The bedrock beneath the park is two billion year old granite, which is overlain by 600 million year old Cambriansandstone. An outcrop of this sandstone is visible south of the swimming beach. Otherwise these rock layers are blanketed by a thick layer of glacial sand and gravel. During the last ice age 15,000 years ago the Chippewa Lobe of the Wisconsin glaciation ended just six miles northeast of the park. When the glaciers melted 10,000 years ago, rock debris settled in a wide outwash plain where the park is today. The prodigious meltwater also carved the valley of the Chippewa River.
History
It has been estimated that the Chippewa River Valley once contained one-sixth of the United States' white pine stands. The entire valley was extensively logged for this target species from the mid-to-late 19th century. Once the harvestable timber was gone farmers began settling in the cleared out land. The Chippewa River was dammed for hydroelectric power in 1917, creating Lake Wissota. As the sandy soil was marginal farmland, twelve landowners took advantage the federal Soil Bank Program between the mid-1950s and early 70s. This erosion-control program paid farmers to plant trees, and here were planted with red pines. Today these trees still flank the park road near the campground. Legislation authorizing the state park passed in 1961, championed by state senator Davis Donnelly. Wisconsin spent a decade acquiring from various owners and developing services. The park formally opened to the public in 1972.
Flora and fauna
Lake Wissota State Park lies in the transition zone between prairie and temperate forest. The forest itself is a mix of hardwoods such as sugar maple and oak and softwoods such as red and white pine. Greatly disrupted by decades of logging and farming, these vegetative communities are healthy again after extensive restoration ecology efforts. Controlled burning is conducted in the prairie. As a sustainable management model, the red pine stand is periodically thinned for maximum health. There are demonstration shoreline restoration projects near the swimming beach to educate homeowners about improving their lake frontage.
Recreation
The primary attraction of Lake Wissota State Park is its access to water recreation. The unguarded swimming beach, located on a quiet arm of the lake, is very popular on summer weekends. There is a two-lane launching ramp for power boats and fishing boats. Nearby is a canoe rental and a fishing pier specially built to be handicap-accessible. Game fish in Lake Wissota include walleye, muskies, bass, panfish, northern pike, catfish, and sturgeon. Fish cribs have been dropped into the lake to provide habitat for crappies and smallmouth bass. In winter visitors can go ice fishing for crappies, walleye, and bluegill. The family campground contains 81 wooded sites, 17 with electrical hookups. At the south end of the park are two primitive, tent-only group campgrounds. One accommodates up to 100 people and the other up to 80 people. There are of summer trails, most of which allow horses and mountain bikes. The Beaver Meadow Nature Trail is a shady, one mile loop with interpretive signs which passes a wetland, a fern garden, natural springs, and an ancient river bed. In winter, there are of trail for snowshoeing, for cross-country skiing, and for snowmobiling. The unstaffed Karen Lea Nature Center has tables of hands-on exhibits, and there are naturalist-led programs offered during summer weekends. The park also features two baseball diamonds and a volleyball court.
