ST. PAUL, Minn. -- ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, continues its efforts to reopen Blackhawk Park, near De Soto, Wisconsin, and about 30 miles south of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Historic Mississippi River flooding this spring caused a lot of debris to wash up on shore. Corps staff have been actively cleaning up the debris and making necessary repairs ahead of the Memorial Day weekend but have more work to do to safely reopen the entire park.
The park’s West Loop Camping Area is currently open for camping, but reservations are full for this coming weekend. Additional recreation opportunities open to the public include the Green Lake Boat Landing, which provides access to Mississippi River backwaters areas and picnic shelter #3 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Kevin Berg, St. Paul District recreation section chief in charge of Blackhawk Park, said the spring flood created a lot of work for his staff. “We’ve been working hard to get everything back to a level that the public expects of our park, but many areas remain closed due to wet or flooded conditions,” said Berg. “We have a considerable amount of debris clean-up remaining before we reopen the rest of the park. Our number one priority is ensuring the public is safe while recreating at Blackhawk Park.”
There is currently no timeline for when the rest of the park will reopen. Please visit recreation.gov for camping reservations.
As a friendly reminder ahead of the holiday weekend, Corps staff want to urge everyone to practice water safety in and around the water. Water temps are still extremely cold and rivers, to include the Mississippi River, still have a lot of debris from the spring flood. If you go out on the water, please wear a life jacket; tell a friend where you are going and avoid using alcohol.
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Release no. 23-031