Local Ice Walls

There are a number of large ice walls near Menomonie, Wisconsin. This year, with the cold weather, they are growing quite large and are some of the best I’ve seen in recent years. All of them are the result of water seeping through sandstone rock.

The largest ice wall is located along the Red Cedar State Trail. Unfortunately the trail is a ski trail in the winter so the only way to access it is to ski to the 1.5 mile mark on the trail. It can be accessed either from the Menomonie trailhead or the Irvington trailhead.

The second ice wall is located along a small stream that crosses Paradise Valley Road. Paradise valley Road is located on the west side and parallels the west side of the Red Cedar River. At the 1.2 mile mark you will find room to park a car along the road. The ice wall is a short walk up along an unnamed stream. I would suggest wearing ice cleats to access this ice wall because of the amount of ice at the base of the ice wall and because the stream is now a river of ice.

The third ice wall is located at Devil’s Punchbowl. Devil’s Punchbowl is located on the west side of Menomonie at the 1.8 mile mark on Paradise Valley Road. Access is from a small parking lot of the left side of the road. To reach the bottom of the bowl you must go down a long series of steps. The steps are usually ice covered as is the area around the base of the ice wall so I would suggest wearing ice cleats.

Paradise Valley Ice Patterns

On a recent visit to Paradise Valley I was able to find some interesting ice and frost patterns along a small stream that runs through the valley. I was lucky I went when I did because the next day it snowed and the ice patterns were covered in snow.

First Ice Paradise Valley

A couple of weeks ago I drove down to Paradise Valley to check out the ice conditions. You can park along the road and walk down to a small stream and then follow the stream up to its source which is a spring back in the valley. There was a little ice along the stream and at the waterfall about three quarters of the way up the valley. There was also quite a bit of ice along the ice wall. I didn’t have my ice cleats along so it was slow going over portions of the trail. I managed a few shots. Later in the week it turned warm and all of the ice was gone.

Paradise Valley March 2011

Toadstool Paradise Valley

It has been a difficult winter to photograph in Paradise Valley. The Heavy rains last summer cleaned out some of the logs that had fallen across the small stream in the valley. In normal years I was able to shoot some nice ice formations which I call reverse toadstools. This is an example from several years ago.

Ice Paradise Valley

The very heavy snows in early December also eliminated some of nice ice formations that usually form on the small stream that flows through the valley when the cold weather starts. Constant clipper snowfalls also prevented good shots of ice in the stream because it was usually covered with snow. This year I have seen what I call rotten ice as opposed to the nice clear blue ice that I usually see. It consists of frozen snow than rather ice. This is one of the few shots of stream ice from this year.

Stream Paradise Valley

There is still a lot of snow in the small valley as you can see by this shot.

Ice Blocks Paradise Valley

The warm weather during the latter part of January has caused some of the ice formations to fall resulting in a jumble of large ice blocks at the foot of the small waterfall in the valley.

More photographs from Paradise Valley can be seen on my website.

Devils Punchbowl, Paradise Valley and Red Cedar trail 1-6-2011

Reflections

It was a beautiful sunny day in Menomonie. I had a chance to visit some of my favorite winter haunts. The first stop was at Devils Punchbowl. The steps are a little icy after the recent rain so it is best to wear some form of traction device on your feet. The Ice wall wasn’t it top winter form. For some reason it looked a little ragged. The worst part is that tree has fallen down from the top of the wall and is hanging over the best part of the wall. Looks like it will be with us for most of the winter. The photo is from the little stream that flows through the area.

Paradise Valley

The second stop was Paradise Valley. I was hoping for some nice ice formations along the stream but the recent light snowfalls have covered up the ice. The Ice wall looks good and there is enough snow along the left side of the waterfall so you can walk up the valley to view some more little falls. The photo is from the top of the waterfall looking back down the valley. Again traction on the shoes is recommended.

Ice Wall Red Cedar State Trail

Skied from Menomonie to Irvington on the Red Cedar Trail. The trail is great for skate skiing with a nice firm base with a little snow on top. The classic track ends at about the 3/4 mile marker where the tracking equipment broke down a few weeks ago. Up to this point the track is very good. Beyond this point the classic track has been skied in and varies is quality. This shot was taken in the morning along the ice wall.

Devils Punchbowl, Paradise Valley and Red Cedar trail 12-2-2010

Ice Flow

After a gloomy week, the Packers lost, we had a beautiful day today it was cold and sunny just the type of weather I like. Decided to checkout a number of local photography locations. The first stop was Devils Punchbowl. The Ice is still forming, the small stream was frozen. Not a lot of interesting photo opportunities today. The good news is the ground has frozen and you are no longer required to stand in water and mud to photograph. I did shoot an ice flow on the south wall of the bowl which is show here.

Ice Formation

Paradise Valley was a little more interesting. Lots of interesting ice formation along the stream and at the waterfalls. The ice seemed to be a little further along at this location. This is a shot of an ice formation just below the road where the stream flows under the road.

Ice Patterns

After walking up Paradise Valley I drove to the Depot at the trailhead for the Red Cedar Trail. I hiked the trail from Menomonie to Irvington. The first thing I noticed was the frost. The trail was covered with freshly fallen ice crystals. I stopped along several small streams and frozen puddles to take some macro shots of intricate ice formations and ice crystals. There were also some interesting shots in the river where tree branches were dragging in the water and the ice had frozen around the tree branches. The ice wall at the 1.5 mile mark is developing. The ice seems to have quite a bit of dirt in it at this point.

Tracks

I noticed there had been a lot of deer and turkeys on the trail but didn’t see any. There are also a lot of Pileated Woodpeckers around this fall. I saw six of them today but didn’t get any shots. As this shows the Red Cedar Trail is open to all. The shot shows tracks from a bike, hiker, deer and turkey.

Paradise Valley in the Summer

Paradise Valley is located just outside Menomonie, Wisconsin. It is very small with a spring fed stream flowing through the bottom of it. About 150 yards from the road there is a 15 foot waterfall that flows over some sandstone rocks. If you walk up alongside the falls you will encounter a second small waterfall that drops over a 3 foot sandstone ledge. If you can make it over the sandstone ledge, there used to be a ladder, the stream flows through some boulders and then fades out as it reaches the springs where water just seems to appear out of the ground. The sandstone rocks and walls are covered with moss and flowers this time of year.

Last week’s heavy rains moved a lot of sand into the stream and removed a large log that used to lay along the left side of the first waterfall. The bottom of the stream is now almost all sand as opposed to a combination of sand and rocks.

Directions and additional photos can be found on my website.

The first shot was taken this week and shows the ripples in the new sand bottom of the stream.

This shot was taken last summer and shows the first waterfall with the large log on the left side. This is no longer there.

This is a shot of the second waterfall with a view of the large boulders above the stream.

Winter Photography at Paradise Valley

Paradise Valley is actually a small gully with a small spring fed stream that flows into the Red Cedar River. It is located about 1.5 miles outside Menomonie, Wisconsin.  You can hike up the gully for about a half a mile although the most interesting sections are found within the first 400 yards. There are a variety of winter photographic opportunities which include the stream, a large ice wall and several waterfalls.

Access to the area is via a steep trail which in the winter can be a little treacherous. In addition, it is difficult to walk around the stream and ice covered gully. The climb over the first waterfall can also be a challenge on the snow and ice.  I typically wear ice traction devices on my feet to prevent falls on the ice. I also wear a hardhat if the ice is melting because every once in a while a large section of ice falls from the wall. Using a lens cap and a plastic cover for the camera and lens is recommended because, even on the coldest days, you are likely to encounter dripping water which splatters onto the camera and lens. Most of the year you will encounter the same issues you would when photographing waterfalls when the sun is out. The best light is usually on a cloudy or overcast day.

Ice Patterns

As you walk down into the gully you will encounter the small spring fed stream. The stream itself is not large but offers a variety of shots. During transition seasons and during periods of warming and cooling the stream offers shots of the ice formations along the edge of the stream. When the stream is completely frozen you have the chance to shoot patterns in the ice and frost that forms on the ice.

As you walk up the stream you will next encounter a large ice wall in a small section of the gully surrounded by sandstone cliffs. Throughout the year water seeps from the cliffs and during the transition seasons fall to winter and winter to spring the water starts to form the ice wall. If you time your visit just right you can photograph ice covered leaves, twigs and ice formations that remind you of diamonds. This opportunity may occur for only a few days during the transition periods so timing is everything.

Ice Wall

In January and February the cold weather produces a large ice wall covering one side of the gully. One normally thinks of ice as a rather static element but as the weather changes the ice wall changes with it as do the photographic opportunities. You can shoot the entire wall or small sections and on cold days there are some close-up opportunities for shooting frost.

Frozen Waterfall

At this location you will also encounter the first of two waterfalls. This is the largest at about 10 feet and is not so much a waterfall as water tumbling down over a sandstone slope. At times the water is open and at other times it is frozen completely over. Normally there are opportunities for shooting ice patterns along the waterfall.

Waterfall

To continue up the gully you must climb along one side the waterfall. This can be a bit treacherous since at times it is solid ice. Once on the top you can walk up the stream a short distance to the second waterfall. This one is only about 3 feet but is a free falling waterfall. At this point I usually stop but if you can get up over the waterfall you can continue to walk up the gully for quite a ways. The springs that provide the water for the stream are found about 100 yards above the waterfall. There used to be a nice ladder to help get over the waterfall but it was destroyed by vandals last year.

You can find additional photos and driving directions to Paradise Valley on my website.