Little Bear Hemlocks encompasses a block of northern mesic forest in Portage County, one of very few left in the central portion of Wisconsin. It is easily accessible via a parking area near the southeast corner of the parcel off of STH 34.
No trails exist here, but none are needed. The canopy is composed mostly of hemlock and there is ample room to explore amongst the trees. It was very interesting to note that a definite, though slight change in elevation seemed to run linearly through the site from north to south. East of this line was the drier section and west was much wetter, with various ephemeral wet spots amongst the trees. The “upland” area was mostly devoid of a significant groundlayer at this time of year, with mostly ferns and fallen leaves below. The wetter portion was rapt with greenery including wild geranium and white baneberry. A carpet of Canada mayflower transitioned between the two. I wouldn’t mind another visit here, perhaps earlier in the spring to note the ephemeral wildflowers. Hemlock forests are always favorite places to visit for me.
More of my photos (and full-res) from Little Bear Hemlocks can be viewed here.
Just under 400 more blog posts to go! Well, actually a few more than that remain; counting SNA’s delisted since I started and a few SNA’s to be designated, the current total is 689, though hopefully, that will increase!
If you would like to help support this project, please consider a donation. There are many SNA’s yet to visit and even more to revisit and I ultimately plan to write a book about my adventures. Thank you!
Additional Information
| SNA # | 620 |
| County | Portage |
| Natural Communities / Geology | Northern Mesic Forest |
| Size (Acres) | 59 |
| Parking | Parking Area |
| Trails | No |
| Easy to Find | Yes |
| Best Seen By | Foot |
| Marked Boundaries | No |
| Ownership | Wisconsin DNR |
| Located Within | n/a |
| Dates Visited | 6.14.13 |
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State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 