Things aren’t exactly hopping in a state park on a weekday in April, but that’s OK.  The only group taking advantage of the 300-foot-long sand beach on Hartman Lake was three Canada geese, and there was only one other car in the large parking lot. In summer months, a concession stand sells food, souvenirs and bait, as well as offering canoes and kayaks for rent. 

    Hartman Creek, located on the upper Waupaca Chain o’ Lakes, has seven lakes and about 10 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, as well as cross-country skiing in … I hate to mention the word…winter.  Hiking is the only thing that is free, however.  You need a trial pass for the seven miles of off-road bike trails as well as for horseback riding or skiing.  It’s $4 per day or $20 for an annual pass.

    The Ice Age Trail runs across a corner of the 1,400-acre park, and I took a short part of it and the Oak Ridge Trail System as I hiked a 1.3-mile loop through rolling woodlands along the western edge of Allen Lake, the westernmost lake in the park.  It was a beautiful day, sunny and in the 50s, but as with any mid-afternoon hike, you’re not likely to see a lot of wildlife, and I didn’t.  The scenery was picturesque, with some fairly large white pines and a nice view of the lake.  
     The park has 79 campsites you can reserve and 22 more that are available on first-come basis, and there are two buildings with showers and flush toilets.  
     If you fish the parks lakes, the most common fish are panfish, largemouth bass and northern pike.  Pope, Marl, Manomin and Knight Lakes allow gasoline-powered boats, but boaters are limited to a slow no-wake speed. The park guide, however, notes that the lakes are best-suited for canoes and other craft that you can carry on a car top.   

     The park is about 8 miles from Waupaca. It opened in 1966. 

    On the way out of the park, I stopped by the office but it was closed for the day.  There was, however, a warning on the door that deer ticks were already out and visitors should take precautions.  Drat.  I didn’t have any repellent with me and it was too late anyway, but I hadn’t noticed anything crawling on me.  However, on the two-hour drive back to Waukesha County I could have sworn I felt 20 or 30 ticks bite me in various places on my body.  Strangely, there was no sign of anything when I got home.