Every year from late May through June, Wisconsin's turtles are on the move. Females are…
Wisconsin’s 400 State Trail is located about 30 minutes northwest of the park and offers a fun way to get the family out on their bikes in one of the most beautiful rural landscapes in Wisconsin. The trail follows the Baraboo River through green pastures, wetlands, sandstone cliffs, and more. Often, the turnaround spot for a day ride is a little park with an ice-cold artesian well just outside the village of Wonewoc. Along with the well, you’ll find a small roadside park and a gazebo. A spot known to locals as “Fairy Dell.”
Oh, and that restroom with the signs that say, “closed for the season”? (Well, they’ve been closed for many seasons…) Working restrooms are located in Wonewoc, just another mile or so down the road beyond the park.
Here’s the backstory as it was shared with me:
As you can imagine, the spring far outdates both the road and the railway. According to longtime Wonewoc resident Kim Franke Pufahl, when the state crew widened the dirt road into a real highway, they cut back the rock face and buried the spring to make room. Each morning they’d come back and find it flowing again, opened right back up. Nobody ever caught who was doing it. The neighboring farmers had one explanation: it must have been the fairies. The state eventually gave up fighting them, and the name stuck.
The History
The original wayside was built around 1923 on the Laubscher farm side of the road, across from the Baraboo River. The Laubschers were early Wonewoc settlers who came from Switzerland. When the state widened Highway 33 in January 1954, the project took out County Line Bluff and the original wayside with it. (Which we’ll talk about in a later story.) The spring got relocated across the road, closer to the river, with a 28-foot driven point well put in to replace it.
Sauk County ran it as a park for decades, then closed the spring around 1995 and fenced it off. The county covered it entirely the following year. That didn’t sit well with the neighborhood. Led by Town of Woodland employee Buck Hamburg, local residents dug the spring back out and reinserted the pipe themselves. There’s a date stamped on it: 1998. Sharon Laubscher pushed the county to test the water before anyone would trust it again. The DNR’s results came back clean: some of the best water they’d tested. Sauk and Juneau counties still test it twice a year.
Sauk County stepped away from maintaining the park after that. Don Fry took over mowing and upkeep and has kept at it for more than 40 years. More recently, the Wonewoc Area Lions Club adopted Fairy Dell as a civic project, building the gazebo and running in electrical service. This spring, local artists Alicia Cosnahan and Peter Krsko repainted the park’s original sign, based on an old photograph, with artwork by nature photographer Dennis Panczenko on the back.
Getting There from Devil’s Lake
By car: It’s roughly 35 miles from Devil’s Lake State Park to Wonewoc via Hwy 12, then Highway 33 from Baraboo through Reedsburg; call it 50–55 minutes depending on where you get on Highway 12 from the park. Once you find it, it’s an easy place to pull off, top off a water bottle, and sit for a few minutes, or have a picnic by the river. Bring a jug if you’re the type who likes to fill up and take some home.
By bike: Get on the trail at the 400 State Trail’s trailhead at the Reedsburg Chamber of Commerce, which serves as the 400 Trail Headquarters, and is located in a historic railroad depot. Once on the trail, head north. (Trail Map) Fairy Dell sits right on the trail about 11 flat, mostly wooded miles out. (The trail gets most interesting from LaValle north) Keep an eye out for interesting low sandstone formations just outside of Reedsburg, as well as the larger formations as you get closer to Wonewoc.
A state trail pass is required for all individuals aged 16 or older who bike, cross-country ski, horseback ride, or inline skate on the trail. Wisconsin resident, senior, or nonresident passes cost $25 per year or $5 daily. The best way to find a pass is to order them online. Go here to purchase your passes.
We’re working on a series of 400 trail features right now and aren’t done sharing some of our discoveries in Wonewoc, so hang in there; we’ll share more soon.
Thank you to Mindy Haase, Wonewoc Village Administrator; Julie Ott of the Wonewoc Area Lions Club; and Richard Kilmer for their time, photos, and super in-depth information.
For nearly 30 years, the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most out of your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly, to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.
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