July is National Picnic Month in America, and to celebrate it, Fort McCoy has many areas available for people to enjoy a picnic and more.
According to www.nationaldaycalendar.com, the American Bakers’ Association founded National Picnic Month in 1952, and the month and the activity have been popular ever since.
“The word picnic is derived from the French word ‘piquenique,’” the website states. “Picnics hearken back to mid-18th-century al fresco French dining. A bottle of wine, a loaf of bread, some cheese, and fruit made for an instant meal under the sky. Whether we pack meals for tailgating at sporting events, an afternoon getaway, or a weekend of camping, picnics provide an excellent way to enjoy the company of friends and family away from home.”
Across Fort McCoy’s tens of thousands of acres of public land are numerous fishing and recreation areas available for everyone to hold a picnic. Some areas have pavilions and picnic tables, and other areas are mainly set up for fishing but have open areas to have a picnic.
This article is the first of two articles to highlight some of those areas on the installation.
Pine View Recreation Area
On Fort McCoy’s western side, in an area near the cantonment area and nested in between other training areas, is Pine View Recreation Area. This area includes Pine View Campground as well as Whitetail Ridge Ski Area and Sportsman’s Range.
The recreation area covers hundreds of acres, but the most popular is Pine View Campground. The campground is bounded by a lake and creek on the east and the La Crosse River on the west and south.
Among the features at Pine View Campground are picnic and playground areas (one handicapped accessible), a campground with a camp store, lodging units, the Recreational Equipment Checkout Center, miniature golf, hiking trails, and a beach. Members of the Fort McCoy community and the public use the campground year-round — as many as 65,000 people annually.
Next to the campground is Suukjak Sep Lake and Suukjak Sep Creek. The lake and creek were renamed in 2016 from Squaw Lake and Squaw Creek. Suukjak Sep is from the Ho-Chunk language and means “black wolf.” The name change was approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which is part of the U.S. Geological Survey.
Suukjak Sep Lake is stocked annually with more than 4,000 rainbow trout and is a 15-acre body of water, according to data from the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB).
The lake is 16 feet deep at its deepest and also has brook trout, bluegill, largemouth bass, black crappie, and warmouth fish species.
(Note: Pine View facilities are currently only open for Pine View guests, plus additional rules for the campground apply regarding the installation response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about Pine View at https://mccoy.armymwr.com/programs/pine-view-campground.
North Flowage
North Flowage Fishing and Recreation Area, located on the installation’s North Post, is one of many fishing areas on Fort McCoy open to the public.
The flowage is a 247-acre body of water that has abundant species of fish, according to data from the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch (NRB). These species include largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, pumpkinseed, grass pickerel, and yellow bullheads.
The deepest part of the lake is 18 feet and features a lot of cover, such as underground trees, for fish habitat. The area includes a boat landing, handicapped accessible dock, a small picnic area with a table, and in-place boat rentals that can be rented through the Fort McCoy Recreational Equipment Checkout located at Pine View Campground.
Lost Lake
Lost Lake Fishing and Recreation Area is also located on the installation’s North Post.
The lake is 48 acres and is 13 feet deep at its deepest location, NRB data shows. Fish species in this lake includes largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, pumpkinseed, yellow bullhead, and grass pickerel.
This area also includes a handicapped-accessible pier, a boat landing, and small picnic area with a table.
Lost Lake also has pre-positioned boats available for rental through the Fort McCoy Recreational Equipment Checkout.
Sparta Pond
Just like Suukjak Sep Lake, North Flowage, and Lost Lake, Sparta Pond is a fishing and recreation areas at Fort McCoy located on North Post.
The 4-acre pond is stocked annually with more than 1,100 rainbow trout and also has a variety of other freshwater species for anglers. Those additional species include brook trout, pumpkinseed, bluegill, black crappie, and largemouth bass.
The pond is 11 feet deep at its deepest point and has a large handicapped accessible pier for fishing. There is not a designated picnic area; however, the area is cleared of brush and undergrowth annually to provide large areas of access.
Other areas on the installation that can be accessed for picnics will be featured in the second article in the July 24 issue of The Real McCoy.
To fish at Fort McCoy, anglers must have a Wisconsin fishing license and a Fort McCoy fishing permit.
Learn more about the Fort McCoy fishing permit and how to get the permit by visiting the Fort McCoy iSportsman page at mccoy.isportsman.net.
To find out more about boats for rent at Fort McCoy, visit the Recreational Equipment Checkout page at https://mccoy.armymwr.com/programs/recreational-equipment-checkout-outdoor-recreation, or stop by the Pine View Campground office on post.
Additionally, when using all Fort McCoy recreation areas, installation safety officials ask that visitors practice social distancing and other COVID-19 pandemic response safety guidelines.
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