It’s April. Can You Still “Social Distance” at Devil’s Lake?

Depending on when you visit, the park has either been very quiet or very busy. It’s all about the weather. On a warm, sunny day you can expect the park to be hoppin’, if it’s cloudy, (And you avoid the busiest trails.) well then it’s much easier to keep your “social distance”. Anyway, let’s talk about this a bit…

Safer At Home

State Government is saying we’re all “Safer At Home” as the Coronavirus spreads across Wisconsin. Yet, we know many businesses are open as are our state parks. This has created a situation where while some folks are flocking to our parks, others are “shouting” on social media to “Stay Home”. It’s a bit of a communication mess. Especially when the DNR is actively promoting getting out in the parks. What does “Stay at Home” mean when you are encouraged to visit Wisconsin State Parks? How far should you drive? Well, I can’t tell you. I’ve heard the number 50 miles tossed around but here at Devil’s Lake, there are cars from all over the Midwest.

Social Distancing

As I said, on a sunny day visitors are stacking up at Devil’s Lake State Park. That’s cool as long as they can keep their distance. Of course, we’re now hearing that the 6-foot rule, may not be good enough due to aerosolization of COVID19. We’re also hearing that maybe we should have been wearing masks all along. If this is the case, public restrooms and pit toilets where people tend to congregate anyway, become even more worrisome. It also adds to the concern that people are passing each other much closer than 6 feet on narrow hiking trails where they have no other option.

Closing Parks

Around the country, on the national and state level we are hearing about parks closing. This is because many people simply are not following the social distancing rules. Locally for instance, I’ve been hearing complaints about families and kids gathering in the state park’s playgrounds, which are supposed to be off-limits. Let’s face it, if you shout “FREE” bringing in many, many folks who normally don’t use our parks, and then don’t provide enough education and law enforcement on the ground, it will become a free-for-all. The cycle of promoting parks, then closing them when they get over-run has become the norm recently, and a bit predictable…

Video: Devil’s Lake This Week

Here’s a video tour from last Monday…

Some Solutions

I hate to see our parks close. Many are small and out-of-the-way. They serve rural communities and will never be “over-run”. I really don’t want to see Devil’s Lake close either, we do need to be proactive here. We’re too popular and it seems that every news article and report about getting out to the parks has a picture of Devil’s Doorway in it! Either we get organized for busy days or indeed the park may have to be closed. Here’s what I think might help…

1. People on the Ground – We need rangers, wardens, and staff out in the day-use areas and on the trails during busy days. They need to educate and monitor gatherings around trailheads, restrooms etc.. Just be visible and talk to people. One warden is not enough.
2. One-Way Trails – Some trails at Devil’s Lake State Park are simply too narrow for folks to pass each other at a “COVID” safe distance. So I propose that some trails must be made one-way. Here’s an example: Balanced Rock & CCC trails are made UP-Only one-way trails. Potholes Trail should be Down Only. This will allow for hikers to circuit this popular part of the park but do it without encroaching on others. It lets hikers get up to Balanced Rock, and rock climbers to use the CCC trail to access climbs. We should also think about one-way status for Tumbled Rocks and the West Bluff trails. Maybe creating a loop. If we are going to have crowds we have to do something about social distance issues created by these popular, but narrow trails.
3. Public Restrooms – This is problematic. If COVID can linger in the air, well then small, unventilated/ poorly ventilated pit toilets and port-a-pottys need to be closed.
4. Really Close Playgrounds – A simple sign won’t work. Rope ’em off and check in on them periodically on warm busy days.
   
   What do YOU think could help? Comment Below!

Be Well!

In the end, the important thing is that we want everyone to remain healthy. As someone who lives here and is in the park almost daily, I can tell you it’s hard to keep your social distance on days when the weather’s warm and the park is busy. There’s no perfect answer, but as they say, “knowledge is power.” Maybe with a bit of forethought, we can continue to enjoy Devil’s Lake and make sure not to add to the pandemic. Be well!