Scott Lake and Shelp Lake SNA contains, appropriately enough, Scott Lake and Shelp Lake. The area around the lakes is northern mesic forest consisting of mostly hemlock with a few large red and white pines. Near the lakes are areas with black spruce and tamaracks as well as open bog and shrub swamp. The site…
Argonne Experimental Forest, SNA #441 (70/674)
Argonne Experimental Forest contains a northern mesic forest and conifer swamp within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The SNA is located within a research forest of the same same which is administered by the US Forest Service. The larger experimental forest is one of 24 in the northern US and one of three in Wisconsin (Harshaw…
Waubesa Wetlands, SNA #114 (69/674)
Waubesa Wetlands features a sedge meadow, fen, and shrubb-car habitat in an old lobe of Lake Waubesa. Overland access is available from a small (2-car) parking area on Lalor Road (aka Rustic Road 19). From there, a access trail along a fenceline leads to the site. Further south on the same road the site boundaries…
Copper Falls, SNA #399 (68/674)
Copper Falls features waterfalls (of course!) as well as oxbows and dry and dry-mesic forests along the Bad River in Ashland County. It is found within its namesake state park, with the SNA encompassing much of the land along the river north of its confluence with the Tyler Forks River as well as Copper Falls…
Yellowstone Savanna, SNA #363 (67/674)
Yellowstone Savanna consists of oak savanna and a small dry prairie remnant within Yellowstone Lake State Park. Parking is available within the park at a few spots depending on how far you are interested in hiking. The Blue Ridge, Windy Ridge, and Savanna Loop trails provide access to the SNA. This is a site where…
Browntown Oak Forest, SNA #23 (66/674)
Browntown Oak Forest features southern dry and southern dry-mesic forests along a sandstone ridge within Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area. It is easy to find and reach this site with a large parking area located near the southeast corner of the SNA on Allen Road. My first visit to this site was in mid-October. As…
Red Cedar Lake, SNA #215 (65/674)
Red Cedar Lake has a maximum depth of 6 feet, but 90% of the lake is 3 feet deep or less. Reaching the lake is fairly easy with a boat landing located right off of Hwy 12. The best way to see this site is via canoe/kayak, but at the time of my visit 6…
Rose Lake, SNA #538 (64/674)
Rose Lake is a shallow seepage lake in Jefferson County surrounded by rich wetlands and prairie/savanna in the process of restoration. Rose Lake SNA overlaps with Dorothy Carnes County Park and vice versa. The main access point is via Radloff Lane which leads to a large parking lot and picnic area. A trailhead is also…
Bean Lake, SNA #111 (63/674)
Bean Lake is a seepage lake found with Lake Mills Wildlife Area in Jefferson County. A large gravel parking area is located at the terminus of Bean Lake Road. From there a trail leads almost to the shore of the lake. As one approaches the lake, a sunken piece of boardwalk is visible but further…
Ancient Aztalan Village, SNA #408 (62/674)
Within Aztalan State Park, restored mounds and stockades from the village and ceremonial complex of an Upper Mississippian Native American culture and are now designated as Ancient Aztalan Village SNA. This is an easy to find and easy to explore site found just southeast of Lake Mills in Jefferson County on County Highway Q. This…
Waterloo Prairie, SNA #63 (61/674)
Waterloo Prairie consists of four prairie parcels east of Waterloo, home of Trek bicycles. The southernmost parcel is the easiest to access with a large gravel parking area off of Blue Joint Road. A smaller parcel is just to the west and can be reached via other DNR lands between the two. A parcel to…
Snapper Prairie, SNA #168 (60/674)
Snapper Prairie is a low prairie surrounded by agricultural fields in Jefferson County. It is not the easiest site to find because access is via an unmarked farm lane off of County Highway G. That dead-ends right at the prairie. I have visited this site three times and the weather has been remarkably similar each…
South Bluff/Devil’s Nose, SNA #97 (59/674)
South Bluff/Devil’s Nose is located on a large expanse of the Baraboo Hills and comprises the bulk of the southern portion of Devil’s Lake State Park. There are a couple of areas to park: either the main south shore parking areas or a gravel cul-de-sac at the end of Burma Road in the southwest corner…
Devil’s Lake Oak Forest, SNA #27 (58/674)
Devil’s Lake Oak Forest is an 88-acre southern dry-mesic forest in Devil’s Lake State Park wedged between East Bluff SNA on its north side and South Bluff/Devil’s Nose SNA on its south side. Parking is available at the south shore day use/beach area. From there, take the Ice Age trail to the Grottos trail which…
East Bluff, SNA #98 (57/674)
East Bluff is one of four SNA’s found within Devil’s Lake State Park, the largest and third oldest state park in Wisconsin. Though it is one of the most popular parks, few people probably realize they are hiking through SNA’s. The irony for me is that when looking for another state park to take photos…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 