Water Fun at Hartman Creek State Park

Seven lakes with crystal clear waters, a sandy swimming beach, and miles of different types of trails make summer an excellent time to visit the park.

Children enjoy swimming and playing in Hartman Lake
DNR Photo

Before being established as a state park in 1966, Hartman Creek was a fish hatchery, where dams were built to create four spring-fed lakes -- Allen, Hartman, Grebe, and Middle. The park is located on part of the terminal moraine of the Wisconsin glacier, and potholes, gullies, and springs feed the lakes.

No gas motors are allowed on the four lakes, so they offer quiet water for paddlers and anglers.
Photo by Merlin Horn

The lakes have largemouth bass , perch, bluegill, and other panfish. Fishing piers, accessible to persons with disabilities, are along the east shore of Allen Lake and at Whispering Pines on Marl Lake..

A spillway and dam at the start of Hartman Creek are on the east end of Allen Lake. Hartman Lake has a 300-foot sand beach and large marked-off swimming area. The beach is adjacent to 3 acres of multi-use lawn area containing picnic tables, drinking water, and a combination changing and toilet building.

The park also adjoins Marl, Pope, Manomin, and Knight lakes, natural lakes that are at the head of Waupaca's famed Chain O' Lakes. These lakes allow gas motors, but watercraft are limited to "slow-no-wake" speed.

Paddlers can launch canoes or kayaks from the boat landing off Knight Lane on Manomin Lake and paddle through the east end of Hartman Creek State Park and the Pope Lake Natural Area to Marl Lake, where they can take time to ponder the depths of the lake's crystal clear waters. From the floating dock at Marl Lake, a stone staircase leads to the Whispering Pines Picnic area where paddlers can break for lunch. The picnic area has tables, grills, bathrooms, drinking water, and a vehicle access and parking lot off of Whispering Pines Road.

Hartman Creek by moonlight.
DNR Photo

For more information, ask Hartman Creek State Park, N2480 Hartman Creek Rd., Waupaca WI 54981-9727, (715) 258-2372.