Dells of the Wisconsin River - Devil's Lake State Park Area Visitor's Guide

The Dells of the Wisconsin River SNA covers a 5-mile long gorge made up of cliffs, canyons, and rock formations carved into Cambrian sandstone. A variety of rare plant and animal species call this area home as well. Of course, for most visitors, the main attractions are the sandstone cliffs. The real trick is finding public access.

Generally, the public has access rights to all Wisconsin State Natural Areas for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and so forth, but in the case of the Dells of the Wisconsin River SNA, a variety of deals made with various folks have limited access to this publicly owned SNA. Visitors need to know where they are allowed and where they are not, which isn’t as easy as you may think! Boats can pass through the area to view the cliffs, but boaters will find that few public landings are available. Some of the most amazing locations such as Stand Rock and Witch’s Gulch are only accessible through private boat tour companies. Black Hawk Island (Also part of the SNA) is also closed to the general public and houses Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center.

There are two on-land sites with some infrastructure open to the public. The Chapel Gorge trail located off of River Rd. in Wisconsin Dells, offers a 2-mile loop trail with access to a small beach. There is parking, but no restrooms. On most summer days, the beach will be busy with picnickers and landed pontoon boats. This area is also popular with cliff divers. Like other SNA’s access to the cliffs is not allowed, but not enforced as far as we can tell.

We do NOT recommend swimming here. The Wisconsin River is notorious for strong currents & fatal drownings.

The other public area the “Cambrian Overlook”. This area is further out of town past the Stand Rock Campground on County N. This location (Technically on 61st St. See the Google Map Below.) offers restrooms, short mowed trails, vistas, and an overlook area. There is also an old paved road down to the river which could be used to launch canoes and kayaks, but it’s a challenging carry down to and back up from the river.