Buckhorn Barrens is much than its name belies. Comprising the southern half of Buckhorn State Park, a variety of natural communities are found here including: barrens, sand blows, northern and southern sedge meadows, and a second-growth forest. Numerous parking areas and two boat landings are located in the park provided multiple starting points for your explorations.
I started from two points on the main park road. First, I checked out the sand blow vista on the west side of the park road. This is just a short spur trail from the road to a landscape covered in sand with a mixed forest sprouting from the seemingly parched landscape. Next, I headed just a bit further south down the main park road to the Barrens Nature Trail. This is is nice and easy loop through the barrens with scattered jack pine in some areas and mixed forest in others. Hoary puccoon was the most abundant forb observed, along with slender penstemon, flowering spurge, and lead plant. As mentioned, this site is much more than a barrens and I would like to return and explore the sedge meadows and shoreline areas a bit further.
More of my photos (and full-res) from Buckhorn Barrens can be viewed here.
Additional Information
| SNA # | 360 |
| County | Juneau |
| Natural Communities / Geology | Barrens, Sand Blow, Northern Sedge Meadow, Southern Sedge Meadow, Second-Growth Forest |
| Size (Acres) | 1679 |
| Parking | Parking Area |
| Trails | Yes |
| Easy to Find | Yes |
| Best Seen By | Foot |
| Marked Boundaries | No |
| Ownership | Wisconsin DNR |
| Located Within | Buckhorn State Park |
| Dates Visited | 6.3.10 |
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State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 