Devil's Lake is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in the South Range of the Baraboo Range, about two miles south of

Baraboo, Wisconsin Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...

, in

Sauk County Sauk County is a county in Wisconsin. It is named after a large village of the Sauk people. As of the 2020 census, the population was 65,763. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. The county was created in 1840 from Wisconsin Territory a ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, USA. It has no surface outlets, so by some definitions, it is

endorheic An endorheic basin (; also spelled endoreic basin or endorreic basin) is a drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but drainage converges instead into lakes ...

; however, it possibly drains by underground channels into the Baraboo River, which would make the lake cryptorheic. The lake is one of the primary attractions of Devil's Lake State Park. It is also a popular recreation destination for watercraft, fishing, hiking, and climbing.

Name

Devil's Lake was so named because it is situated in a deep chasm with no visible

inlet An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

or outlet. The term, ''Devil's Lake'' is a misinterpretation of the Ho-Chunk names Te Wakacakra or De Wakacak (Tawacunchukdah or Da-wa-kah-char-gra), which better translates to "Sacred Lake" or "Spirit Lake." Spirit Lake is highly significant in Ho-Chunk

oral history Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

, and voices of spirits were often heard during the celebrations.

History

The original inhabitants of the area around the lake date back much further than when the European settlers first discovered the land. There is proof that humans occupied the land between 12,000 to 16,000 years ago, but Ho-Chunk historians speak of people living there longer than 300,000 years ago. The area may have been inhabited originally between 12,000 to 16,000 years ago due to the fact that this was the time the last of the glaciers had receded from the area. Many Native tribes throughout Wisconsin inhabited the lands. They called the lake various different names, such as ''Tewakakak'' or ''Minnewaukan'', which translate to spirit lake in various Native American Languages. Devil's Lake was originally a gorge of the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskous ...

prior to the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gree ...

. At what is now the southern end of the lake, the river turned from a southerly direction to an easterly direction. During the ice age, a lobe of the glacier passed to the east of the Baraboo Hills and came up the river valley. It deposited materials and then melted, leaving a

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front edge ...

blocking the river, forming an

earthen dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface an ...

. Another moraine was deposited at the north end of the lake. The river eventually found a new course to the east of the Baraboo Hills, where the glacier had been, leaving a portion of the river gorge between the moraines filled with water. This body of water is Devil's Lake.

Geology

The Devil's Lake State Park is made up o
bluffs
that are believed to be one of the most ancient surface rock area in North America. Formed about 1.6 billion years ago, the land consists of Northern and Southern mountain ranges that are made up of

quartzite Quartzite is a hard, non- foliated metamorphic rock which was originally pure quartz sandstone.Essentials of Geology, 3rd Edition, Stephen Marshak, p 182 Sandstone is converted into quartzite through heating and pressure usually related to tect ...

rock. Quartzite was formed after ancient rivers deposited sediment from when this land was under water. Over time, that sediment accumulated into

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

and underwent immense heat and pressure to form the non-porous

metamorphic rock Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...

that now encompasses the Baraboo valley. The valley itself consists of softer rock a
continental plate activity
caused the quartzite rock to form into what's known now as the North and South range.

Water Temperature

The water temperatures of Devils Lake varies significantly throughout a calendar year. The highest water temperatures are reported between July and August between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The lowest water temperatures for the year are in January, with an average temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The lake freezes over in the winter, but ice thickness is unmeasured.

Devils Lake Activities

Hiking

Devils Lake State Park offers 29 miles of hiking trails that vary based on difficulty level, length, and terrain. Among the 17 established trails, the most popular is the tumbled rocks trail. It sits at the edge of the lake on the west end, stretching a mile long. The trail is paved, allowing it to be accessible for people with disabilities or visitors that wish to use a wheelchair, as well as ranked as "easy". Many visitors report to using this trail in order to find a spot to fish from or a rock jump off of. The parks most popular diving rock, Rock 8, can be accessed via the Tumbled Rocks trail. A second trail to highlight is the East Bluff Trail, with multiple overlooks and views, rock formations, and an abundance of wildlife. Rock formations pop up regularly throughout the trail, yet there are special appearances of the. "Elephant Rock" and "Elephant Cave" along the way, two famous landmarks of the park. The trail continues for 1.7 miles, gaining over 500 feet of elevation and is expected to take hikers anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours to complete.

Wildlife and Birdwatching

There are an estimated 115 species of birds that nest in Devils Lake State park, including many unique species. The Canada Goose, Mallard, Blue Winged Teal, Turkey Vulture, American Goldfinch, and House-sparrow are some of the most popularly spotted birds. The Great Blue Heron is particularly unique to Devils Lake. There are large birds, stretching up to 4′ 5″ feet tall and sports a wingspan that can reach 6 ½ feet. Blue Herons gather in "rookeries", meaning a colony of nests. They travel and live as a group, known for being very loud birds. The park also remains home to 38 mammals, with the White-tailed Deer, Raccoon, Red fox, Coyote, American beaver, Gray squirrel, Fox squirrel, Red squirrel, Southern flying squirrel, Eastern chipmunk, and Little brown bat listed as the most likely to see. Black Bears, Mountain Lions, and River Otters are rare to spot, yet can also be found in the Park. Timber Rattlesnakes nest along the trails of Devils lake. Although there is great fear around these animals, they has only been two verified deaths in Wisconsin due to a rattlesnake bite since 1900. Their population is on the decline, leading them to make the Protected Wild Animal list of Wisconsin. Water snakes are sighted frequently in the park area as well.

Winter Activities

Although the trails are not maintained during the winter, they remain open, supporting numerous activities. Gfp-wisconsin-devils-lake-state-park-snowy-stone-steps

Gfp-wisconsin-devils-lake-state-park-snowy-stone-steps

Cross country skiing is popular at Devils Lake State Park. There is one loop trail used for skiing that continues along Steinke Basin Loop. The trail is not tracked and conditions are not guaranteed to be great, yet visitors report that the overall experience is worth it. The "multi use" Steinke Basin Loop trail is also quite frequently used for snowshoeing. Devils Lake State Park allows visitors to roam free without restriction. Visitors are able to borrow snowshoes from the center for free, as long as they are handed back during the parks hours. Devils Lake state park is also home to a popular sledding hill and is a great spot to ice fish.

References

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