Descriptive Essay: Devil's Lake State Park

In a southern Wisconsin state park, a small lake is surrounded by three towering bluffs coated in trees and fallen rocks. The water, cool and greenish-blue, wraps around the more heavily travelled East bluff in the shape of an elderly man’s ear. Watercraft, swimmers, fisherman and children in floaties are seen in and about the lake. Picnic areas along with sand volleyball courts and scattered trees lie between the parking lot and lakeshore. A charming shop for renting watercraft, equipment and toys rests just a few strides from the water. This place is known as Devil’s Lake State Park. For years now, families from all over the country and world have explored the park. Some come for the sights and trails up the East and West bluffs while others

This advanced party for many years consisted of my two cousins, Haley and Max, my uncle Scott, my father David, my sister Whitney and, of course, me. Arriving around 8:00 in the morning after a roughly 45 minute drive from my uncle’s house, we gathered picnic tables arranging them in a u-pattern, cleaned the area of trash and sticks, and awaited the arrival of more family. Most of my family sleeps longer than the morning lasts on the weekends and therefore tend to come closer to lunch time. Once people begin to show up and the tables fill up with various foods and treats the picnic begins! Then, after eating, we gather a crew and hike up the East bluff. I have been doing this for years now and I know each step, hole, sightseeing spot, tourist attraction and nest on the path up. We depart from the picnic area down a walking path towards the woods at the base of the bluff. Once in the woods there lies a single railroad rarely travelled this time of year. Crossing over this railroad is necessary to reach the main trail up the East bluff, the Balanced Rock trail. Near the top of this trail is a natural rock formation that gives the trail its name. A massive boulder is balanced on the edge of the bluff. This rock has been there for years without moving. Understandably,