Mighty river views abound at Wyalusing State Park

We missed sunset by 15 minutes.

My friends and I were spending the weekend camping at Wyalusing State Park and earlier in the day had talked about catching the sunset from Point Lookout. But we failed to check what time that actually was, and our estimation skills were clearly off.

Our initial disappointment faded, however, as we admired the stunning view from the bluff 500 feet above the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers.

We gazed at the lights of Prairie du Chien in the distance when one of them began to move, seemingly floating through the swirl of blues and greens below. It took a while before we registered what it was: a train, moving silently along a bridge through the sloughs, giving us an entirely different and just as mesmerizing show.

Those bluff-top views — night or day — are one of the biggest draws to Wyalusing. They're also probably one reason the park became one of the state's first.

But they're not the only reason to visit. From miles of hiking trails and mazes of winding sloughs to effigy mounds and a monument to a now-extinct bird, the beautiful state park offers much to do.

History: Long before Wyalusing achieved park-hood in 1917, the land there was a site of importance.

Evidence of human activity dates back 11,000 years. About 1,400 years ago, the effigy mound builders moved through and constructed conical, linear and animal-shaped mounds. Visitors to Wyalusing today can see some of these mounds throughout the park.

After the mound builders, more than a dozen American Indian tribes lived in the area or visited it to trade.

On June 17, 1673, Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet became the first Europeans to reach the rivers' confluence. While it's unknown where the explorers first saw the Mighty Miss, a plaque at Point Lookout — our intended sunset spot — commemorates the major milestone in the pair's expedition from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River.

Fur traders followed the explorers, and miners after them. Farmers and homesteaders came next, including Pennsylvanian Robert Glenn and his family. The Glenns settled the land in the 1840s, and by the turn of the century hoped the land would become a state park — which it did in 1917.

Things to do: More than 14 miles of trails wind up and down the park's forested bluffs.

The 1.6-mile Sentinel Ridge Trail provides a nice taste of everything the park has to offer. Start at Point Lookout and follow the Wisconsin River for a bit before turning south to parallel the Mississippi.

There, look for a monument to the passenger pigeon. When Marquette and Joliet arrived, they likely saw hordes of the bird in the skies above the rivers. Billions flew through North America at the beginning of the 19th century.

Within a century, however, overhunting and habitat destruction obliterated the pigeon, with the last one dying in the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914.

In 1947, the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology dedicated the monument in Wyalusing.

'We have erected a monument to commemorate the funeral of a species,' Aldo Leopold wrote in his classic book 'A Sand County Almanac.' 'It symbolizes our sorrow. We grieve because no living man will see again the onrushing phalanx of victorious birds, sweeping a path for spring across the March skies, chasing the defeated winter from all the woods and prairies of Wisconsin.'

The pigeons are gone, but bird-watchers today will find hundreds of other species at Wyalusing, especially during spring and fall migrations: red-shouldered hawks; bald eagles; scarlet tanagers; and cerulean, Kentucky and yellow-throated warblers — an endangered species in Wisconsin.

The Sentinel Ridge Trail continues past the monument, some effigy mounds and down the steep bluff toward the boat landing.

A small dock there provides a spot for fishing or taking a dip. The river's current is weak there but still existent — jump in only if you're a strong swimmer. For better swimming (and a beach), head to Wyalusing Recreation Area south of the park.

A better way to explore the water is by boat. Rent a canoe or kayak from the concession stand near the Wisconsin Ridge campground. The boats are at the landing, where a six-mile water trail winds through the sloughs.

For more hiking, try the 1.9-mile Sugar Maple Nature Trail, accessible near the boat landing. The trail loops up and down a wooded slope and includes a short spur to Pictured Rock Cave where a small, cool waterfall is a welcome respite on a hot day.

With its location far from major cities, Wyalusing is also a prime stargazing site. The Starsplitters, an amateur astronomy group, regularly hosts events at the park's Huser Astronomy Center. New this year, the group is hosting monthly beginner astronomy sessions (July 30, Aug. 27), teaching visitors how to use telescopes and find constellations.

For an extended stay, book a site at one of two family campgrounds. The Wisconsin Ridge features sites on a ridge high above the Wisconsin River. They provide little privacy, but some boast sweeping views of the river and beyond.

More information: Visitors to Wyalusing need a state parks admission sticker ($8/day or $28/year).

For more on the park, call (608) 996-2261 or see dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/Wyalusing.

Getting there: Wyalusing is at 13081 State Park Lane, Bagley, about 180 miles west of Milwaukee via I-94 and Highways 151 and 18.