Horicon Ledges Park ( a.k.a. Dodge County Ledges Park)
Ledge Park covers 83 acres along the Niagara Escarpment, a natural rock ledge which divides the park into upper and lower areas and provides a breathtaking overlook (photo) of the famous Horicon Marsh (photo) and the surrounding countryside. The upper portion is heavily wooded and offers expansive picnicking areas, group shelter, hiking trails, campsites, and the Fort Ledge Playground (photo). The lower portion also offers group shelters, picnic areas (photo), hiking trails and a playground. The hiking trails wind along the ledge, between and over interesting and unique rock formations (photo) and through heavily wooded areas. Ledge Park is a convenient place to stay while exploring the Horicon Marsh, the Wild Goose State Trail, the Horicon Aquatic Center or the many other attractions in Dodge County.
Directions: From HWY 33 (east of Horicon), take HWY TW north and travel 1 mile to Raasch's Hill Road. Turn right (east) onto Raasch's Hill Road and travel 3/4 mile to Park Road. Turn left (north) onto Park Road and travel 1/4 mile to the park entrance.
Campground: Ledge Park provides 46 campsites for the outdoor enthusiast. Electrical hookups are available on 22 of the sites. All sites are located under mature hardwoods.
The electric sites 1-22 are located in a loop near the upper picnic area and shelter, playground, volleyball court, and scenic lookout. Though the sites are shaded by large trees (photo), they are mostly open and offer little privacy (photo of sites 13-15). If you need electric service, two decent locations are site 20 (photo) and site 21 (photo), both near the scenic lookout picnic area and access to the Ledge Overlook Trail. The best campsites are the non-electric "letter" sites from A through W in the north loop. Site J (photo) is large, shady and set far back from the road.
Site P (photo) is medium-sized, shady, and surrounded by large trees; the vault toilet is across the road and the Ledge Trail is behind it. Site Q (photo), across the road is large, shady, and near the vault toilet on its own small loop with sites R (photo) and S (photo). Sites T (photo) and U are located on the Ledge side near the hiking trail on their own small loop. Site W (photo) is the last site in the loop, large and shady near the Ledge Trail and the Scenic Outlook. On summer weekends when the nearby Kettle Moraine North campgrounds are full, you can usually find a nice campsite at Ledge Park. If you like cliffs, caves (including ones you can crawl through), and the scenic Horicon Marsh, this is a great campground to visit.
Hiking Trails: Ledge Park provides over 2 miles of hiking trails winding throughout the 83-acre property. There are 4 distinct trail sections traversing the park:
Ledge Rocks Trails - trails winding up and down, over and through interesting outcroppings (photo) of the Limestone Ledge (Niagara Escarpment). Cave-like formations (photo) are common along this trail section. Some sections of this trail contain challenging terrain.
Extra caution is needed for children on this trail due to the steep drop-offs.
Ledge Overlook Trails - trails that provide scenic overlooks of the Horicon Marsh and the surrounding rural countryside (photo). Cliffs with 30'-50' drops are common along this trail section (photo). Some sections of this trail contain challenging terrain.
Extra caution is needed for children on this trail due to the steep drop-offs (photo).
Upper Woods Trails - trails that wind through the upper park woods. Trails are mostly wood chips and dirt surfaced and generally an easy hike.
Recommended for families with small children.
Lower Woods Trails - trails that lie at the foot of the Limestone Ledge in the lower part of the park. Trails connect the pond, lower picnic areas, "Contemplation Tree", spring fed creek and the Ledge Rocks Trails. Trails are mostly dirt and gravel surfaced and generally an easy hike.
Recommended for families with small children.
Picnic Areas: Ledge Park provides 2 picnic shelters and several acres of picnic areas for day-use enjoyment. The Ledge Park shelters have been used for weddings, scout outings, business and organization picnics, family reunions and other group gatherings.
Shelter #1 - Upper Ledge Area, features - Lights & Electric Outlets - Volleyball Court - FORT LEDGE Playground
- Open Play Area and Fire Pit Adjacent. Capacity: 80.
Shelter #2 - Lower Ledge Area, features - Horseshoe Pits - Playground and Pond - Trail Entrances - "Contemplation Tree" Adjacent. Capacity: 40,
Horicon Marsh:
Over 21,000 acres in size, Horicon National Wildlife Refuge is located on the west branch of the Rock River in southeastern Wisconsin and encompasses the northern two-thirds of Horicon Marsh. Horicon Marsh is a shallow, peat-filled lake bed gouged out by the Wisconsin Glacier about 12,000 thousand years ago. The headwaters of the Rock River, Horicon Marsh is 14 miles long and three-to-five miles wide. Branches of the Rock River, small and intermittent streams, and groundwater springs provide the water resources for the marsh (photo). At 32,000 acres in size, it is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States. In 1990, Horicon Marsh was designated a "Wetland of International Importance" by the Ramsar Convention. It has also been designated as a "Globally Important Bird Area" by the American Bird Conservancy and a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve.
Major land types identified on the refuge include wetland (about 17,000 acres), of which the majority is classified as deep, freshwater marsh, and upland (about 4,000 acres), including grassland habitat. Up to 200,000 Canada geese stage on the refuge on a peak day in fall. The refuge provides critical habitat for ducks, cranes, egrets, herons, marsh birds, and shore birds as well as several endangered species. Horicon National Wildlife Refuge supports the largest number of nesting redhead ducks in the eastern United States. Altogether, 223 species of birds call the refuge home. (Photo: Observation Platform at the Horicon Marsh Visitor Center).
View of the Horicon Marsh near the Marsh Visitor Center