Gibraltar Rock is a geological feature in Columbia County, Wisconsin. Rising 200 feet above the farmland below, Gibraltar Rock offers tremendous views of the surrounding countryside, including Lake Wisconsin.
The trail to the top is uphill, but it’s pretty easy going. Gibraltar Rock used to be accessible by car almost all the way to the top – some of the asphalt surface is still intact. Good thing the DNR closed the road at the bottom though.
At the top, the trail branches to provide several paths to the cliff’s edge. It’s a striking way to arrive at a vista – climb up the slope, through a forest, without fully realizing you’re gaining altitude. Then, bam! You’re looking down 200 feet off the top of Gibraltar Rock. Wow.
The cliff face is shear, and it’s windy today. It’s a bit too thrilling near the edge. Also, lots of wind makes for blurry trees in panoramas. There are several turkey vultures enjoying the wind and the updrafts coming off the cliff face. They’re soaring 200 feet up like they always do, but they’re eye level with us humans on top of the rock.
Although one was with me, no famous people are immortalized in this shot. There is a stranger trying to hide behind a tree, though. I took him out in post.
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