We scheduled a shopping trip to Hudson, Wisconsin with a side trip for a short hike down to Willow Falls.
It had bee really warm so there was almost no ice on the falls. In fact there was still a lot of green to be found.
A couple of shots had almost no color so I converted them to black and white.
We drove over to Hudson, Wisconsin to check on conditions at Willow River State Park and to see if the Trumpeter Swans were still around. The Swans were gone as was the ice on the river. There was very little ice at Willow Falls but I notice on the walk in there were some interesting ice formations along a branch of the river. It was a steep climb down to the river but it was worth the effort.
It looks like the river was higher and when it receded it left a ring of ice on the trees. The first photo shows where a Beaver has been working on the tree. If you look close you can see the teeth marks.
After check on the Trumpeter Swans in Hudson we stopped for a bite to eat then headed over to Willow River State Park to check on the ice at Willow Falls. I was a little disappointed with the lack good ice on the falls. There was a lot of water and not so much ice. I ended up taking some intimate photos of what little ice there was.
We had a little time so we decided to drive over to Willow River State Park. We had not been to the park this winter and was anxious to see the condition of the ice. Turns out it was not all that great. I took a few photos and then we headed out. Tough to get spectacular ice if it isn’t cold out.
Amnicon Falls State Park – My favorite waterfall photography location is Amnicon Falls State Park. Almost every time we drive by I stop to at least look at it and usually take some photos.
Lost Creek Falls – I typically hike into Lost Creek Falls at least once every summer to take photos.
Lower Falls Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – This was take on a spring trip to Yellowstone State Park. It was a stormy day with some beautiful clouds above the falls.
Jay Cooke State Park – Not a waterfall we frequent but we stopped late in the fall. This particular waterfall was difficult to photograph in its entirety but provided an opportunity for an intimate photo of the water flowing over the top of the falls.
Willow River State Park – Willow Falls is a waterfall that is not particularly appealing to photograph as a whole but does offer some nice intimate shots of small areas around the main falls.
It was a beautiful but unseasonably warm day when we decided to drive over to Willow River State Park. Our first stop was Willow Falls. There was a lot of water coming over the falls, a bit surprising considering the dry winter and spring. Unfortunately most of the falls was covered in bright sunlight so I decided to concentrate on some intimate photos of the portions of the falls that was in the shade.
While was photographing a small portion of the falls I noticed something sticking up out of the water. At first it looked like a leaf but the more I looked the more it looked like a fish tail. I kept watching it and sure enough it was a fish attempting to navigate up the falls. As I watched I noticed even more fish attempting to make it up the falls. It was strange because there a number of other folks viewing the falls and none of them had noticed the fish.
We then continued on, what turned out to be, an eight mile hike. For the most part there was not a lot of color and we didn’t see any spring flowers.
More photographs from Willow Falls State Park can be found on my website.
On my last visit to Willow River State Park was during a warm stretch. For some reason the river below the falls was frozen solid but there was not a lot of ice at Willow Falls. About a week later I made a second trip to Willow Falls. We had a solid week of below zero weather. This time the River was open and the Falls had quite a bit of ice. I haven’t been able to figure out why the river was open.
Willow River State Park is a popular rock climbing areas. I almost always find someone climbing on the sandstone cliffs above the falls. This past visit was no exception. I happened to have my long lens with me in anticipation of seeing some birds on the lower Willow River. I took a few photos of the climbers.
This year we have only been to Willow Falls State Park a couple of times. I usually visit more frequently but with the cold weather the waterfall has been frozen so it hasn’t been that photogenic. This past weekend we drove over to see what was going on. The falls was almost ice free so I took a few intimate photos.
It has been bitterly cold the last few weeks so I decided to drive over to Willow River State Park and see if I could find some frost to photograph. Unfortunately it has been cold for too long and there wasn’t any frost to photograph. Willow Falls was almost completely frozen so there weren’t a lot of good photos to be had but I managed a few intimate photos of Willow Falls. It was a bit of a disappointing trip but I was able to stop at the DNR office in Baldwin and pick up my ski pass and park pass for next year.
