BARABOO – Devil’s Lake State Park is now 100 acres larger, thanks to a land purchase that is expanding the popular recreation area to include the second-highest point in Sauk County.
The Department of Natural Resources on April 2 completed the purchase of a new L-shaped parcel of land for $325,000 from conservation nonprofit The Conservation Fund. The land is to the northeast of the park’s most popular entrance.
Funds from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program covered the DNR’s acquisition cost.
The purchase has been in the works for years, said Clint Miller, regional director for The Conservation Fund, and will help conserve the landscape for future generations to enjoy, instead of allowing it to become a new housing development.
“This is a generational project. This is an opportunity,” Miller said. “What if they had carved it up? Once you start carving up (the land) and putting Humpty Dumpty back together again, it’s so difficult.”
Miller said The Conservation Fund last year was helped by anonymous donors to purchase the land at an auction, and for the first time in his 17-year career, the organization won. In turn, it was able to sell the land to the DNR at a discounted price to be added to the state park.
“You know, maybe the park would have gotten an opportunity someday to buy some of it, or all of it, but it would have been at a substantially higher cost, and sewing it back together would be difficult,” he said.
The new land could be used in the future to expand the state’s popular Ice Age Trail that cuts through the park.
The new land boasts scenic views of the bluffs surrounding Devil’s Lake, and on clear days, you may even be able to see as far as 40 miles south, Miller said.
The property originally was home to a dairy operation that likely shut down decades ago. Since then, the property was used to produce hay or other crops. Since it was purchased, The Conservation Fund removed the dilapidated home, barns and other buildings. The DNR will have a fresh start on the land, and will be able to install hiking trails or other recreational attractions in the coming years.
Miller said it’s likely that nature will be able to take over the parts that have been clear-cut. He said he saw what looked to be prairie grasses growing last summer when he was surveying the land.
Knowles-Nelson program set to expire
In a press release, the DNR celebrated the new purchase.
“Devil’s Lake State Park is a gem that is unmatched, drawing nearly 2.3 million visitors in 2025,” DNR Secretary Karen Hyun said. “This expansion, made possible by the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, means that visitors can access even more breathtaking views.”
The purchase comes as the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program faces its end in the coming months. Lawmakers refused to reauthorize the program this spring, before they left Madison for the rest of the year to campaign.
The last time Devil’s Lake expanded was in 2021, when the DNR purchased 220 acres for $1.64 million.
That land parcel was previously owned by the Alex and Alma Steuben family for more than 100 years, and expanded the park to include an additional 1,500 feet of frontage along U.S. Highway 12. It is surrounded on the north, west and east by parkland. Land to the south is owned by the Ho-Chunk Nation.
The purchase consisted mostly of old-growth hardwood trees and was highly walkable.
Devil’s Lake became Wisconsin’s third state park in 1911, after years of encouragement from residents in the area. The park comprises more than 9,400 acres and contains some of Wisconsin’s most unique features along its hiking trails, such as the Devil’s Doorway rock formation.
The park, about an hour from Madison, boasts 500-foot bluffs, a 360-acre lake and nearly 30 miles of hiking trails. Often, the park is full to the brim with families hiking, camping, swimming and kayaking, as well as snowshoeing in the winter.
The park draws about 2.5 million visitors a year and is consistently one of the state’s most popular parks.
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Devil’s Lake State Park expands by 100 acres, adding new views
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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