Chain O' Lakes

The weather was expected to be in the mid-upper 50s (seasonal), so we made a last-minute decision to go camping for just Saturday night.  Scott heard about the Chain O' Lakes region from a co-worker, which is located about 1 hour southeast of Green Bay, near the town of Waupaca (pronounced WAW PACK AH).  The area has 22 connected lakes that are very popular for canoeing and kayaking since you can navigate the whole "chain" of lakes without needing to portage.  We were a little late for the high boating season, but decided to camp at Hartman Creek State Park for a night and do some hiking.  First stop was Red Mill Country Gift Shop for a view of the covered bridge and Chapel in the Woods.

We had no problem getting a perfect walk-up site at Hartman Creek State Park right on Allen Lake (just west of the official Chain O' Lakes) among the pines with a beautiful view of the fall color and the lake.  We spent Saturday afternoon hiking around some of the lakes in the park and then enjoying the view and cooking dinner (turkey dogs and baked potatoes) on the fire.  It got down into the 30s at night, but not quite freezing.  I never sleep that well while camping because I am always half-listening to the night sounds.  This time, my insomnia paid off- at least one barred owl and at least two great-horned owls near our campsite!  The next morning, we hiked a segment of the Ice Age Trail that lies within the park.  The day warmed up nicely and the leaves were definitely close to peak.  After packing up the campsite, we took one more short hike further east on the Chain O' Lakes at Pope Lake Natural Area.  Then, we were off via Appleton on the return trip for a stop at the Appleton Beer Factory for brews and dinner.

 

 

Fun fact: In case Chain O' Lakes reminded you of another similarly named place....Land O' Lakes is a real town in northern Wisconsin.  Mind blown.