Vacationing 20 miles or so North of the Wisconsin Dells this week gave me the chance to see a couple of great State Parks and a Wildlife Refuge that one could enjoy Nordic Walking within, not to mention all the other perks that such places offer. Roche-A-Cri State Park in Friendship, WI is one such park. 
We first tackled the 320 steps to the top of the Mound for an awesome view of the area. A nice wide nature trail is just across the way from this Mound which loops around the park. The Acorn Trail is 3.55 miles long with more mileage to be had along the way. 
Buckhorn State Park is also a nice park in the area. It is on the Castle Rock Flowage so it is a great place to canoe or kayak.
We also had a chance to visit Necedah National Wildlife Refuge where the Whooping Cranes are featured. We were lucky enough to spot a few from the observation tower. In fact they have a Whooping Crane Festival coming up on Sat. Sept 19, 2009. To see the other 550 refuge preserves see this site. Many are free of charge and offer hiking trails and of course nature at its finest.
