DNR Parks And Recreation News
What’s Happening In Wisconsin's State Parks, Forests, Trails And Recreation Areas
 Beat the rush and reserve your site today!
Beat The Rush: Reserve Your Memorial Day Weekend Campsite Now!
Considering camping this Memorial Day weekend? One of the most popular camping weekends of year is coming up! Here are some things to keep in mind that may help you secure a last-minute site if you have not reserved one already.
There is a 3-night minimum when reserving a site for Memorial Day and other holiday weekends. Your reservation should include Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Often visitors book sites for holiday weekends early in the season, meaning highly visited properties fill up fast.
That said, if a site were to open up on Saturday (a party leaves early, or a last-minute cancellation), you can book the remainder of the weekend by phone. This trick will not work through the online system as it holds that minimum stay.
How do you know if the party left or had that cancellation?
Use the "notify me" button! We recommend setting alerts for parks you are interested in especially on busy weekends.
This way, you will receive an email letting you know a site has become available. The email is not a guarantee of the site, so you do have to act quickly if you want to be the first person to grab it. Often cancellations occur in the week or so before the camping weekend, so this is when to watch for it.
For those still looking to get outdoors this holiday weekend – campsites are available across the state. Look at available sites on through our online camping reservation system.
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 Smokey Bear and Governor Evers celebrated Earth Day planting tree on at Governor Nelson State Park.
Work Play Earth Day Success
Thank you all for attending Work Play Earth Day events this April! Thank you as well to the many Friends Groups and volunteers who helped organize and lead these awesome events.
We had fantastic turn outs across the state. Over 20 events were completed to help make each property shine and get campgrounds and day-use areas ready for the busy season. The Wisconsin State Park System's visitors benefit greatly from the hard work completed this year.
Watch for more volunteering events this spring on our DNR Events Calendar.
12-Month Vehicle Admission & State Trail Pass
Purchase your 12-month vehicle admission pass and trail pass now to skip the line next time you visit a state park.
A vehicle admission pass is required on all motor vehicles stopping in state parks, forests and recreation areas. Admission passes can be purchased online, at individual properties or from DNR service centers. Purchase a Wisconsin state park and forest vehicle admission pass online.
The 12-month vehicle admission pass is a great value for visitors who plan to visit state park properties throughout the year. A 12-month vehicle admission pass to Wisconsin state parks and forests is valid for 12 months from the time of purchase.
Wisconsin state trail pass fees are the same for Wisconsin residents, seniors and nonresidents. The annual pass is good for the calendar year, and the daily pass is good for the day of purchase. The 2025 annual state trail passes are valid through Dec. 31, 2025. Annual trail passes cost $25, and daily passes cost $5.
Trail passes can be purchased online, at individual properties, at DNR service centers or from state trail pass vendors. Purchase a Wisconsin state trail pass online by selecting "Trail Pass" under "Product Type."
Take the ferry Memorial Day weekend through the second Monday in October to this primitive Lake Michigan island where no vehicles are allowed. This unique park features the Pottawatomie Lighthouse as well as stone buildings built by a wealthy inventor who owned the island between 1910 and 1964. Rock Island offers rustic, walk-in campsites, hiking trails, a swimming beach and miles of shoreline to explore.
Two ferry rides are needed to reach Rock Island State Park. Take Wisconsin Highway 42 to its end at Northport, the tip of the Door County Peninsula. Take the Washington Island Ferry to Washington Island. The ferry carries people, vehicles, bicycles and freight. From the Washington Island ferry landing, travel across the island to the northeast side to the Rock Island ferry landing at Jackson Harbor. Leave your vehicle or bike there and take the passenger-only Rock Island Ferry to Rock Island. Please note that the Jackson Harbor Parking Lot now requires a Vehicle Admission pass.
Tours are given of the historic Pottawatomie Lighthouse daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Memorial Day through Oct. 13. During tours, visitors are permitted to climb to the lantern room. Donations are accepted but not required as this service is provided by the Friends of Rock Island State Park.
See the upcoming events below to learn more about the Rock Island Opening Volunteer Clean Up Weekend.
Upcoming Events
Frog Walk
Saturday, May 3, Devil's Lake State Park
7:30 – 9 p.m.
If you are a frog fanatic, you will want to join us for this nocturnal adventure.
Learn about the frogs that can be found at Devil’s Lake. Then, we’ll hike to the park’s kettle ponds to listen to and look for our early frog singers, spring peepers, wood frogs and chorus frogs. We’ll also listen for other night sounds as we hike the Johnson Moraine Trail. The hike will be a little more than one mile. Bring your flashlight, as we’ll be hiking right around dusk. This is a great program for everyone.
Meet at the Steinke Basin parking lot.
Flint Knapping Demonstration
Sunday, May 4, Willow River State Park
11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Join us at the park with David Skrupky, a retired biologist and high school biology teacher from Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, as he gives an interesting demonstration on the ancient skill of ‘flint knapping,' the process of turning rock into usable tools. Dave became interested in stone tools when he began to find them in local farm fields and was fascinated by how such tools were made.
His program includes displays of some of the ancient artifacts that he has found. He’ll also share how Native American people and cultures all around the world made and used stone spearheads, knives, arrowheads, awls, axes and hammers.
If you have any stone tools and would like to know how old they are, bring them along. He would be happy to look at them to provide you with that information!
Meet at the Willow River State Park Dam Pavilion at the end of the Park Road.
This event is free to attend, but vehicle admission into the park is required. If inclement weather occurs, this program will be held in the Willow River Nature Center Classroom.
Spring Wildflower Hike
Saturday, May 10, Rib Mountain State Park
10 – 11:30 a.m.
The Friends of Rib Mountain State Park invite the public to hike and explore the park's glory and enjoy the many spring wildflowers.
Hikers should bring water and tick repellent and be prepared to hike some uneven trails with downhill and uphill areas.
If the weather is questionable on the day of the hike, you can check the Friends’ Facebook page or call 715-680-9480 to see if it is still happening.
Meet at Rib Mountain State Park Grouse Lane Trailhead.
Discovery Bird Walk
Tuesday, May 13, Kohler-Andrae State Park
8 – 10 a.m.
Meet Master Naturalists Janet & Andy Raddatz to observe birds and nature in the park. Walks may take 2-3 hours depending on what is seen. Some binoculars available. Participants can leave at any time.
Wear appropriate footwear and dress for the weather. Bring insect repellant, sunscreen and binoculars. Ages 12 and up; children must be accompanied by an adult. No pets, please. Bird walks meet weekly.
Meet at the Black River Trail parking lot, P1.
Rock Island Opening Volunteer Clean Up Weekend
Friday, May 16, Rock Island State Park
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Do you love Rock Island State Park and want to give back? Consider joining us for the annual park clean-up opening weekend.
Volunteers will coordinate with the Friends of Rock Island and the Park Manager to open the Lighthouse, the Boathouse and many other buildings, prepare the campground and get everything ready for the park season to begin.
Free camping may be available for volunteers. Please register for this event by emailing us at FriendsOfRockIsland@gmail.com.
Friends of Rock Island will coordinate with the DNR to have transportation from Jackson Harbor (on Washington Island) to Rock Island at 9 a.m. with a return trip to Jackson Harbor no later than 4 p.m. each day. One ferry is necessary to get to Washington Island with a 10-minute drive to Jackson Harbor. This event is recommended for all abilities and ages. This event will happen in any weather, rain or shine. Dress in layers according to the weather.
Consider Bringing: Water, snacks, lunch, insect repellent, rain clothing, work gloves, hat, sunscreen, backpack with supplies, hiking boots (for those camping: personal backpackable camping gear)
*No experience necessary.
Find more events at properties near you on the DNR Events Calendar.
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