As we close out 2025, the Friends are pleased to share an update on the remarkable progress, community spirit, and forward momentum that shaped this year at Blue Mound State Park. Despite a few challenges, this has been one of our most productive and hopeful years yet, with meaningful ecological gains, expanded volunteer engagement, and a full season of events that brought our park community together.
Prairie Restoration: A Year of Visible Success
This year marked major strides in our long-term prairie restoration effort. Working alongside Adaptive Restoration, LLC and our dedicated volunteers, we saw healthier, more diverse prairie landscapes across the Swain and Upper Walnut areas.
- Native species continue to reclaim the land, with plant diversity reaching levels we haven’t seen in decades.
- Invasive species management — especially our years-long fight against crown vetch, reed canary grass, and sweet clover — showed outstanding results.
- Volunteers supported inter-seeding efforts in spring and early summer, helping us fill in newly restored sections with native plants that will strengthen these prairies for years to come.
- Volunteers successfully created a firebreak to allow for a burn in Swain Prairie in the spring of 2026.
These improvements don’t happen overnight, and I want to thank each volunteer who spent time seeding, pulling, and monitoring. Your work is making a clear and lasting impact.
Trail Work & Park Infrastructure
- Dedicated Trail Crews
Volunteers — including our partners at Capital Off Road Pathfinders — completed significant maintenance and enhancement work this year, ensuring trails were open more days and with fewer obstructions. - Woodshed Construction Complete
The long-awaited woodshed finally broke ground in the spring of 2025 and was officially completed in October 2025. This will serve as storage for the Friends group as well as a new, larger storage facility for wood sold to campers year-round at Blue Mound State Park. - Wi-Fi in the Park
Updates through Mount Horeb Telephone Company in Mount Horeb were completed at the Ranger Station as well as the Friends Shelter. Information on how to access the wifi network is available at the park office and inside the Friends Shelter. - Amphitheater Rebuild
The Amphitheater rebuild took steps forward in 2025. A new location has been locked in on the Northeast corner of the mound. The new location will allow for better accessibility for people of differing abilities as well as offer spectacular views. Clearing and grading is expected to start in the summer of 2026 with a goal of final construction in 2027. Find updated information about the project here. - Installation of a Weather Station
Given Blue Mound State Park is at the highest elevation in southern Wisconsin, it tends to have its own weather system. The Friends of Blue Mound State Park in collaboration with CORP, Blue Mound Nordic Club, & MadNorSki, are set to install a weather station at Blue Mound State Park in 2025. The station will have links to live weather conditions at Blue Mound State Park on the Friends and donor websites.
Events, Programs & Community Engagement
2025 was a standout year for community activities.
- The Winter Candlelight Ski, Snowshoe & Hike in February was a hit by all that attended, with a beautiful winter evening with travel for visitors outlined by hundreds of luminaries in the park and finished off with a bonfire, cookie, hot cider and cocoa. Join us for another great evening in 2026. Learn more.
- Our 21st Annual Blue Mound Trail Run brought runners from across the region and helped raise funds for future park projects.
- The Horribly Hilly Hundred Bike Ride through wonderful volunteer and community support continues to remain a bucket list event for riders looking to take on the Midwest’s hardest challenge ride. 2025 course updates and aid stations made for some new opportunities to further explore the Driftless region on two wheels. Registration for the 2026 ride opens in early February 2026. Learn more.
- The Music on the Mound summer concert series once again filled our summer evenings with outstanding performances from local musicians. We are already filling the 2026 calendar with more great local bands and musicians.
- Educational and naturalist-led programs — Led by a new Naturalist in 2025, included pollinator hikes and astronomy nights — brought new visitors and returning families into the park to learn and explore.
- The year’s activities finished up with the Fall Candlelight Hike in October, much like the winter hike trails were lined with luminaries to guide visitors on an evening hike. The highlight for many is the lighting of the East Observation Tower!
These events continue to be a cornerstone of what makes Blue Mound such a vibrant community space.
As we prepare for the year ahead, We’re encouraged by the momentum we’ve built in 2025. Our prairies are healthier, our trails stronger, and our community more engaged than ever. With the Amphitheater construction looking to initiate in 2026 and long-term planning underway, we are laying the foundation for the next generation of park experiences.
We want to extend my heartfelt thanks to every volunteer, partner, donor, and staff member who contributed to this successful year. Your dedication is what makes Blue Mound State Park a place worth celebrating and protecting.
Here’s to another year of stewardship, community, and the natural beauty that defines our park.
Gregory Wiegand,
Friends of Blue Mound State Park
