Ledge View Nature Center - Chilton

 (Calumet Cty).

There are a lot of ways of getting to the Ledge View Nature Center, and you are best googling this from your location. Excellent interactive activities. I really enjoyed the indoor bat room, and the bee hive exhibit.  It is exactly what our little family needed and the only downside is the travel time.  For me it's a serious Road Trip.

Chilton is such a cute little town. I had serious considerations of moving there.


One special draw to this place are the caves: Cave tours start in April and end in November. These are underground caves and a change of (warm) clothes is recommended as well. A guided public tour is offered most weekends and some weekdays through the summer.  The only access to the caves is on a naturalist-guided tour during a scheduled visit. Because the public tour size is limited, reservations are recommended. 


Wheretofind: Travel time from Oshkosh is about an hour.  Take Hwy 41 North to Hwy 10/114 east through Menasha to Hwy 57 South in Hilbert to Chilton. Take Cty G South just over a mile, entrance is on Short Rd.  Travel time from Fond du Lac is about a 1/2 hour, basically take Hwy 151 North to HHH in Calumetville to Hwy G North to Short Road in Chilton, full street address is W2348 Short Rd, Chilton, WI 53014 ph:  920-849-7094
Hours:8-4:30 weekdays, 10-4:30 weekends


What to expect: Good hiking maps, variable terrain, sightseeing tower (same as Parnell), route to water filled quarry. Across from the parking lot there is a pasture and depending on the time of day you can expect to see cows grazing (fence is electrified,I think) and will approach you for some pulled grass.

Lakeview Cemetery - Stockbridge

Stockbridge, Calumet Cty

Only a few will catalog their visit to a cemetery, for good reasons I suppose. Not every one will understand the allure of walking amongst those whose bones have been resting as long, if not longer than Wisconsin's statehood was declared.

A coworker mentioned this small plot and on my first try I didn't find it. As a matter of fact, I completely missed a HUGE county park on a road I swore I drove on. Oy vey, what does it matter anyhow.

A ginormous tree guards the entrance to the cemetery. We don't see too many trees that last this long 'fore weather or disease lays it to waste. Incidentially, this tree is a DNR registered Champion Tree and can be found by searching their database by county name (Calumet).

During my investigation, there are a number of headstones that are broken, felled, and in one corner appears to be several that collided in a great upheaval of sorts, by natural forces or otherwise. If you follow the image link you will see a better image of how many stones there are. It's disturbing to see this in a cemetery. I have always taken for granted that someone is acting a caretaker, and at Rienzi Cemetery, there is actually an effort within the community to volunteer their time and materials to maintain the site.

High Cliff State Park - Sherwood

Sherwood,(Calumet Cty)

On the northeast shore of Lake Winnebago, this beautiful hunk of rock was once a working limestone quarry where Hungarian immigrants were housed during the excavations from 1895 to 1956. At the base of the hill (can't miss it) is the only standing building from that operation and tells the story of the miner and laborers and how they fared during this time period.

Apparently there is a 12 foot statue of Winnebago Indian Chief Red Bird. Right now I am racking my brain as to where it is located. I am thinking it is on the upper section by the ranger tower (it's not). On the DNR site, the statue has the power to give us pause to consider the past....(wait for it)... and the future. Was the statue Wisconsin's gift to the Ho-Chunks for allowing their Chief to die a common prisoner? History is strangely mute on the subject.

Wheretofind: Travel time from Oshkosh area is about 40-45 minutes from Hwy 41 North to Cty Hwy 10/114.  From Fond du Lac it's almost an hour from Hwy 55 North to Cty Hwy 114.  Entrance is at Pigeon Road.

What to expect: * Park Permit required (day passes can be purchased). Upper/Lower sections that have natural and paved trails (see map), ranger tower, camping and picnic areas, ruins of limestone kiln, Indian effigy mounds and letterboxing locations!. And there's cliffs.  On the lower section there is a General Store/museum that sell candy and ice cream. I seem to recall also an independently owned shop that sells concession type foods like hot dogs, burgers, ice cream and soda.  This is also on the lower area, nearby a small cemetery.  

Before I forget, there is non-profit organization called Friends of High Cliff whose members help support the park by fundraising events in order to pay for a year round naturalist to provide educational workshops and are responsible for the efforts in preserving it's history.