Sparrow’s Perch overlook is located in an 80-acre restoration area with pine and oak barrens in the Dunnville Wildlife Area. From there, the view extends over a significant portion of the bottomland savanna management areas at the upper end of the area. The 633-acre Dunnville Barrens, a State Natural Area, is also located within the Wildlife Area.
Barrens, Riverbanks and Open Landscapes
The county parks also showcase a range of natural and recreational features. Lake Menomin Park is a 147-acre nature park; about 34 acres of it are native prairie grassland. The park also has more than five miles of mountain bike trails with varying levels of difficulty, maintained by the Chippewa Off Road Bicycle Association. Exploring the landscape and getting active come together on the same park grounds.
Pineview Park, formerly called Welch’s Point, covers four acres on Lake Eau Galle and has 400 feet of shoreline. Lambs Creek Park has 250 feet of shoreline. Before Lake Tainter was created by the dam at Cedar Falls, there was a 25-foot waterfall there. The details about these two waterfront parks also tell different stories about the waterscape.
The Red Cedar as a Trail and Water Route
The Red Cedar State Trail passes through the Dunnville Wildlife Area and is open to hikers and cyclists in summer. In winter, seven miles of the trail between Menomonie and Downsville are groomed for cross-country skiing; part of the trail is also open to snowmobiles. The groomed ski route is therefore specifically located on the section between the two communities.
Sections of the former railway line run parallel to the Red Cedar River. This makes it possible to combine the trail with a paddling trip: you can paddle downstream and then cycle back to your starting point—or do it in the opposite order. At the Red Cedar River near Myran Park, canoeing, river tubing, and fishing are also available. The stretch of river has numerous islands, shallow areas, and deeper sections, which are also relevant for fishing. While the trail option combines cycling and paddling, tubing and fishing are also among the activities mentioned at Myran Park.
Hands-On History and Discovery
Fulton’s Workshop combines regional history and technology with a hands-on makerspace in the same gallery. Visitors can explore topics in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics. Materials and tools are also available for creating personal projects to take home.
The Discover Dunn County app features a historical scavenger hunt with 13 stops throughout the county, accompanied by images and historical details. The Downsville Community Museum preserves and shares the community’s history and offers educational programs and other learning opportunities. The cultural offerings range from self-designed projects to stories about the development of individual communities.
Museums and Local Histories
The Rassbach Museum in Wakanda Park in Menomonie tells the long history of a region of Wisconsin—from the people who built burial mounds a thousand years ago to the present-day communities of Dunn County. The Colfax Railroad Museum has a growing collection of railroad equipment from railroads that served western Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota. Guided tours at the Mabel Tainter Theater focus on the theater, the history of the Tainter family, and the surrounding community.
A single building can also tell a specific local story: The home where the Woodhouse family lived was moved from a neighboring farm to Caddie Woodlawn Historical Park in 1970. Dunn County parks are open from sunrise to sunset; reservations are not required for any of the parks.
Discover more destinations: Menomonie, Boyceville, Polk, Shawano County, Jackson County, Sawyer County, Racine County, Oneida County.
For the main travel overview: Wisconsin.
