Parfrey's Glen reopens today
Steve Schmelzer, interim superintendent for Devil's Lake State Park and Parfrey's Glen State Natural Area, walks along a bridge that crosses a stream at Parfrey's Glen. The area reopens today after being closed for almost a year.
Tim Damos/News Republic
A walk along the new trail at Parfrey's Glen State Natural Area gives a stark reminder of the powerful floods that ravaged south-central Wisconsin last summer. At one point in the path, a thick uprooted tree trunk bends over the nearby stream, which is lined with boulders carried downstream by forceful waters that poured through the gorge. The area is set to reopen today after being closed for nearly a year. Steve Schmelzer, interim superintendent for Devil's Lake State Park and Parfrey's Glen, provided the News Republic a private tour of the area Wednesday. A boardwalk that once led hikers through the gorge to a secluded waterfall was not replaced because of budget issues and concerns that it might be washed away in the event of another flood. And new administrative rules at Parfrey's Glen will not allow visitors to venture off-trail. That will protect delicate plant life and should prevent the spreading of invasive species, Schmelzer said. "People may track in garlic mustard and (native) plant life can be trampled if people leave the trail," Schmelzer said. Visitors can still walk along the stream bed. The path that was used to carry out debris from the washed out boardwalk is being temporarily used as the new trail. But officials plan to install a new trail using Federal Emergency Management Agency, Schmelzer said. The route of the new trail will depend on where new plant life grows. "The trail that's in here right now is pretty much a temporary one," Schmelzer said. The flood rerouted a stream, destroyed the boardwalk and covered an entry parking lot with dirt. Cleaning up the mess has so far cost roughly $25,000, Schmelzer said. And there's still between $80,000 and $100,000 worth of repairs to make, he said, but those might not come until this fall or next spring. A portion of the Ice Age Trail that links to a Parfrey's Glen off-shooting trail will be rerouted and built to a higher standard the near future, said Mike Wollmer, executive director of the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation. "It's kind of motivated by things that happened in Parfrey's," Wollmer said. "Water is our enemy on the trail in trying to maintain it and prevent erosion. When we can modify water as it passes over or by the trail, that's best for longevity."