Rising 300 feet above Honey Creek, Lodde’s Mill Bluff contains both a dry prairie and a cooler cliffside with a completely different plant composition.  It should first be noted that this site is owned by the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents and is managed by the University of Wisconsin Arboretum.  As such, written permission is required prior to visiting.  That said, it’s location will not be disclosed here.  On my first trip here, I mostly explored the forest surrounding the site and the base of the cool side of the bluff.  On a return visit last fall, I ventured around the southern, drier side of the bluff and was able to make my way up the shallower slope to the blufftop.  Trees preclude any stunning vistas and are encroaching on the dry prairie community here.  I don’t know that much active management has taken place here in recent years, otherwise this encroachment would not be occurring.  Hopefully, time and resources are found soon to address this issue.  An SNA left to degrade may eventually be delisted, as has occurred in the past.  I still plan a return visit to scour the cooler side of the bluff again for the various rare plants that inhabit the site.

More of my photos from Lodde’s Mill Bluff can be viewed here.

Additional Information

SNA #	52
County	Sauk
Parking	Roadside
Trails	No
Easy to Find	No
Best Seen By	Foot
Marked Boundaries	No
Ownership	UW Board of Regents; WisDOT; (More info: Wisconsin DNR)
Located Within	na
Dates Visited	6.27.09 / 10.19.14

	Not Disclosed