Thousands of people visit Devil's Lake on summer Saturdays. Here's how to avoid a line.

If you're headed to Devil's Lake State Park on a summer weekend, you should know the drill: Arrive late, and you're likely to face long lines and little parking.

The Baraboo park — Wisconsin's most popular — sees around 2.5 million visitors annually. Though it's always been well-loved, visits skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources urges people to be ready for crowds from May through October, and even suggests considering a different property to visit.

But with a little foethought, you can experience the beauty of Devil's Lake without feeling like you're squeezed in with thousands of others who had the same idea. Here are the DNR's top tips for an enjoyable visit.

• Avoid visiting on weekends and holidays during the summer and fall.
• If you go on the weekend, arrive in the early morning or late afternoon.
• Buy a park pass before you go so you can move quickly through the park entrance. ( Starting in 2025 , Wisconsin state park stickers will be valid for an entire year after purchase, instead of expiring at the end of the calendar year.)
• Try out a different part of the park, which is nearly 10,000 acres. Steinke Basin, Roznos Meadow and other Ice Age Trail lots can all get you to other scenic areas of the park. Conversely, the most popular parts of the park are the north and south shores of the lake and the hiking trails that surround it.

More: Devil's Lake is the 'jewel' of Wisconsin parks. But it's wearing down and hard to protect.

Madeline Heim is a Report for America corps reporter who writes about environmental issues in the Mississippi River watershed and across Wisconsin. Contact her at 920-996-7266 or mheim@gannett.com .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Thousands of people visit Devil's Lake on summer Saturdays. Here's how to avoid a line.