Enjoy a day or weekend visiting the Town of Plover, where you can find comfortable overnight accommodations, shopping, and great restaurants, taverns and pubs. From there, you can jump-start your outdoor adventures by heading to Standing Rocks County Park.
Just about 8 miles east of the Town of Plover is the 524-acre Standing Rocks County Park. It has family-friendly trails for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fat tire snow biking—and, in most years, downhill skiing and snowboarding, too. However, there will be no downhill skiing in the 2020–2021 winter season. The high water level on Bear Lake has made it unsafe to operate the towropes and provide a safe environment for skiers.
Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing at Standing Rocks
This park has attracted skiers and other recreation enthusiasts for years. It’s named after its so-called standing rocks, which are huge glacial erratics: granite boulders rolled here by the continental ice sheet. The view of Bear Lake from the top of the ski hill is outstanding.
The cross-country ski trails are open on a daily basis throughout the snow season. There are approximately 15 km (9 miles) of trails, including three miles that are lighted for night skiing. About 75% of the trails are rated as intermediate or expert trails because of the many hills and distances. Trails are groomed for both diagonal stride and skate skiing.
Standing Rocks has a 2.25-mile snowshoe trail with a shortcut that is 1 mile. The trail begins and ends near the ski lodge. Snowshoe rentals are $6, and the trail pass is $4. Approximately 8 miles of trails are groomed for fat tire biking. The park also has a year-round dog exercise area.
Behnke Olson Outdoor Recreation Center
Inside the new Behnke Olson Outdoor Recreation Center you will find flush toilets, a gas fireplace, warming places, a spacious seating area, and a small concession center for drinks and packaged snacks. You can also rent snowshoes and cross-country skis from there. The Behnke Olson Recreation Center is open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. when suitable conditions exist, unless the temperature is below zero degrees all day.
Evening skiers and snowshoers can use a warming shelter, which has inside toilets, when the Rec Center is closed. An outdoor patio with fire ring and firewood is available also.
There are daily and season admission fees, except for youth 8 years and younger. For more information, contact Standing Rocks Park at 715-824-7250. Call 715-346-1433 for snow and trail conditions.
Directions to Standing Rocks County Park
The park is located at 7695 Standing Rocks Road: From I-29/County B exit in Plover, drive east on County B for 6.5 miles, and turn right (south) onto Adams Lake Rd. Go south 1.5 miles, and turn right (west) onto Standing Rocks Road. Go west 0.6 mile to the Standing Rocks Park entrance.
