Fire and Rain-Perrot State Park

Some friends of mine recommended I check out Perrot State Park on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota overlooking the Mississippi River. To be honest, I had never heard of it. I decided I would Google it and find out what all the talk was about. On-line it had great reviews and the pics and videos looked amazing. The campsites seemed to be spaced out well and some of them were located right next to Trempeauleau Bay. I was sold…

I decided to leave Monday and stay for a couple of days. It was about a four hour drive for me but the weather was good and it went by quick. When I arrived I was not disappointed. The views were something you wouldn’t expect to see in the Midwest. Perrot State Park is located in the Driftless area. It was never covered by ice during the last ice age, and therefore lacks glacial deposits, also termed drift. Its landscape is characterized by steep hills, forested ridges, deeply carved river valleys, and karst geology with spring-fed waterfalls and cold-water trout streams.

As soon as I got there I began to set up camp but my concerns were growing because of the weather report. A couple of weeks before the trip they predicted beautiful weather, the week before possible rain, a few days before they said potential for severe weather and the day of they were saying there were tornado warnings. I repacked the Jeep and just left the tent up. As soon as the sun was beginning to set the clouds rolled in and quickly. I could hear the rumbling of distant thunder and knew I was in for a long night.

The rain came in quick. The wind was howling but the worst part was the lightning. Mother Nature was putting on quite the light show. Then the hail started. I realized I would be safer in the Jeep so I made a mad dash back and spent the next hour inside the best shelter I could find at the time.

When the rain let up I decided to do a wellness check on the tent. I was shocked to see it still standing. It definitely took a beating but it survived. When I opened the tent I was expecting to see a little water but not the inch and a half that had formed by the inside front door.

I couldn’t take the tent down because it was still lightning although not as bad and there was potential for still more rain. I grabbed my Yeti coffee mug and started bailing out the tent. It took a good twenty minutes or so but I did manage to get “most” of the water out. By now I was beat. Luckily, my cot was on the other side of tent and stayed fairly dry. Normally I sleep on the ground but this was my first time using a cot and it paid off.

I slept like a baby and woke to a campsite that definitely needed a little TLC. But first coffee…

I was able to build a fire using steel wool and a 9 volt battery and had coffee ready in about 15 minutes. Luckily, I had put the firewood in my Jeep before the rain so I did have some dry kindling and wood to keep the fire going. I used the fire to dry my clothes and shoes and within an hour I was ready to go.

Perrot State Park is loaded with scenic trails including one that takes you up to Brady’s bluff. From there you can see Trempeauleau mountain, the Mississippi river as well as Minnesota. The beginning of the climb wasn’t difficult but the last couple hundred feet were slightly more strenuous but well worth the climb. The view was incredible. I was surprised that I was the only one up there. I could have sat there for awhile taking in the scenery but there was still much more I wanted to do.

Honestly, I could have just stayed at the campsite and been happy. The view was tranquil and peaceful and it was right next to the bay. I highly recommend site 45.

The rest of the day was spent fishing, hiking and cooking. This trip was for clearing the mind and recharging the batteries and that’s exactly what was accomplished. If you are looking for a place that’s low key, scenic, away from the hustle and bustle with minimal people then Perrot State Park should be on your to do list. I will definitely be back!