UPPER WISCONSIN DELLS

Our visit to Wisconsin extended to Wisconsin Dells after we kept hearing this was the place everyone went to get away from the cities.   This is a city of  waterparks, fudge shops and the Ho Chunk Indian Casino (nee Branson, Pigeon Forge), and LOTS of tourists, up until the end of October.

Downtown Wisconsin Dells, WI

 

Upside Down White House - Wisconsin Dells, WI

Wooden Roller Coaster at Troy - Wisconsin Dells, WI

 We enjoyed our stay but we especially enjoyed a 2 hour excursion through the most scenic and beautiful stretch of the Wisconsin River - The Upper Dells.  The excursion, ten miles round trip, winds through narrow canyons and past the towering sandstone cliffs that have stood as sentinels of time.

Black Hawk's Profile - Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Sand Cliff and High Rock - Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

The Palisades Area
Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Pancake Rock - Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Our knowledgeable tour guides gave factual  accounts of early adventurers to this region, from fur traders and lumber raftsmen to Native Americans and young entrepreneurs who lived off the land, on its riverbanks and through its beauty.  At several points along the trip we were able to disembark and explore.

Witches Gulch - Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Spooky Lane - Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Caves near Stand Rock - Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

Our Docked Tour Boat at Stand Rock Trail -
Upper Wisconsin Dells, WI

One formation, Stand Rock, cannot be seen by the water and is a short walk within the woods.  Stand Rock is an outcropping 47 feet high topped off by a 12 x 20 foot slab or rock support by a pillar of sandstone.  Throughout the day, tour boat passengers are treated to specially trained german shepherd dogs that leap between the two rocks.

While the water may look dirty it is actually a very clean waterway.  The brown color is from a natural substance called tannic acid, primarily from the bark and roots of the tamarack and oak trees in northern Wisconsin.

After our most enjoyable one week stay at Country Roads Campground in Lake Delton , this was our reminder as we left the campground on our way to Minnesota.

Check, check, check and check Wisconsin Dells off the bucket list.