High Cliff State Park is 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 ...

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

near Sherwood, Wisconsin. It is the only state-owned recreation area located on

Lake Winnebago Lake Winnebago ( mez, Wenepekōw Nepēhsæh, oj, Wiinibiigoo-zaaga'igan, one, kanyataláheleˀ) is a shallow freshwater lake in the north central United States, located in east central Wisconsin. At 137,700 acres it is the largest lake entir ...

. The park got its name from cliffs of the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff over ...

, a land formation east of the shore of Lake Winnebago that stretches north through northeast Wisconsin,

Upper Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the Peninsulas of Michigan, two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from t ...

, and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

and

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. A new Master Plan for the park created in 2013 aims to nearly double the size of the park, to add new amenities, and expand conservation efforts.

Activities and amenities

* Trails: Hiking trails include the limestone-surfaced Indian Mound Trail. The north shoreline of Lake Winnebago can be seen from a observation tower at the top of the escarpment. Various trails are available for biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. * The park also offers camping, picnicking, boating, swimming, fishing, and hunting. * A statue of

Red Bird Red Bird (–16 February 1828) was a leader of the Winnebago (or Ho-Chunk) Native American tribe. He was a leader in the Winnebago War of 1827 against Americans in the United States making intrusions into tribal lands for mining. He was f ...

, the Winnebago (

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iow ...

) leader, overlooks the northeast end of Lake Winnebago.Red Bird statueother views
/ref>

Effigy mounds

The

effigy mound An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, religious figure, human, or other figure. The Effigy Moundbuilder culture is primarily associated with the years 550-1200 CE during the Late Woodland Peri ...

s at the top of the escarpment have led to a small part of the park being added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, listed as High Cliff Mounds. A trail meanders through six long-tailed mounds and several conical mounds. Out of the original 30 effigy mounds in High Cliff, only nine remain, among them a panther mound that reaches 285 feet in length, as well as mounds presenting a bird and one that was most likely a bear. The mounds are consistent with other mound groups found at the peak of the Niagara Escarpment along the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago, including the Calumet County Park Group.

References

External links

High Cliff State Park
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
High Cliff State Park 1982 Master Plan

High Cliff State Park 2013 Master Plan
{{authority control Mounds in Wisconsin Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Native American history of Wisconsin Niagara Escarpment Protected areas of Calumet County, Wisconsin Protected areas established in 1956 State parks of Wisconsin Nature centers in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Calumet County, Wisconsin 1956 establishments in Wisconsin

Activities and amenities

Effigy mounds

See also

References

External links