Naturally we create joy with qualtiy lodging and recreation in a secluded coulee. | 
Justin Trails Resort has many miles of trails to explore. Get on your hiking shoes and climb the hills and valleys right outside your cabin. The area is filled with native habitat that contribute to the beauty of western Wisconsin. Clear your mind and enjoy the scenic trails in every season.
Hiking to the Pond
"The Pond" was created in 1961 as a Soil Conservation project for watershed management. It is spring fed from the west, southwest and northwest coulees and with snow melt and heavy rainfall. The disc golf pro tee for the Number 11 basket is to the top of the dam. The top of the dam is also part of the trail system for Bambi Lane and Doe Chase. Deer, muskrats, fox, birds, wood ducks, geese and mallards depend on the water in the pond.
To honor our daughter, Dawn, we are renaming the Pond "Dawn’s Pond" as that is one of her favorite childhood memories of hiking with Mom or as a young child hitching a a ride on Mom’s shoulders. She also participated in planting white pine trees on the hillside near the pond with her Mom and Dad. In spring, summer and fall The Pond is a leisurely 1/2 mile stroll through open fields and a bit of forest. It is great fun to listen to the bull frog’s evening chorus. In winter this same path is known as Bambi Lane, an easy trail for skiers who’ve been on skis before. For longer hikes, stroll the other ski and snowshoe trails where the grass is cut for easy walking. The short grass helps everyone follow the trail back to the cabins, Lodge or farmhouse. Hiking to the Rock aka Gerry’s Peak
The generic name "The Rock" is being replaced with "Gerry’s Peak" in honor of Gerry Ryan, Don’s sister. Gerry’s favorite childhood memories are of hiking to this rock outcropping with cousins Judy and Jeanne Justin.
Gerry’s Peak is composed of two 10 foot tall, flat top limestone rocks each about the size of a single car garage. They lie in an east-west position on top of a ridge at 1,200 feet of elevation.
Scientific information provided by Paul Burton:
"The "rock" cap on the stone outcropping is what the geologists called "dolostone." Dolostone is a calcium rich layer that arises from dolomite, a kind of sedimentary rock built up from the calcium shells of ancient sea creatures that died. Their tiny shells formed layers of calcium carbonate ("Tums" is purified calcium carbonate) on the sea floor, resulting in layers of limestone.
"Over great expanses of time, and with pressure from overlying layers, the limestone interacted with magnesium to form calcium magnesium carbonate, which is harder than limestone. This hardened layer is called dolomite. Then over millions of years the dolomite crystallized to form a cement-like rock called "dolostone."
"I tested a piece of your rock with acid, and it is dolostone. So the outcropping is made up of sandstone with a dolostone cap. The sandstone was laid down over 500 billion years ago...the cap is more recent, perhaps 450 billion years old, and a good bit of its mass came from the shells of tiny living things. In fact, I would guess that the sandstone underneath the cap may have been formed before life appeared on earth." Paul Burton, Ephraim, WI
The ridge around Gerry’s Peak is only about five feet wide on the north and south side before dropping off at a 23 degree angle. The space between the two rocks is about five feet at the nearest points. The north view is of Sparta, seven miles away; to the east of State Highway 27 (Deke Slayton Memorial Highway) and to the south are forested hills and a few acres of alfalfa fields. The ridge continues higher to the west another 100 yards to our property line. A walk to Gerry’s Peak is not for the faint-hearted. Climb Doe Chase ski trail to "The Rock" sign. Then carefully climb the last 50 feet of elevation following the weed wacked path. Tennis or hiking shoes are recommended.
Mountain bike on the trails
Trails are marked and a map provided. A helmet is required. Choose between single and double track trails. Double track twelve to fifteen foot-wide grassy trails provide a more rigorous trail than black-top or gravel. Grassy trails are trimmed monthly. Steepness of terrain determines the challenge of trail and is comparable to the ski trail map. Big Buck Trail has the steepest inclines/descents. Rugged foot paths for single track through the woods have not been bull-dozed, but do not have jumps of rocks. The small trees and briars are cut for the snowshoe season. There are ten miles of single track and ten miles of double track trails for your enjoyment.
A Wisconsin Safari ride is available to guests who cannot walk the trails. We have a Polaris Ranger with a bench seat to accommodate 2 passengers for a ride through the trails.
Justin Trails Resort located south of Sparta, Wisconsin is a great place for making family memories.
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