Wisconsin State Parks to Open May 1

Earlier this morning, Governor Evers directed the WI DNR to reopen 34 state parks (including Devils Lake and Governor Dodge) starting on May 1. There are some special conditions that go along with the parks opening, such as:

-Visitors may be denied entry to parks if the park reaches its "pre-determined safety capacity"
-Restrooms at all state properties will be closed
-Annual park sticker required to visit state parks (no day passes)
-Parks to be closed every Wednesday for maintenance and upkeep
-Attractions where social distancing cannot be achieved will be closed "as needed"
-Campsites will remain closed
 
Thoughts on opening up Wisconsin state parks? Is it too soon? Will it be feasible to be socially distant at Devils Lake? What does this mean for the climbing community?

Personally, I'll be staying at home for a while. I'm fortunate to be able to have the knowledge and access to climbing in the first place. I can wait a while longer and I think you can, too.

Read the official press release here:
https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WIGOV/bulletins/288b97a 

I am all for not impacting smaller communities.  Driving up and spreading whatever came from my town to their town is exactly the opposite of what we are trying to do.  

But when I think through the impact of traveling to Devil's lake, I get hung up on "a rule of thumb suggested by the American Hiking Society is to stay within about 50 miles of your home so that you can avoid stopping for gas, snacks, restroom breaks, etc., none of which allow for social distancing..." ( iceagetrail.org/hike-respon…)

It is further than 50mi for me, but I can get there and back without stopping for gas.  I can also pack snacks.  I honestly wouldn't need to stop anywhere.  (I might need an extra gas stop in the grand scheme of life, but I can do it in my local community -- pay at the pump with a mask and gloves.)

So my impact is "visiting the park," but that seems to be the point of reopening them.  If the park is full, I turn around and drive back.

 I am interested in other's thoughts on my thought process of being able to travel to devil's lake with very low impact to that community.

I am not saying I have made up my mind to go climbing.  The consequence of an accident is a hospital visit, and that definitely has an impact on a different community.  And, as a lot of people have said in other threads: quarantine (seems) to be temporary, lost access would be a much bigger hurdle.

Stay safe everyone! 

Note that there will be new rules in the northern WI state parks, as well as those that were previously closed.  You may be turned away if you arrive late and there are already a lot of people there.  And if a lot of people show up behind you, you should have some plan for maintaining social distancing.

Have a contingency plan, or there is a very good chance you will have a frustrating time.

Also worth noting that the parks close at 7pm now, rather than 11pm.

Tyler, my experience at DL after the Emergency Order but before the closure was that many of the trails were a hard place to socially distance in the middle of the day - CCC trail, Potholes trail, Balanced Rock trail, Tumbled Rocks trail, parts of the East Bluff trail.  But once I was off trail, things were much easier (I didn't try to visit the East Rampart).  I ended up using the boulder fields instead of the trails - puts the cliffs in a new perspective.

If you do go, bring your sense of patience and your sense of humor.  It won't be the experience you know and love, but with some ingenuity you can still have a good time.

Or consider this your prompt to go explore some less well known places.

Doug Hemken wrote: Tyler, my experience at DL after the Emergency Order but before the closure was that many of the trails were a hard place to socially distance in the middle of the day - CCC trail, Potholes trail, Balanced Rock trail, Tumbled Rocks trail, parts of the East Bluff trail.  But once I was off trail, things were much easier (I didn't try to visit the East Rampart).  I ended up using the boulder fields instead of the trails - puts the cliffs in a new perspective.

If you do go, bring your sense of patience and your sense of humor.  It won't be the experience you know and love, but with some ingenuity you can still have a good time.

Or consider this your prompt to go explore some less well known places.

Thanks for the insight Doug!

Tyler Y wrote:
So my impact is "visiting the park," but that seems to be the point of reopening them.  If the park is full, I turn around and drive back.

I think that being prepared to not climb is super important if you're planning on going out to an area that you think is a questionable distance from your home.  You should definitely be willing to turn around and go home without having climbed, whether that's because you got turned away at the gate, or just because the crowds are more than what you decided ahead of time to be too much.

Kind of like mountaineering, only substitute "crowds" for "weather" as an objective hazard you can't control.

I'm also going to be staying away from climbing for a bit even with the parks opening up. I saw something posted by Steph Davis recently that sums up some of what I've been feeling pretty well. Her post is more about base jumping, which is admitedly higher risk than climbing, but I think the same can apply to climbing vs lower risk acitivities like hiking, running, biking or just hanging out outside.

"The simple reality is the activity is much higher risk than many of the other activities I love to do. It would seem disrespectful of this community's sacrifice to choose to pursue my most high risk activities right now....The whole idea is to keep extra traffic out of the hospital, so I am making choices accordingly."

 Most people on here can also find joy in doing things outside besides climbing, that are lower risk and can be done in a way much more consistent with social distancing than climbing can be. You can go for a run or a bike ride around your neighborhood instead of driving a longer distance to get to state parks or the crag, and while everyone is making sacrifices, it's a relativly small one for us to shift our activities to something that contains less risk. 

Please note the last part of the Executive Order to reopen the State Parks specifically states nobody from Illinois will be admitted to any Wisconsin State Park until further notice.  

Doug Hemken wrote: Kind of like mountaineering, only substitute "crowds" for "weather" as an objective hazard you can't control.

I'm pretty sure this can be mitigated the same way ski resorts address avalanche risk. (With bundles of dynamite thrown from helicopters.)

Andrew Krajnik wrote:

I'm pretty sure this can be mitigated the same way ski resorts address avalanche risk. (With bundles of dynamite thrown from helicopters.)

Some of them use canons, don't they?  Another reason to wear a helmet ....

Doug Hemken wrote:

Some of them use canons, don't they?  Another reason to wear a helmet ....

I think you're right. In this case, I don't even think a cannon is strictly necessary. I bet something lower caliber would have the same effect.

So I know this is blasphemy to even dare ask but: when do you guys think it will be safe/copacetic for out of state climbers to visit the Lake?  I’m definitely staying away this weekend but not ruling it out in the future provided it can be done in a safe, responsible way that does not put the locals at risk.  A few thoughts:
1) It is possible to make the trip there and back from Chicago on one tank of gas if you fill up on the way out of town.
2) Existing Capacity limitations would naturally curb prevent out of towners from overcrowding.  If I were to go I would probably aim for an off day like a weekday to avoid driving all the way up there and being turned around.  

Ted you’ve been to the lake enough to be an honorary local. Weekdays seem like a good plan. Have fun and be safe. Cheers. 

A serious reply, before the rabble piles on?

- As a day trip?

- What would you do if you drove all that way and found the Park was at capacity and there was no parking?  If you  would not be willing to turn around and drive straight back home, it's probably not "local."  Knowing myself, I'd have a really hard time driving that far and then bailing if conditions at the trailheads were too crowded, especially since I'd be able to find an empty climbing area any time - it wouldn't really be a local trip if it were me.

Haha thanks, Chris.  I know others might not see it that way and wouldn’t want to presume which is why I thought it worth asking.

Doug Hemken wrote: A serious reply, before the rabble piles on?

- As a day trip?

- What would you do if you drove all that way and found the Park was at capacity and there was no parking?  If you  would not be willing to turn around and drive straight back home, it's probably not "local."  Knowing myself, I'd have a really hard time driving that far and then bailing if conditions at the trailheads were too crowded, especially since I'd be able to find an empty climbing area any time - it wouldn't really be a local trip if it were me.

Most likely a day trip at this point.  Overnight would be hard to swing without potentially risking contact.  If the Park was closed we’d turn around - hence why I want to avoid weekends.  Could possibly keep in mind backups (e.g: bring a pad for Gov Dodge), but my sense is that smaller crags like Necedah will probably be worse and more susceptible to overcrowding.

If you are there first thing in the morning, during the week, your chances of finding a quiet crag currently look good to me.   The CCC lot never filled up yesterday, but I image that won't stay true for very many weeks - it was not true before the Park closed (part of the reason it was closed).  Your mileage WILL vary.

I'm far out of state in Tennessee but I'm hoping to get up to the Devils Lake around the end of the month. I've got a family lake house in Merrimac that I'm hoping to base out of for a few weeks. My plan is to avoid the park on the weekend and holidays and have made a list of climbs that have intrested me but were always too remote to get to. My roommate/belay partner is also unemployed so we have plenty of time and can call off climbing if it is crowded.  

Ted.  Don't visit on a Wednesday.  DLSTP is closed on Wednesdays.  Also.... make sure you take care of The Biz outside the park before entering because there are absolutely NO bathrooms avaliabe in the park.  One more thing.  Get there early... the park closes officially right now at 7pm.

I went to Minor Mass with a friend yesterday and got in a nice multi pitch day of 500 ft.  Only saw one other party and we stayed well away from each other.  We made approach and descent straight up the boulder field to avoid mixing with folks on Potholes trail.  Beautiful day.