tower hill state park

Other than seeing the shot tower and smelter house, which takes 15-30 minutes, there's not much to do here. There is camping, but I don't know why anyone would want to camp here when there are much nicer state parks, such as Governor Dodge and Devil's Lake, nearby. It's okay for a quick day visit, but if you are looking for a camping experience or a multi-day experience, I'd recommend going somewhere else.

To get there: take U.S. Highway 14 west of Arena about 4.7 miles to County Highway CC. Turn left on Highway C and go about 1.8 miles. The park entrance will be on your right. The park entrance, 5808 County Highway C, is at latitude 43° 8' 46.9" N longitude 90° 2' 51.1" W. It is just down the road from The House On The Rock. This is a rustic state park, with one set of pit toilets, no showers, no phone, and no cell signal. What it does have a slice of Wisconsin's early lead mining history for you to walk through. The Shot tower is at the end of a short (.4 mile) hike up a wooded trail. Looking from the outside, it looks like a small cabin at the top of a hill with a great view. Inside you will see the smelting kettle still hanging in the fireplace, and the drop shaft. Take a look down the shaft, you can not see the bottom, then take a walk along the trails to the bottom of the drop. At the end of this trail is a cave that was hand dug by "badgers", Wisconsin's early miners.It doesn't take long to explore all of this little park, but it is a place you should go see if you are a Wisconsin history buff.