The Spectacular View from the Ledge!

October 31, 2023  |  Topics: Places

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By Eddee Daniel

Although the primary attraction of Dodge County’s Ledge Park is its remarkable rock formations, there are plenty of other reasons for making the 55-minute drive from Milwaukee to get there. Timing matters. The day I visited the autumn colors were at least as spectacular as the view from the crest of the cliff. As you can see from the photos!

I parked next to the picnic shelter at the bottom of the cliff in order to get the full experience of climbing to the top. Ledge Park had been on my to-do list for quite a while, but this was my first visit. One of the unexpected attractions, I learned from the map at the trailhead kiosk, was the approximately two and a half miles of looping trails, not only along the top and bottom of the cliff, but through the then gloriously golden forest as well. I was also surprised to see that it has a 41-site campground with a plethora of amenities.

Before heading upslope, I dutifully contemplated in front of an enormous maple tree conveniently identified as a “Contemplation Tree.” My thoughts ranged from “how silly to single out one tree” to “how green this particular maple remains while so many others bore such radiant raiment” to “how small this giant tree seems at the base of this cliff!” And my own relatively puny scale to boot. I guess the sign worked for me despite my skepticism.

The climb was steep but not long. Most of the slope is not sheer cliff, except at the very top where the dolomite cap of the Niagara Escarpment breaks through the surrounding landscape. This was not my first visit to the escarpment, nor the most sensational—Niagara Falls itself takes that cake. But as I explored the deep crevices and caves I found it plenty satisfying.

The escarpment, briefly, is a gargantuan ridge of Silurian-age dolomitic limestone. Its eastern terminus is near Rochester, NY. After crossing its famous namesake falls, it turns north into Canada, makes a great curve around Lakes Huron and Michigan, landing in Wisconsin along the Door Peninsula. In eastern Wisconsin it slowly recedes into the earth with prominent outcroppings at High Cliff State Park, Oakfield Ledges State Natural Area, and here at Ledge County Park. It makes a final, more diminutive appearance as far south as western Waukesha County at Brady’s Rocks in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Looking at a map of the escarpment, it seems a good bet that the Great Lakes were the result of a millennia-long conversation between the Niagara Escarpment and the glaciers.

A short wooden staircase led me up through a large crevice to the top, which had the appearance of the ragged edge of an unfinished jigsaw puzzle. At first whatever view there might have been was completely blocked by trees. I followed the trail north along the cliff edge. It rose gradually higher. Now and then a gap in the foliage offered a tantalizing view of Horicon Marsh in the distance. Then the cliff rose abruptly and I came to a broad open space at the top where a scenic overlook extended out right to the edge of the precipice. The wooden structure appeared newly built with a wheelchair accessible ramp all the way back through the woods to a paved parking lot.

Standing at the railing on the overlook, the view was breathtaking. It would be in any event, at any time. But at this moment autumn had painted the foreground of the stunning landscape with such a range of colors from verdant greens to brilliant oranges, deep reds, radiant yellows and rich sienna browns. The ochre swath of Horicon Marsh lay beyond, almost an afterthought. And above it all an approaching storm energized the entirety of the vast sky. Even the panoramic photo I managed to get with my cell phone, which is happily lovely, can only begin to suggest the power of this landscape.

I spent three hours there on a week day and saw only a few other people. A pair of young newlyweds with a professional photographer using the view as a backdrop. A stout older gentleman with twin walking sticks who confided to me that he was there building up strength in his legs after hip replacement surgery. A young mother who was having as much fun as her two boys clambering over the rocks at the lip of the cliff. If I hadn’t been leery of the impending storm so clearly visible and growing steadily more immense, I might have made a day of the trip by heading from there over to Horicon Marsh.

For more information about Ledge Park go to the Dodge County website.

For a map of Ledge Park, click here.

For more information about the Niagara Escarpment in Wisconsin go to the WI Ledge website.

Related stories:

Hiking the Niagara Escarpment on National Trails Day: Oakfield Ledges SNA

Maquoketa: Reaching Deep into the Niagara

Hawthorn Glen: A Hidden Gem Awaiting Discovery

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks.

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