Muehl Springs State Natural Area features a sedge meadow, springs, and stream system that feeds into the Sheboygan River. Owned by the Wisconsin DNR, Muehl Springs is located just north of the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest (NKMSF) and a few miles west of Rhine Center Bog State Natural Area and just southeast of Kiel Marsh State Wildlife Area. For my first visit, I parked near the STH 67 bridge over the stream, while for the second visit, I utilized the parking area at the north end of the natural area on Holzman Rd and hiked south towards the stream complex and sedge meadow. The DNR directions suggest putting a canoe in at the STH 67 bridge. While that may help you explore the area a bit, I did not find a watercraft necessary to explore this area and it is not clear to me if a canoe/kayak could reach the Sheboygan River to the west, so your paddling distance options may be limited.
Muehl Springs was donated to the DNR by the Wisconsin Chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Interestingly, it replaced the former State Natural Area #35, Ripon Prairie, a degraded prairie that was delisted from the SNA program upon a mutual agreement between the WI DNR and the landowner, Ripon College. Since I had begun visiting State Natural Areas several years prior, this was the first time that a State Natural Area replaced another one.
In reviewing maps for this blog post, I noted a potential naming oddity. I have come across a few references to the site as “Mehles Springs”, including on the topographic map for the SNA as well as the description of Kiel Marsh SWA on the WI DNR website. Perhaps there is a story behind the naming of the property or the origin of the name, but that is research for another day.
Most of my exploration at this SNA has focused on the area north of the stream and east of STH 67. I didn’t find the plant diversity to be particularly stunning, nor did I notice anything obviously rare, but for my interests, the charming scenery of the springs/pond/stream complex made for a very pleasant visit. Absent a particular species to search for nor confirmation on paddling to the Sheboygan River, I don’t have a strong desire to revisit this site. Were I to do so, however, I would focus on the southeast corner of the site, east of STH 67. The small ponds there may be of interest to explore.
Additional photos can be found on Flickr.
| SNA # | 35 |
| County | Sheboygan |
| Natural Communities / Geology | Southern Sedge Meadow, Springs, Stream |
| Size (Acres) | 73 |
| Parking | Parking Lot |
| Trails | No |
| Easy to Find | Yes |
| Best Seen By | Foot |
| Recommended Footwear | Rubber boots |
| Marked Boundaries | No |
| Ownership | Wisconsin DNR |
| Located Within | n/a |
| Date(s) Visited | 10.13.13, 6.4.17 |
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 