Devil's Lake Climbing

This digital Devil's Lake climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Devil's Lake days smoother, safer, and more dialed.

Devil’s Lake State Park is located at the heart of the Baraboo Hills in southern Wisconsin. It is one of the most popular state parks in the area and is mostly known for its beautiful crystal clear lake and numerous hiking trails that scale the bluffs on either side. There is also a long and storied history of rock climbing in the park. Documentation of climbing on the quartzite cliffs surrounding the lake started in the 1920s. Bouldering itself became popular when John Gill visited the park in ~1958. He established “The Little Flatiron,” which stands as a standard test-... Show more

This digital Devil's Lake climbing guidebook gives you GPS navigation, verified topos, and beta for hundreds of climbs. Explore classics and hidden gems with offline access to maps, directions, and beta videos. Whether it's your first visit or fiftieth, KAYA makes your Devil's Lake days smoother, safer, and more dialed. Devil’s Lake State Park is located at the heart of the Baraboo Hills in southern Wisconsin. It is one of the most popular state parks in the area and is mostly known for its beautiful crystal clear lake and numerous hiking trails that scale the bluffs on either side. There is also a long and storied history of rock climbing in the park. Documentation of climbing on the quartzite cliffs surrounding the lake started in the 1920s. Bouldering itself became popular when John Gill visited the park in ~1958. He established “The Little Flatiron,” which stands as a standard test-piece V4 to this day. The generations that followed John Gill have each contributed a unique vision to the park. From establishing trailside classics, such as “The Zipper” and “Big Bud” to exploring the far reaches of the South Bluff, then to eventually discovering the massive potential of the talus fields. Today, there is still extensive development occurring. Some of the best and hardest ascents in the park have gone up within the last decade, and there appears to be no end in sight. Overall, Devil’s Lake is a great place to visit as a new climber looking to enjoy a beautiful and unique setting or as an experienced climber looking to try hard. The rock at Devil’s Lake, Baraboo Quartzite, is metamorphic and thought to be approximately 1.6 billion years old. During the Precambrian Era, the area that now makes up the Baraboo Range existed as a shallow sea near the equator. The sand that was deposited there was eventually subjected to intense pressure and heat, forming the dense quartzite we see today. The unique purple color comes from the presence of iron and other impurities. Many find climbing here to be a frustrating experience that takes time to master. The style is generally technical and unforgiving, due to the glassy nature of the rock. This, and it being an old-school area, can make grades feel sandbagged at first. Conditions also seem to be a more influential factor here than other places. Crisp days in the shoulder seasons are the best times to try hard, though many enjoy climbing year round. Local Ethics: Quartzite is far more resistant than other rocks and normally dries within a few hours after rain in exposed areas of talus. Be mindful of brushing tick marks. Please clean up after yourself (and pick up other’s trash if you can!). No fires. No dispersed camping. Purchase the paper book(s): Devil's Lake Bouldering: https://kdanielspublishing.com/cart/index.php/guide-books/devils-lake-bouldering.html MN & WI Bouldering: https://escapeclimbing.com/products/ecxbo02 Devil’s Lake is centrally located in the state and normally accessed via US HWY-12. It’s about an hour from Madison, two hours from Milwaukee, two and a half hours from Green Bay, and three hours from Chicago (depending on traffic). Camping is only allowed in designated campsites (which need to be reserved through the park website or by calling) or in one of the many private campsites in the nearby area. The park is open from 6 AM to 11 PM year round. Summer months can be busy with other tourists, so arriving before 11am is recommended to secure a parking spot. Day passes or annual passes are required to enter the park and can be purchased at the main gates on either the North Shore or the South Shore. Access Issues: Many boulders at the park require some form of bushwhacking or talus scrambling to get to. Proper hiking shoes and a pair of long pants should be part of a boulderer’s kit. There are a few areas where the boulders are near private property. The guide normally addresses this when relevant, but please be aware of where you are hiking. Some of the adjacent landowners are known to be litigious.