Blue Mound State Park

Blue Mounds, Wisconsin is in the center of the southern part of Wisconsin. Blue Mounds, Wisconsin is named because of the two blue hills that are the highest hills in the southern Wisconsin region. Conveniently nestled between Blue Mound State Park(listed as a National Natural Landmark) and Brigham County Park and having the Military Ridge State Trail running through the Village.

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Blue Mounds offers the best of small town life and easy access to outdoor activities. Local attractions include Little Norway, a living museum devoted to the region's Norwegian influences and Tyrol Basin, Deer Valley Lodge and Water Park, Ski and Snowboard Area. On the National Registrar of Historic Places, Little Norway is the oldest privately owned museum in America. The buildings are authentic Norse architecture, simple and durable.

Little Norway houses the largest privately owned collection of Norwegian antiques in the United States. Each year the Village of Blue Mounds is the starting point for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds bike ride along area roads which ends in a long, tough climb to the top of Blue Mound State Park. Riders can choose either a 100K or 200K course.

This park includes the tallest hill in southern Wisconsin and is a popular place for outdoor recreation for all seasons. There are two mounds, the East Mound and the West Mound. The West Mound sits 1,716 feet above sea level and about 450 above the surrounding landscape of rolling forests and glacial plains. A spectacular view of the countryside from its perch, the highest point in southern Wisconsin. Observation towers and unique geological features, wooded campsites, swimming pool, picnic areas and hiking, and nature and cross-country ski trails offer year-round recreation.

The 1,153-acre (467 ha) park features a pair of observation towers affording views of the Wisconsin River valley and Baraboo Range to the north, the mounds, buttes, and rolling forests of the Driftless Area to the south and west, and the young glacial plains and city of Madison to the east. Another geologic presence at Blue Mound is the tannish-gray clays formed by deteriorating shale layers that rest just below the soil. These clays are most evident below bridges where erosion has occurred. Rocks in the park tell of an iron oxide and magnesium oxide presence evidenced by bands of red, orange, yellow, brown and black veins.

While all of the trails in the park are open to hiking, there are three trails designated as hiking-only in spring, summer, and fall: the Indian Marker Tree Trail, the self-guided Flintrock Nature Trail and the Pleasure Valley Hiking Trail. The park also provides 6 miles of challenging off-road bicycle trails. Cross-country ski trail in season with warming house available. The Military Ridge Bicycling Trail, which follows the natural east-west contour of the ridgeline from Fitchburg to Mineral Point, abuts on the southern edge of the park. The park is used as the finish line for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds bicycle challenge ride. If you're looking for some aerobically challenging terrain you'll find it here on the John Minix and Willow Springs trails.

Blue Mound State Park is the only Wisconsin state park with a swimming pool with bath house, poolside chair-lift for disable, a wading pool for kids, shelters; campsites; and many miles of trails for hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing, plenty of space for lounging and sunning between swims. The heated swimming pool is L-shaped, 75 feet long on each side, and contains almost 200,000 gallons of crystal-clear water. There is a nature center by the picnic area with natural history exhibits. Naturalists offer programs in the summer. The site offers views of the Baraboo Range, and Wisconsin River Valley, as well as 78 campsites, it is open year round. The campground is set up so that people do not walk through your campsite. They have a black top roadway and gravel site pads. Its very shady. Blue Mound State Park, also known as, "Ventoux of Wisconsin" looms in the distance. This is where you will end the day.

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