Dells of Eau Claire 2025 06

Friday my wife and I where traveling to a nice little vacation away from everything. On the way to our destination I found a nice little park called the Dells of Eau Claire County Park.

Key Features

• Stunning Geological Formations: The park is famous for its ancient volcanic rock palisades and potholes carved into the rock by the Eau Claire River. These Precambrian-age rhyolite schist formations are around 1.8 billion years old and are tilted to near-vertical positions in places.
• Waterfalls and Rapids: The Eau Claire River cascades over and around weathered boulders and outcrops, creating picturesque waterfalls and rapids within a rocky gorge.
• Swimming Beach: A dam upstream from the falls creates an impoundment that provides a sandy swimming beach, perfect for cooling off on warm days.
• Extensive Hiking Trails: The park boasts several nature trails along the banks of the Eau Claire River, offering great views of the rock formations and water. A portion of the Ice Age Trail, a national scenic trail, also runs through the park.
• Camping Facilities: The park offers a campground with both electric and non-electric sites, suitable for tents and trailers. Each site includes a picnic table and fire ring.
• Picnic Areas and Shelters: There are designated picnic areas with scattered tables and grills, as well as reservable enclosed and open shelters, providing options for gatherings.
• Wildlife and Flora: The forested areas, river banks, and gorge support a northern mesic forest featuring hemlock, sugar maple, yellow birch, mountain maple, and abundant Canada yew.
• Historical Significance: The park has a rich history, with initial development plans in the 1920s and significant contributions from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s and 40s, including stone steps and a footbridge built from rocks from the gorge. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
• State Natural Area Designation: The Dells of the Eau Claire River was designated a State Natural Area in 1973, recognizing its significant natural features and ecological value.
• Recreational Opportunities: Beyond hiking and swimming, visitors can also enjoy activities like fishing in the Eau Claire River (which is home to various fish species including Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye, and Catfish), playing on the playground equipment, and observing the natural beauty year-round.

Review

The Dells of Eau Claire is a small park south west of Antigo. I found the park while looking for ways to disguise our route to our hotel. The destination was a surprise for my wife.

So initially I had no clue what this park would be like. We were pleasantly surprised to find a waterfall right off the road. Turning off of County Highway Y we drove around the playground and past the group camp site to get to the parking lot closest to the waterfall.

Getting out of the car we noticed the wheel chair accessible path to the falls. There are several ways to get down to the falls. Besides the paved path, there is also a stairway made with locally sourced rocks. There are also crushed red granite paths that lead throughout the park.

The Eau Claire river flows through the park. Up stream from the falls is a beach on the reservoir created by the Vogel Dells Dam. A walk way built above the dam connects the trails north and south of the river.

Then the river runs under the highway and through the small falls. Beyond the falls the river travels through the Dells and under another bridge.

There are multiple trails that run through the park. That day though we chose to follow the north river trail and the south river trail.

After walking down the paved trail to the falls we took some pictures from an observation area. We then moved down closer to the falls. There are warning signs about the danger of swimming in the river, however they allow you to climb on the rocks near the falls.

We then started to hike down the North River trail. As we hike down the trail we look down on the river about 20 feet below us. Under the falls the river continues to flow over rapids.

Eventually the path drops down from the ridge. At this point we found a small cave covered in graffiti. Here the trail ran right along the river for a short time.

Eventually we came to a rocky stairway leading back up to the top of the ridge. This part of the path lead to the southern bridge.

The southern walking bridge looked as though it was built on an old railroad trestle. Crossing the bridge we decided to walk back along the river on the Southern River Trail.

The South River Trail stays near the river for most of its length. So we slowly walked up the river stopping briefly to take pictures as we went. Eventually we got back to the Falls.

At this point there is a railing keeping you back from the falls. With signs indicating the area on the other side of the railing is closed off from visitors.

We continued up to the highway. We crossed the road and continued to follow the trail. Reaching the dam we used the walkway built over the dam to return to the North River Trail. At that point we followed the North River Trail back to the falls.

The Dells of Eau Claire is a nice county park. The trails are mostly the crushed red granite. With the exception of the paved trail down to the falls.

There are multiple points in the park where small streams lead to the river. The park has small bridges built over these streams. They are built with slabs of rock from the park.

We enjoyed our time at the park. The only issue we found though was the outhouse bath rooms near the parking lot.

Let me know if you have ever been or heard of the Dells of Eau Claire. And thank you again for reading.