Beloit, WI, 53511, United States
640 S. 84th Street, West Allis, WI, 53214, United States
1919 Alliant Enery Center Way, Madison, WI, 53713, United States
1600 S. Waucota Avenue, Prairie du Chien, WI, 53821, United States
400 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, 53203, United States
5 Fifth Street, Racine, WI, 53403, United States
15471 State Highway 32, Mountain, WI, 54149, United States
3661 State Highway 131, La Farge, WI, 54639, United States
1265 Lombardi Avenue, Green Bay, WI, 54304, United States
5 5th Street, Racine, WI, 53403, United States
1901 S. Oneida Street, Green Bay, WI, 54304, United States
640 S. 84th Street, West Allis, WI, 53214, United States
100 Monument Square, Racine, WI, 53403, United States
400 N. Water Street, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States
503 N. Jackson Avenue, Jefferson, WI, 53549, United States
532 E. Main Street, Stoughton, WI, 53589, United States
200 N. Harbor Drive, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States
75 Maritime Drive, Manitowoc, WI, 54220, United States
2305 Lance Drive, Twin Lakes, WI, 53181, United States
402 Pine Street, Warrens, WI, 54666, United States
Wyalusing State Park
Wyalusing State Park occupies the southern and eastern banks of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers near Prairie du Chien, where the Wisconsin flows into the Mississippi. It was established in 1917, making it one of the oldest state parks in Wisconsin. Originally named after Governor Nelson Dewey, the park was renamed Wyalusing in 1937. (Dewey now has a park named after him near Cassville at Stonefield, by the way, so don’t feel bad.)
The park lies in the midst of the “Driftless Region,” named so because the glaciers that flattened much of the state thousands of years ago went around this area. The resulting bluffs, valleys, coulees, and hollows make for some of the most beautiful landscapes and views you’ll find in the Midwest.
The breathtaking Point Lookout at Wyalusing State Park
The park offers expansive views from nearly 600 feet above the junction of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, sometimes to points 20-30 miles distant. The city of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin is visible to the north just a few miles away, as is McGregor, Iowa across the Mississippi. Pikes Peak State Park on the Iowa side essentially serves as Wyalusing’s cross-state counterpart, and yes it was named after the same guy who Pike’s Peak in Colorado is named after: a guy named Zebulon Pike, an early explorer who clearly knew how to leave his name on things. A key piece of Wisconsin history lies in the fact that Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to paddle down the Wisconsin River (via the Fox River and Lake Michigan, no less), past the site of Wyalusing and into the Mississippi River back in 1673… which helped to eventually give rise to the early settlement that became today’s Prairie du Chien.
Today’s Visitor Center greets you at the park’s entrance, where you pay your entry fee and can get information. The original park office lies further in and today offers some park history, including early work by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) to further develop the park during its second decade in operation.
Any tour of Wyalusing is bound to delight your senses, teach you some history, wrap you in nature, and serve as a wonderful getaway road trip.
You’ll find Wyalusing State Park in the northwest corner of Grant County, a few miles south of Prairie du Chien off U.S. 18/Highway 35 via County Roads C and X, which also serve as the Great River Road in this area. Highway 60 is also just to the north, across the Wisconsin River.
Our head State Trunk Tourer Eric Paulsen filmed a video short about Wyalusing in conjunction with Soerens Ford in Brookfield, Wisconsin; they gave him a Ford Focus RS-7 to test out for the trip. Here’s the video:
Find out more about Wyalusing State Park from the Wisconsin DNR here.