The Nguyens: Parfrey's Glen - A day with the Rubin

Today, the Rubin - Nguyen family (sans a few members due to the workday) embarked on a family tradition of trekking through Parfrey's Glen. Parfrey's Glen is located about 4 miles east of Devil’s Lake State Park and is administered by the park. Norman Carter Fassett while chairman of the Natural Areas Committee from 1945 to 1950, selected Parfrey's Glen as the first state Natural area in Wisconsin. At its uppermost part, the glen reaches a depth of nearly 100 feet and embraces a mountain-type stream flowing through its floor. The Glen’s walls are sandstone embedded with pebbles and boulders of quartzite. This quartzite is conglomerate, sometimes referred to as a “plum pudding” stone. The sandstone layers represent ancient sandy beach.

The day started a bit dreary due to the drizzling rain and overcast, but our optimism paid off as the weather cleared up and the rain dissipated by the time we arrived Parfrey's Glen. We were welcomed with vibrant foliage, crisp air, blue jays, woodpeckers, and rushing fresh water from the stream that hugged the hiking trail. The last time we hiked Parfrey's Glen was just before Becky and I left for Singapore and the trails seemed a bit different this time around. Heavy rains during the June 14, 2008 weekend rushing down off the bluffs above the gorge turned normally placid Parfrey’s Glen Creek into a roaring torrent of water which dislodged boulders weighing several tons, uprooted trees, washed out a wooden boardwalk, and strewed rocks over part of the trail. Parfrey's Glen was again opened to the public in 2009, although the man-made trails & bridges destroyed by the flood were not replaced. Here are some pictures from our journey: