rev:text
| - Great park, but definitely recommended for experienced hikers in decent shape. The elevation changes are a real ass killer. Very steep at times, you will be sore and very tired after! Biggest suggestion is spend $20 bucks, go on amazon, and get some retractable hiking sticks. They will really help you with balance here as some trails are steep, narrow, and very rocky. I brought one, wish I would have brought two. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! My friend and I went and only spent two hours here and felt like we were there for six hours. Trail 8 has great views and is very long. Trail 2 is basically a super rocky dry creek bed so avoid if you're concerned about twisting an ankle. Trail 5 is steep and tough to go down or up. I wish I could've spent a longer time here. Unfortunately, it had not rained in the area in about two weeks so the "falls" were merely a trickle. Everyone we ran into was very nice and everyone helped each other with figuring out the best routes. There is a big parking lot at the north gate with an open meadow and a rest room, with drinking fountains which was nice because you'll need plenty of water. If you take your pet, make sure they're in proper shape. The steepness of this park, glad I didn't take my dogs who are getting up there in age. I would have had to carry them. Next time I'll go earlier and possibly stay the night. Great place for potentially a two day overnight trip or camping. Find food in nearby Madison, about 5 minutes from the park. Trails are very rocky so I highly recommend hiking boots that go higher up on your ankle to avoid injury. In early October, no issues with insects, but we both sprayed ourselves down before we went. We did see one snake but it was going away from us. Pretty, bring your camera! If you're coming from I65, wait until you get to Madison to fuel up on gas and food. 4 stars because I think they could do a better job marking trails, and more areas for water.
|