Friends Projects Getting Done!

We’ve had an ambitious “to-do” list this year! We are so excited to share that we are checking off the boxes and wrapping up park improvement projects. At the Steinke Basin parking lot, you’ll notice a new trailhead kiosk and bike rack - those were Friends projects! At the CCC parking lot, we’ve funded a new trailhead kiosk and new park map! At the Visitor Center, park your bike on new bike racks and check out the two new park signs we’ve funded (don’t forget to stop inside for brand new Devil’s Lake State Park merchandise).

On the North Shore and throughout campgrounds, you’ll start noticing new universally accessible equipment like fire pits and grills - also a Friends funded project! The feedback on the new picnic tables at the Quartzite Campground has been overwhelmingly positive. We are so grateful for so much support to make these improvements reality for Devil’s Lake State Park. Your donations, memberships, merchandise & firewood purchases, and dedication paver purchases have made these projects possible. THANK YOU. We are so appreciative of community support that gives back to Wisconsin’s third-oldest park, and busiest park by a mile.

Leave No Trace this summer!

We’ve joined forces with our Friends to share this friendly reminder! For more tips on minimizing your impact this summer, visit the Leave No Trace website.

Devil’s Lake Expands

ICYMI: Devil’s Lake is expanding by 100 acres! The DNR recently acquired a new parcel of land that will add to Devil’s Lake State Park. Thanks to the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program and The Conservation Fund, this land will provide new breathtaking views and trails to Devil’s Lake’s existing inventory.

You can also learn more here.

Join us on Earth Day as we help get this new land ready for the public! Our Earth Day cleanup will help pick up debris left on this land. Sign up to participate here.

Help us get to the top of Devil’s Doorway!

Our end-of-year fundraising campaign is almost over! We need your help getting to our goal. We’re over halfway there - so far we’ve raised over $11,700! Let board member Claire Aither tell you how $20 helps the Friends of Devil’s Lake!

Ready to give? Donate here. Thank you!

Three Events to Enjoy Devil’s Lake This Winter

With the weather changing and getting cooler, and darkness settling in earlier, it can be hard to get outside and enjoy the fresh winter air! The Friends of Devil’s Lake are hosting THREE torchlit hikes this winter! These are great opportunities to bundle up and enjoy the quite stillness of Devil’s Lake during the “off-season.”

Our first torchlit hike occurs the evening of the Winter Solstice, Saturday, December 20. We welcome you to the North Shore of the park to begin your torchlit journey through the Northern Lights Campground. We’ll get the torches lit by 5:30 p.m. Don your layers and lace up your boots!

Our second torchlit hike will help you welcome in 2026. The hike on Saturday, January 17 promises cool temperatures and crisp air. If it’s a snowy month, we’ll bring out our snowshoes for free use! The hike begins again on the North Shore at the Rock Elm Shelter at 5:30 p.m.

Wrapping up the winter torchlit hikes is the event on Saturday, February 21. Beat cabin fever by getting outside! Campfire Kevin will help us sing away the winter blues around a roaring campfire. See how the lake looks in the winter and listen closely to hear the wildlife.

At all events, we’ll have a warm fire, hot cocoa, and fresh s’mores for roasting. The 1.5-mile hike is family-friendly on a paved surface. Some hikers prefer to bring a headlamp or flash light, or let the torches and moon light the way! Our volunteers will help welcome you to the event. Warm up inside the Rock Elm Shelter before or after your hike.

Snowshoes will be available depending on the weather. If the weather is inclement (extreme cold, ice, or other variables), we will notify the public through our Facebook page 24 hours in advance.

Mark your calendars, and get ready to embrace winter!

Participation in the hikes is free. We welcome donations. Admission is required to the state park.

9 Ways to Support the Friends of Devil’s Lake Projects & Programs

The Friends’ mission is to work with the Wisconsin DNR to coordinate activities that support, assist, and promote Devil’s Lake State Park through the coordination of volunteer services, events, activities, and financial support. Our work is funded through donations and grants from outdoor enthusiasts like you. Here’s how you can help.

• Become a member! Joining the Friends gives us power in numbers. Join, renew your expired membership, or gift a membership today. Memberships start at $30 for a year. We have memberships for individuals, families, and businesses.

• See if your employer offers matching dollars. For example, Alliant Energy matches dollar-to-dollar payroll deductions made by employees to the Friends of Devil’s Lake State Park (up to $3500). Ask your employer if they will match your donation, or consider making a payroll deduction.

• Planned Giving. Your legacy gift from a will, trust, or financial account helps provide the Friends with operational support.

• Make a Gift of Stock or Bonds. Transfer your stock or mutual bonds to the Friends. Contact us in advance so we can prepare our financial institutions.

• IRA Distributions. If you are 70½ or older, you can make a tax-free distribution from your traditional or Roth IRA to the Friends. It's an efficient way to support the causes that matter to you most.

• Charitable Gift Annuities. Support the Friends and your retirement.

• Purchase a Dedication Paver. 100% of proceeds benefit the Friends.

• Sponsor an Event. Your business or organization can become a Friends sponsor! Sponsor an event or an activity. Reach out to talk about how you can do that.

• Represent the Friends with Merch. Stop by our gift shop inside the park’s visitor center on the North Shore and pick up your Friends merchandise! We have apparel, accessories, stickers, posters, hats, water bottles, and so much more!

Thank you!

2025 Annual Membership Meeting in the Books!

At the Monday, Sept. 15 annual membership meeting, three board members were elected for three terms! The Friends welcome Becca Kamenick, Rebecca Powell, and Jeff Sederstrom to the nine-person volunteer board of directors. Welcome, and thank you!

About 40 Friends members gathered at the park Chateau for our annual meeting. This year we enjoyed pie, custard, and coffee. Many thanks to Culvers, Devil’s Lake Concessions Corporation, Powerline Coffee Company, and Ski-Hi for your help with refreshments for this meeting!

See you all next year!

Taylar Foster Named New Friends Executive Director

We have some exciting news! Late this summer, we conducted a search for our newest Executive Director and are happy to share that we hired Taylar Foster! Taylar was previously a board member for the Friends.

Her past work experiences include the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Tourism - Office of Outdoor Recreation, as a land use planner, and at nonprofit and for-profit farms.

Taylar is an avid trail runner and rock climber, and loves to cross-country ski, hike, and camp. She's always up for a new outdoor adventure and can trace her earliest swimming memories back to Devil's Lake State Park. Originally from Portage, she now lives in Madison. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from Edgewood University and a Master of Science degree from UW-Madison's Department of Urban and Regional Planning.

Taylar says, "I am excited to begin this new career opportunity supporting Devil's Lake State Park through the Friends group. I'm ready to lead this growing organization into its next chapter and continue the great work we've been doing using our minds, money, and muscle to sustain Wisconsin's most-visited state park!"

Welcome, Taylar!