Blue Mound State Park

Blue Mound State Park
Blue Mound State Park
	The East Observation Tower on the Blue Mound
	Location of Blue Mound State Park in Wisconsin Blue Mound State Park (the United States)
Location	Iowa and Dane, Wisconsin, United States
Coordinates	43°01′41″N 89°51′10″W / 43.02806°N 89.85278°W
Area	1,153 acres (4.67 km2)
Established	1959
Governing body	Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Website	Blue Mound State Park

Blue Mound State Park is a

Driftless Area to the south and west, and the young glacial plains and city of Madison

to the east.

Geology

West Blue Mound (elev. 1,716 ft (523 m)), the park's namesake, rises approximately 450 feet (140 m) above the

monadnock, having been created through centuries of erosion

, with the harder dolomite being more weather-resistant than the other surrounding rock of the region.

biking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. There is a nature center by the picnic area with natural history exhibits. Naturalists offer programs in the summer. The Military Ridge State Trail, which follows the natural east-west contour of the ridgeline from Fitchburg to Dodgeville, abuts on the southern edge of the park.^[1]

The park is used as the finish line for the Horribly Hilly Hundreds bicycle challenge ride.^[2] In Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, the park would have contained the finish line for the road cycling race.^[3]

Friends of Blue Mound State Park

A volunteer group, the Friends of Blue Mound State Park, is a group of

natural resources

, while offering activities and projects that improve the park guests' visits. The Friends play a key role in many special events, including the annual Candlelight Ski, annual campout, trail construction and interpretive presentations.