Hike Location: Roche-A-Cri State Park
Geographic Location: north of Adams, WI (44.00346, -89.82130)
Length: 3 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: June 2018
Overview: A steep climb to Roche-A-Cri followed by a fairly
flat hike around Roche-A-Cri.
Park Information: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/rocheacri
Directions to the trailhead: The entrance to Roche-A-Cri
State Park is located on the west side of SR 13 3.2 miles north of Adams or 1.6
miles south of SR 13’s intersection with SR 21.
Enter the park, pay the entrance fee, and drive the one-way park loop
road 0.6 miles to the parking area for the Top of the Rocks Trail on the right.
The hike: Central
Wisconsin is dotted with tall, flat-topped, and cliff-sided rock islands that
stand many feet above the surrounding flat land. These rock islands formed at the end of the
last ice age when water draining from glacial Lake Wisconsin eroded surrounding
sediment away. While the Wisconsin Dells
in the Wisconsin River are the most famous and most visited of these rock
islands, Roche-A-Cri is one of the largest of them. Roche-A-Cri is a French word that translates
to “crevice in the rock.” This rock island
earned this name from French explorers during the 17th and 18th
centuries due to a large cleft in the rock’s structure that is visible from
several vantage points.
The land
came under state ownership in 1938 when the Wisconsin State Highway Commission acquired
it as a roadside rest area for SR 13.
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) did considerable work here, and in
1948 the property was transferred to the state’s Conservation Commission. The park has only a 41-site campground, a
playground, some picnic areas, and a few trails for amenities, and thus it
receives relatively few visitors. The
hike described here features the Acorn Trail, which offers a grand circle tour
of the park’s interesting sites, but also takes you to the top of Roche-A-Cri
for the park’s most famous viewpoint.
Note that although the park lists the Acorn Trail at 3.5 miles long, the
distances I have given here are more accurate based on my observations.
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| Start of Top of the Rock Trail |
There are
several places where you could start the Acorn Trail. To do the steep climb to the top of
Roche-A-Cri first, I chose to start at the signed Top of the Rock Trail’s
trailhead on the west side of Roche-A-Cri.
The Top of the Rock Trail quickly reaches the base of the rock, where
you start climbing the stairway that leads to the top. The original stairway up Roche-A-Cri was made
of wood and dated to 1992, but the metal stairway you climb today was built in
2012.
303 steps
and nearly 200 vertical feet later, you reach the flat top of Roche-A-Cri. A left curve brings you to the main overlook,
which offers vistas to the north and west.
Because Roche-A-Cri is the highest point for many miles in these
directions, the views are spectacular. An
interpretive sign describes the layers of rock that make up Roche-A-Cri and how
crumbly some of these rocks are. Take
some time to enjoy the views and learn of the area’s geologic history.
 |
| View north from Roche-A-Cri |
 |
| View west from Roche-A-Cri |
The Top of
the Rock Trail ends at this viewpoint, so next you must descend back down the
steps to return to the parking area that contains your car. If all you want to see is the view from
Roche-A-Cri, you can end your visit now.
To also do a “real” hike, find the Acorn Trail by heading west across
the park loop road to find a sign bearing a park trail map and the universal
hiking symbol. Walk west on an old road
between some vault toilets on the right and a picnic area on the left to reach
the signed intersection with the Acorn Trail, which goes right and left. Turn left to begin a counterclockwise journey
around the Acorn Trail, a hiking trail that doubles as a cross country ski
trail in the winter.
 |
| Spur that leads to the Acorn Trail |
The grass/dirt
trail heads south through an area with short oak and pine trees and a dense
grassy understory. Where the signed
Eagle Ridge Trail exits left to head for an alternate trailhead, stay right to
remain on the Acorn Trail. Although the
Acorn Trail is not blazed, most intersections are signed, and the wide route is
easy to follow.
At 0.5 miles, the trail curves left
through a sunny area that features some taller pine trees and some prairie
plants. Soon you reenter the woods. Ignore a trail exiting right that leads to
the winter/prairie parking area.
 |
| Hiking the Acorn Trail |
Near 1 mile into the hike you reach
a confusing unsigned trail intersection on the bank of Carter Creek, a
slow-moving tannin-colored creek with some rocks placed along its bank to
stabilize the creek’s channel. The trail
going straight is the Spring Peeper Trail; it leads to the park office. The Acorn Trail turns left here to reach the
park loop road’s parking lot for the petroglyphs. This parking lot would be an alternate
starting place for the Acorn Trail if the Top of the Rock Trail’s parking lot
is full.
Cross the
park road and head up some wooden steps to reach the petroglyphs carved into
the south face of Roche-A-Cri. These
rock pictures are 400-1100 years old, but some more recent graffiti also
appears on this rock face. Some
interpretive signs tell of the petroglyphs and the people who left them here.
 |
| Petroglyphs on Roche-A-Cri |
Past the
rock face, look for the sign that marks where the Acorn Trail heads north
toward the park’s campground. The next
segment of trail passes between the campground on the right and Roche-A-Cri on
the left, and it represents the Acorn Trail’s closest approach to Roche-A-Cri. Ignore the campground spur that exits right
and the Mound Trail that exits left.
Just shy of 1.4 miles, you cross
the park loop road again. Continuing
north through more oak/pine forest, at 1.8 miles you reach Chickadee Rock, a
tall bumpy rock outcrop that is a very small version of Roche-A-Cri. The Chickadee Rock Nature Trail exits left
here, so you need to stay right to continue following the Acorn Trail.
 |
| Chickadee Rock |
Next the trail heads into the
park’s northwest corner. Vehicle traffic
from nearby county roads will be heard in this area. At 2.3 miles, you enter an interesting yellow
birch planting that features many young yellow birch trees. More winding brings you to the close of the
Acorn Trail’s loop. Turn left to head
back through the picnic area to the Top of the Rock Trail parking lot to
complete the hike.
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