Even Cheap Ice Cleats Will Make You Happy!

The warming weather and blue skies are calling you to get outside! Awesome! BUT… It’s going to be slippery! Let’s talk about ice cleats.

Treacherous Trails

For the next week or so, even the trails we think of as “easy” may be anything but! Buff trails & staircases will sometimes be downright scary…

With the warmer weather the snow is melting during the day, but then freezing again overnight. This means many trails are going to be a mix of dry, clear, snowcovered, wet, muddy, icy, wet ice, and solid tripping hazards. Shaded areas will be worse of course. At Devil’s Lake State Park this tends to mean that the bluff trails will be worse on the north end, than the south where they get more sun. Shaded sections will remain icy when the rest of the trail seems fine. (On the Potholes trail, there is often a little waterfall that flows over the trail and freezes overnight as well! )

Hiking at Devil’s Lake State Park is just going to be anything from awkward to dangerous for at least the next week and certainly this weekend. (Hopefully those 50s next week will clear it up!)

Don’t Know Whatcha Don’t Know

For lots of folks right now this whole “getting outdoors” thing is pretty new. Since the Covid pandemic started last year about this time, the visitor numbers to Wisconsin State Parks, and Devil’s Lake State Park specifically, went through the roof! So it’s no surprise that a lot of people are hitting the trails and surprised by how slippery they are. I mean, you don’t know what you don’t know, right? Nothing wrong with that either! One of our missions here at DevilsLakeWisconsin.com is to share tips and information that will make your visit much more enjoyable!

So, Ice Cleats!

The answer to the slippery trails right now is a “cheap” pair of ice cleats. What is cheap? Well, you can pick up some anti-slip grips that slide over your shoes at Walmart for around $6 bucks. And even those will help.

Personally, I wear a brand called Yaktrax. Basic Yaktrax with “springs” run around $20 and work well. The Diamond Grips that I wear seem to last a lot longer in my experience and are my go-to’s for the park’s trails. They’re more expensive, however, closer to $50. But if you hike a lot and can afford it, I feel that they are worth the extra money.

Crampons?

You might hear someone call them “Crampons” and the words are pretty interchangeable. Crampons, however, usually refer to much more heavy-duty mountain climbing gear with big spikes. 🙂 You can check some out on the REI website. For most people hiking at Devil’s Lake State Park, these are just overkill.

Slippery When Dry?

One other thing worth noting as you get out on the park’s trails again is that while your cleats will work wonders on ice, they can be slippery on dry stone. You need to be cautious on the park’s many quartzite staircases both on and OFF the ice!

Have Fun And Be Safe!

We totally want you to get outside to enjoy the good weather! If you don’t have cleats, just be very careful. Hopefully, in a week or two, you won’t need them anyway. But in these in-between seasons, having even a cheap pair of cleats will go a long way toward keeping you safe, and making sure you enjoy your visit to the park!