State Parks Feed Wisconsinites’ Wanderlust On Road Trips

On a warm weekend in mid-August, Sharon and Mike Size’s cozy A-frame pop-up camper was tucked into a wooded campsite at Yellowstone Lake State Park in Blanchardville, located about 50 miles southwest of Madison.

The camper’s quarters are tight, but the Sizes have everything they need for a weekend getaway: a shower, table, refrigerator and sink.

Road tripping is essential for the Sizes. This stop at Yellowstone Lake is just one of the many road trips they made this summer. For them, every weekend presents a chance to load up and hit the road.

The Elgin, Illinois, couple frequents state parks, in part, because they’re cheaper than private RV parks. And the Sizes aren’t alone.

Labor Day’s passing symbolizes the unofficial end of the summer road trip season. And this year, more Americans hit the road than ever before. Many of those travelers stopped at state parks along the way.

For many, like the Sizes, finding a destination near their home away from home is key. Mike Size is retired, but Sharon still works full time, which limits their travel to the weekends.

“She still works, so it relieves a bit of stress,” Mike said. “You get to do something totally different than you’re used to doing. Just get your mind off everything.”

Sharon chimed in, “Even if we just went an hour away, it’s still a new place, a new trail, a new environment and just getting away from everything you’re faced with.”

The Return Of The Road Trip

Americans are driving more in general. The Federal Highway Administration’s latest numbers show that United States drivers racked up 1.58 trillion miles in the first half of 2016. That breaks the previous record, set last year.

Figures also show holiday and vacation travel is on the rise, too. AAA predicted the number of people traveling this year on the Fourth of July, the most popular travel holiday, would be higher than ever before.

“We’re kind of at this perfect storm,” said Nick Jarmusz of AAA Wisconsin. “People have more fuel efficient vehicles, the gas they do have to buy is significantly cheaper than it was a couple years ago, and they’re feeling more optimistic about their own financial situation.”

Jarmusz said during the recession, people changed the way they traveled. There were more staycations, meaning people vacationed close to home.

During that time, more and more people visited Wisconsin state parks. Those numbers continue to grow, with a record 15.5 million visits last year.

Yellowstone Lake State Park Superintendent John Arthur said the majority of the park’s visitors are from Wisconsin, followed by Illinois.

“In years past when the gas prices were high, we did hear people say that they were coming here because it was closer, especially folks that were coming from farther reaches,” Arthur said. “Once they’re here they’ve made memories, they start traditions and they come back.”

While visits are up, state funding for state parks has been on the decline for years.

This year, the cost of camping, admission and trail fees rose after the state Legislature changed the state parks’ funding structure, all while more and more people are using the state parks.

Legislative Republicans argued those using the parks should finance them, while Democrats had concerns about park services taking a hit.

Arthur said at Yellowstone Lake State Park, funding now goes towards core services, like equipment and trail maintenance. But, he’d like to spend more time and money on invasive species control and educational programs.

Building Traditions

At another secluded campground site at Yellowstone Lake, two families loaded up their cars after a weekend of camping, a getaway from Madison that’s become a tradition.

Best friends, 11-year-old Rumi MacCoon and 10-year-old Yaoki Sato, love that they can swim in the lake and eat campsite food like hot dogs, s’mores, eggs and “lots of bacon.”

“We like hanging out and hiking, away from our other friends,” Rumi said.

Yaoki added, “Camping is fun because you can sit around the campfire and eat and tell stories.”

For Rumi’s mom, Lael Sheber, it’s all about escaping the city life and being in nature.

“It’s quiet here,” Sheber said. “It’s a nice park, you know there’s no highways that are close by so you really feel like you’re really in nature, as opposed to some other state parks.”

And a major bonus for Sheber is that Yellowstone Lake State Park is only about an hour from Madison.

“I’m not a big fan of road trips,” she said. “I don’t like spending a lot of time in the car.”

Yaoki’s mom, Serena Sato, laughed, saying she’d be fine if the campsite was farther away.

“I love road trips,” said Sato. “I just love being out and seeing different parts of the country and meeting different people. If you have good music, or a good book or you’re joking around with your family, then it’s fine. If it’s beautiful scenery, then I don’t mind it.”

Last year, Sato’s family made the 3,000-mile national park road trip to Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and through the Black Hills region. This year, they’re staying close to home, camping in four Wisconsin state parks.

“Some of the rangers we’ve met, like at Perrot State Park, were just fantastic,” Sato said. “They were so valuable to us and to educating the next generation in a way that’s exciting. My kids could learn about snakes and they can touch wildlife and learn what not to touch. That’s so fantastic, I’d hate to see that go away.”

Sato said the state park fee increases haven’t had a major impact on her family yet, but she is concerned about the future of the parks’ quality.

She wants the state parks to remain a destination for her family, as they continue to feed their wanderlust through road trips.