If you are up for a hike a short drive from the Madison, Wisconsin area, and like quiet secluded places- we must recommend you head for Pewits Nest at some point.
We recently had a great day exploring this small, natural area near Baraboo. If you enjoy Wisconsin’s great outdoors, you’ve probably been to the nearby state park at Devil’s Lake. But Pewits Nest is much less popular, and therefore much less crowded. In fact, finding Pewits Nest can be a bit of a trick because there are no signs for it on the road. You could easily drive right past its unmarked dusty parking lot- so make sure you check your maps carefully so you know where to look.
Tip: Although less popular than many natural areas, it is still a good idea to arrive early in the day if you want to have the place to yourselves for a bit. And there are NO public restrooms.
The trail from the parking lot begins as a wide flat path going through a quiet little forest, but soon the path narrows as rugged cliff sides begin to rise on one side. Soon enough you are surrounded on three sides by tall cliffs, with a fast but shallow creek running through the middle.
It was simply beautiful.
With no trail map available, we went into exploring mode and followed the trails as far as they seemed to go. We enjoyed rock hopping in the creek and tried to find a trail to the waterfall, which we could just barely see through an opening in the cliffs. We found ample signs of wild animals and saw many beautiul trees and native plants.
We left with a firm desire to go back and explore further- even our dog thought this place was the bees knees as she channeled her inner puppy, keen to check out each nook and cranny.
Tip 2: Dogs are permitted but must be leashed at all times. All plants and animals in Pewits Nest are protected- so leave them alone!
On the way out, we met a truly interesting group of people in the parking lot- but we’ll share that story another day.