Mill Bluff State Park - Mesas and Buttes in the Midwest

Story by Tom Straka
Photographs by Pat Straka

Many wonderful historical and natural sites are hidden along major highways. Mill Bluff State Park in Central Wisconsin is one of them. It is a spectacular landscape, typical more of the American West, with vistas of mesas, buttes, and pinnacles.  It isn't really that hidden, as Interstates 90/94 on the route between Chicago and Minneapolis, pass right through it near Camp Douglas, just before splitting up. The interstate only provides a glimpse; the vistas are worthy of a stop and considerable climb for a breathtaking view.    

 

Mill Bluff State Park has three types of formations. The large bluffs are called mesas and the smaller, sheerer bluffs are called buttes. The slender and even more sheerer bluffs are called pinnacles.   

The geology of the area is interesting. The park is part of the Upper Midwest's Driftless Region, an area the glaciers missed, and which time has allowed to form an area of beautiful ridges and valleys. The last glacier may have missed the area; however, the last stage of glaciation did impact the future park. At that time the Wisconsin River was blocked near Wisconsin Dells, and formed huge glacial Lake Wisconsin, which covered a large expanse. The park was within that expanse and many of the mesas and butts were islands in the glacial lake, while others were underwater. The side of the rocks were quickly eroded by wave action, forming the bluffs.

The bluffs are flat-topped, with cliffs on the side. This results from a cap of more resistant sandstone, with weathering tending to break off the rock in vertical fragments. The bluffs range from 80 to 200 feet in height. Erosion slowly wears away the underlying soft sandstone, and eventually the weight of the overlying rock cap results in it shattering and falling. Over an eon, the mounds will diminish until the entire cap is eroded, resulting in a conical hill which will blend into landscape. The bluffs contain rocks and boulders of different compositions than he local bedrock. These are called erractics. They were embedded in icebergs that floated into the bluffs and lodged into their sandy flanks.

The tall buttes of Mill Bluff were landmarks for settlers traveling west through Wisconsin and are often mentioned in their journals or diaries. Today, the beautiful scenery and buttes arouse traveler's curiosity to stop in for a closer look.

The park has ten named bluffs and several contain petroglyphs. Mill Bluff Trail is a 1.1 mile loop which includes the top of Mill Bluff with an observation deck. That sounds short, but includes a wickedly steep incline to get to the top. The trail to the top involves 223 stone steps, constructed in the 1930s by the Work Progress Administration.

A classic vista from the observation deck atop Mill Bluff. 

The climb up to the top of Mill Bluff is as steep as it looks and 230 steps quickly add up, but are definitely worth the effort.

There is a road system in the park which provides access (at least visual access) to the many bluffs. The bluffs look quite different close-up. Plus, the trails are an outdoor adventure in themselves. The park is not huge, so trail lengths are all fairly short.

Wildcat Bluff, vista from the paved road. One of the smaller bluffs.

 

It is fairly easy to get close to the base of several bluffs. They look pretty impressive standing at the base too.

Castle Rock is adjacent to the park and right off the main highway. It can't be missed. It is a well-known rock formation in the state and should not be missed.

 

Castle Rock

 

 

Author/Photographer. Tom Straka is an emeritus professor of forestry at Clemson University. He has an interest in history, forestry and natural resources, natural history, and the American West. Pat Straka is a consulting forester and the photographer on most of their travel articles. They reside in South Carolina, but have also lived in Mississippi and Virginia. 

 

 

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