Echo Lake SNA is composed of several wetland ecosystems: bog, northern wet forest, alder thicket, cedar swamp, and of course, the lake itself. Reaching the site is fairly easy via FR2460 off of which there is a small parking area. Trails emanate from here and lead towards the lake. Visiting Echo Lake was my last…
Category: Vilas County
Pat Shay Lake, SNA #446 (72/674)
Pat Shay Lake protects stands of old-growth hemlock and other mixed forests along with a bog, sedge meadow, and the eponymous lake. Access is available from several points along Butternut Lake and Knapp Roads. The easiest access to the lake is from the latter. The Hidden Lakes Trail within the CNNF skirts the southeastern edge…
Blackjack Springs, SNA #308 (43/674)
Blackjack Springs is part of Blackjack Springs Wilderness, which in turn, is part of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Complicated, eh? My visit here was with my mother, precluding much off-trail exploration. There is a large parking area off of FR2178 (gravel) and a trail that starts west of the road and skirts the northern edge…
Anvil Lake Trail, SNA #449 (41/674)
Anvil Lake Trail represents my first visit to an SNA “up north”. I visited this site with my then-girlfriend (now-wife) and my mother, which precluded much off-trail exploration here. Located in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, use of the property requires at least a day-pass which can be purchased by leaving money in an envelope in…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 