On a steep ridge overlooking the scenic Kickapoo River Valley, Wildcat Mountain State Park offers hiking trails with spectacular views and camping for families, groups and horseback riders. Canoe the Kickapoo River in your own canoe or rent one in Ontario.
How Wildcat Mountain got its name In the 1800s, local farmers were upset because a bobcat, also called wildcat, killed several of their sheep. So the farmers formed a hunting party to find the wildcat. They tracked and killed it to prevent the loss of anymore of their livestock. The farmers shot it nearby the area that is now the park's main overlook and gave it the name Wildcat Hill. The name was later changed to Wildcat Mountain.
Amos Theodore Saunders in 1938 gave a 20-acre tract to the state so that others like himself, lovers of Wisconsin's natural beauty, might know the unspoiled woods of the Upper Kickapoo. In 1947, the legislature voted to establish a state park on the 60-acre Vernon county park and expand it to hundreds of acres. Wildcat Mountain State Park was established in 1948 with that initial donation of 60 acres from Vernon County. Since then the park has grown to 3,643 acres.
Mississippi and Chippewa Rivers Biome
The Driftless Region serves as home to these two rivers, and many, many more, and is in a deciduous forest biome. Most of this part of southwestern Wisconsin was not touched by the last glaciers and displays a very rugged landscape dominated by limestone bluffs rising above the two main rivers. Valleys carved by smaller rivers and streams abound, but anything resembling a lake is the result of human intervention. The predominant vegetation is mixed hardwoods such as oak, aspen, and maples. With the abundant spring fed streams in every valley, the trout fishing in this biome is world class. The big river is one of the main flyways for bird migration and plays host to birds using that flyway, including huge concentrations of Tundra Swans in the spring and fall. Timber Rattlesnakes are timid venomous snakes that inhabit those rocky bluffs.
WISCONSIN GEOCACHING ASSOCIATION
The Wisconsin Geocaching Association (WGA) is a group of geocachers dedicated to promoting and protecting geocaching within the state of Wisconsin. The WGA organizes geocaching events, works with land owners/managers on geocaching policies, educates the public at large about geocaching, and facilitates communication between WGA members. To learn more about the WGA visit: www.wi-geocaching.com
2013 kicks off the beginning of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association State Parks series. It is our goal to place a geocache in every state park in the state of Wisconsin so watch out for more in this series that encourages geocachers to explore the natural resources in this beautiful state of ours.
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to Ranger Moorehead of the WDNR at Wildcat Mountain.
Geocaches placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource managed lands require permission by means of a notification form. http://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/forms/2500/2500-118.pdf