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High Cliff State Park

This park of 1,145 acres rests on limestone cliffs overlooking Lake Winnebago. History and geology buffs will want to visit the park to learn about effigy mound builders, lime kiln, quarry operations, camping and the scenic overlook. N7630 State Park Road, Sherwood 54169. (920) 989-1106.

Directions: High Cliff State Park is 9 miles east of Menasha on State Highway 114. (From Menasha, Highway 114 starts as US Highway 10 and branches off to the southeast.) Turn south off Highway 114 at Pigeon Road and go about 1.6 miles to the State Park Road. Turn left (east) on State Park Road to the park entrance. To reach the park from the south, take US Highway 151 north from Fond du Lac about 18 miles. Continue north on Wisconsin Highway 55 to Sherwood. Turn left (west) on State Highway 55/114. Stay on Highway 114 for about 2 miles to Pigeon Road. Turn left (south) on Pigeon Road and go about 1.6 miles to the State Park Road. Turn left (east) on State Park Road to the park entrance.

Features: High Cliff is the only state-owned recreational area on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin's largest lake. The park has a marina, historic sites, a campground, picnic areas and shelters, a beach, watchable wildlife, an observation tower, and play areas. Many facilities including a specially-designed cabin, are accessible for people with disabilities. High Cliff gets its name from the limestone cliff of the Niagara Escarpment, which parallels the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago. This ledge extends northeasterly to the Door County peninsula and on to Niagara Falls, New York. From the vantage point of the cliff, and especially from the 40-foot observation tower, you can see the cities of Appleton, Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, and Kaukauna. A 125-acre area within the 1,147-acre park is designated as a state natural area, recognizing its excellent cliff environments, an undisturbed wet-mesic forest, and more than a mile of Lake Winnebago shoreline. Effigy mounds are important archaeological features.

Campground: (recommended sites in red) High Cliff State Park has 112 regular (family) campsites, 32 of them with electric hookups, and eight group sites. New for 2005, the park also has a specially-designed accessible cabin for people with disabilities.
Most of the sites in the 1-52 loop are wooded and shady and separated by small trees and shrubs. The sites are all pretty similar with the exception of size. Smaller shady sites include numbers 1-3, 5, 12, 13, 16, 17-21, 26 (handicapped), 27, 29-33, 35-37, 38 and 39 (partial lake-views), 50, and 51. Medium-sized shady sites include 4, 10, 11, 28, 34, 40-44, 45-49, and 52. Site 4 (photo) is typical of the medium-sized shady sites. Sites 24/25 (photo) make up a good medium-sized double with a partial lake-view, similar to double site 22/23. Other smaller doubles in this loop are sites 6/7, 8/9 and 14/15. Site 38 (photo) and site 39 (photo) are both smaller shady sites that have partial lake-views and good access to the Red Bird Trail (photo) that runs along the cliff behind them. Behind site 39 is a stairs which leads down to the limestone cliffs along the Lime Kiln Trail. Site 43 is a large shady site with large boulders around it. Sites in the 50s are near the showers and the playground area.
In the 53-112 loop, small shady sites include numbers 53-61, 73, 78-81, 84, and 104. Medium shady sites include 62-72, 74-77, 82, 83, 87-103, and 105-112. Site 70 (photo) and site 68 are medium-sized sites with a partial lake-view. Sites 72 is near the toilets and a water fountain. Site 83 (photo) is a medium-sized site on a small hill. Site 87 (photo) and sites 88 and 90 are medium-sized sites with lake-views through the trees, close to the Red Bird Trail which runs along the cliff behind them. Site 94 (photo) and sites 92, 96, 98, 99, 101, 103, 106, 107, and 109 are all medium-sized shady sites with a sunny field behind them. Medium-sized double-sites 110/111 get a little sun that filters through the trees. At the end of the loop is a nice handicapped-accessible cabin (photo).

Map of High Cliff State Park            Map of High Cliff State Park Campground

Hiking Trails: High Cliff has two hiking trails and two self-guided nature trails:
Lime-Kiln Trail: (2.3 miles) starts in the paved parking lot by the lime kiln ruins or in the family campground. This generally level trail follows the lake. On the return it follows the side of the escarpment, with steep climbs, descents, and stairways. Not all of the trail is surfaced.
Red Bird Trail: (3.7 miles) is High Cliff's longest trail. Near the trailhead is a memorial to the Winnebago Chief Red Bird (photo), who successfully kept his tribe at peace with European settlers whiles wars erupted elsewhere. It is gentle except for a couple of steep slopes in the quarry. It goes past the family campground and has several access points. I spotted several black squirrels (photo) in this area.
Forest Management Trail: (1.3 miles) starts behind the pavilion. As you follow this self-guided trail, compare managed and unmanaged woodlots. Fifteen stops are interpreted. For landowners interested in woodlot management, a 25-stop guide is available at the park office.
Indian Mound Trail: (.3 mile) is a limestone-surfaced trail suitable for visitors with disabilities. View effigy mounds (photo) built by Indians 1,500 years ago. The trail has nine interpretive signs describing these early people.

Horse Trails: High Cliff has 8.5 miles of bridle trails, looping the length of the park. Horse rentals are not available at the park.

Bike Trails: Bicycles are allowed on the horse trail, and a portion of the Red Bird Trail. All park roads also are open to bicycles. Roads are heavily traveled, so always be alert and ready to stop quickly. In-line skates are permitted on park roads except where posted closed.

Boating: Lake Winnebago offers unlimited opportunities for boating. The park's marina (photo) has four launching ramps and slips for 95 boats. Occupants may remain overnight aboard boats moored in the Marina. Seasonal phone for the marina is (920) 989-1349.

Fishing: Both a pond and Lake Winnebago have fish for you to catch. The pond may yield northern pike, largemouth bass, or panfish. Fish for walleye, or white bass on the lake. You'll need a Wisconsin fishing license.

Swimming: High Cliff's sand beach (photo) is unguarded. The bathhouse has flush toilets, showers, changing areas, and open shelters.

Observation Tower: Near the pavilion is a 40-foot high observation tower (photo) that offers panoramic views (photo) of the lake and surrounding countryside.

Wildlife: The most common mammals observed here are fox and gray squirrels, raccoons, skunks, opossums, deer, and woodchucks, 13-striped ground squirrels, chipmunks, mice, shrews, and bats. Present, but rarely seen, are red fox, weasels, and mink. High Cliff is a premier area to watch the warbler migration in the spring. A bird brochure is available at the park office.

Park History: Earliest Times: The Niagara Escarpment, often called "the ledge," was formed by the settling and hardening of limy ooze at the bottom of the Silurian Sea, which covered much of Wisconsin nearly 400 million years ago. Later, the flat-lying dolomite was tilted downward to the southeast by earth forces, leaving its higher western edge exposed at the earth's surface.
Between 1,000 and 1,500 years ago, nomadic Siouan Indians built effigy mounds in what is now the park. There are four panther-shaped mounds, two buffalo-shaped mounds, conical mounds, and a linear mound. As long ago as the 1880s, this area was noted for its breathtaking views of Lake Winnebago.
Quarry Years: From 1895 to 1956, a limestone quarry and a kiln to extract the lime from the stone operated here. Workers drilled holes in the stone and used dynamite to blast it loose. The lime extracted in the kiln was sent throughout the Midwest for use in plaster and cement and to apply to soil to reduce acidity. Other limestone from the quarry was used for brick mortar and crushed into gravel. Horses pulled dump wagons of limestone to an area above the kiln until 1946, when they were replaced by a dump truck. As many as 40 people worked at the operation, including drillers, a blasting specialist, stone crushers, teamsters, barrel makers, laborers, and a blacksmith. Many were recent immigrants from Hungary. In its heyday, the lime industry supported a small "company town" consisting of 16 houses for workers, a store (including a post office, telegraph office, and company office), and a tavern, all owned by the Western Lime and Cement Co. All that remains today are the store, where you can find a collection of more local history as well as refreshments, and ruins of the kiln.

Other Highlights: High Cliff has four picnic areas with tables, grills, water, and rest rooms. Three open-air shelters and an enclosed pavilion may be reserved for a fee. The general store/museum/nature center is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day. High Cliff offers educational field trips for groups, by reservation, during the fall, winter, and spring. The park has a volleyball court, ball diamonds, and play equipment.

Cliffs along the Lime Kiln Trail