125 Years of State Parks in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s state parks have been making our state a better place to live for people and wildlife for 125 years! Learn more about the anniversary festivities in this guest blog by Missy VanLanduyt from the Wisconsin DNR.

A snow covered cliffside above a river at Copper Falls State Park. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR

The impact of Wisconsin’s state parks

Wisconsin state parks are celebrating 125 years in 2025! The quasquicentennial recognizes the establishment of Interstate State Park on the St. Croix River as Wisconsin’s first state park — way back in 1900.

The state’s parks, forests, trails and recreation areas are managed to protect and provide access to some of Wisconsin’s most exceptional natural features. Since that first state park was established, the Wisconsin State Park System has since grown to over 307,000 acres of public land.

The Wisconsin State Park System draws an average of 20 million visitors annually. Our most popular state park, Devil’s Lake State Park, gets more than 2 million visitors each year alone. That’s about the same as Glacier National Park! These properties support the health and wellness of the people of Wisconsin by providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, skill building and community engagement throughout the state. Wisconsin’s state park properties welcome all visitors to enjoy the outdoors regardless of background, experience level or ability.

Plans are underway for plenty of celebrations in the coming year. Join the WI DNR to mark this milestone in 2025 by visiting state parks, forests, trails and recreation areas.

People walking over a snow covered bridge at Buckhorn State Park. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR

Sticker news

Also, we have an important piece of news for state parks visitors. Starting with all current sales, state park vehicle admission stickers will now be effective for 12 months from the date of purchase rather than expiring at the end of the calendar year.

Admission stickers are required for vehicles entering most Wisconsin state parks, forests and recreation areas. Going forward, stickers will be marked to indicate the month they will expire, remaining valid until the final day of the 12th month following the month of issue.

For example, a sticker purchased March 1, 2025, will be valid through March 31, 2026. Stickers are not prorated, regardless of what day of the month they are purchased — July 31 purchases will be punched for July, not August, for instance.

Prices for annual stickers have not changed. The cost is $28 for vehicles with Wisconsin plates ($13 for residents age 65 and older), or $38 for out-of-state vehicles. Like before, annual stickers will be available at most parks via drive-up window or e-payment stations (kiosks), by calling a property during business hours, or online.

A partially frozen river and a shoreline covered in snow on Lumberjack Trail in Northern Highland – American Legion State Forest. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR

An anniversary to remember

Family-friendly events, fascinating Wisconsin history programming and adventures for all abilities will take place throughout the state in 2025 to mark the 125th anniversary. Follow the DNR on social media like Facebook and Instagram and keep an eye on the events calendar for updated anniversary information.

Additionally, there will be lots of great coverage in the DNR magazine with park stories, historic photos and much more. We can’t wait to celebrate!

NRF’s support for state parks

NRF is proud to have been a part of numerous projects at Wisconsin’s state parks over the years. So many in fact, that it was hard to choose which to highlight! Here’s four that have been particularly transformative. This work has significantly improved habitat for wildlife and helped a wider variety of people enjoy our state’s amazing parks.

Pollinators in the parks

NRF partnered with the Wisconsin DNR on a statewide “Pollinators in the Parks” initiative to increase pollinator habitat at state park properties via NRF’s Wisconsin Pollinator Protection Fund.

The beautiful gardens and prairies that create habitat for pollinators enhance the beauty of our state parks. And from a conservation standpoint, they’re absolutely vital – both for Wisconsin’s unique biodiversity and for our agricultural crops and backyard gardens.

State parks that have been funded include Aztalan, Blue Mound, Brunet Island, Governor Dodge, Hartman Creek, High Cliff, Lake Wissota, Nelson Dewey, Pattison, Peninsula, Roche-A-Cri, Willow River, Wyalusing and Yellowstone Lake. Several State Natural Areas and state forests have also had one of these “pollinator upgrades.”

Thanks to a 2023 Wisconsin Pollinator Protection Fund grant, Friends of Copper Falls State Park created and enhanced three native pollinator garden plots. They also collected a variety of native dried plant seeds last fall to spread over each plot and designed pollinator signs. Photo by Mike Trieschmann

Coastal Lake Michigan

NRF and the Wisconsin DNR teamed up to protect water quality and wildlife habitat at seven priority sites along the Great Lakes coastline. This included three state parks, two state forests, and two state natural areas. For example, Peninsula State Park in Door County had been experiencing significant flooding during major storms, especially in the campgrounds. Stormwater had been running through campsites and dumping straight into Lake Michigan. This deposited pollutants and sediment, and resulted in a decrease in water quality. NRF and WDNR improved drainage from the park’s nature center building and campground with new culverts and other drainage features to reduce erosion and improve stormwater filtration.

Thanks to a grant from the Fund for Lake Michigan, NRF and WDNR partnered on a project to address stormwater runoff and improve Lake Michigan water quality at Potawatomi State Park. Photo by Caitlin Williamson

Accessibility in state parks

The Natural Resources Foundation is proud to support efforts to make our state’s wonders more accessible to all. A recent NRF grant supported improvements to the accessible cabin and a new accessible fishing pier at Copper Falls State Park, via The David & Joyce Weizenicker Fund for State Parks.

The fund has also helped support a new accessible boardwalk for the popular Fern Trail at Newport State Park, an ADA-compliant walking trail at Hartman State Park, a concrete pad around the entire entrance kiosk at Council Grounds State Park, and more.

Why did the Weizenickers choose to support accessibility projects?

David worked at Wisconsin State Parks for over 35 years. During his career, he helped lead the charge for increasing accessibility at state parks. “When we first got into accessibility we took our team out and we took loaned wheelchairs and had to use them for a half a day,” David recalled. “You had to use it to do everything – lunch, bathroom breaks, everything in your wheelchair. That really made a big impression on everyone.”

After retiring, David and his wife Joyce continued to enjoy visiting their favorite state parks. They noticed, however, that accessibility for seniors and for those in wheelchairs or using walking assistance was still lacking. They decided to do something to help, and supported accessibility projects through NRF ever since.

Thanks to a 2023 grant from the David & Joyce Weizenicker Fund for State Parks, Friends of Point Beach State Forest purchased an action track chair for Point Beach State Forest. This made it the first property in the state park system to fundraise and purchase a track chair. The Park also hosted an outdoor wheelchair program at Point Beach to promote inclusive access to public lands, provide demos for new adaptive equipment and share resources for all things accessible at Wisconsin’s state park properties. Photos Courtesy of Quinn Henseler

State park pass program

NRF provided the initial funding to help launch the DNR’s State Park free passes program at libraries throughout the state, called “Check Out Wisconsin State Parks.” Launched in 2022 at 20 libraries, the program has since expanded. Now, 200 libraries participate! Patrons can conveniently check out a daily state parks pass at their local library, at no cost. The goal of the program is to encourage more Wisconsinites to get outside and explore our beautiful state parks, especially people who have not visited before or those for whom the cost of a pass is a barrier.

And what better time to explore one of our state parks than the 125th anniversary?

‘NRF’s support of state parks’ section written by Shelly Torkelson, Director of Communications