Two Lakes Pine-Oak Forest is actually located between three lakes and a conifer swamp. The easiest access is at the end of Will Jo Road which ends in a cul-de-sac followed by a hummocky walk though the swamp to the forest. My visit here was shorter than I would have liked due to the dwindling…
Avon Bottoms, SNA #36 (55/674)
Avon Bottoms contains a lowland hardwood forest amidst a tangle of sloughs and oxbows in southwestern Rock County. It is a small portion of the 3500+ acre Avon Bottoms State Wildlife Area, which also contains Swenson Wet Prairie SNA. The easiest access is via one of two parking areas on Nelson Road, one on either…
Ward/Swartz Decatur Woods, SNA #231 (54/674)
Ward/Swartz Decatur Woods is a small southern dry-mesic forest northwest of Brodhead in Green County. The closest parking area is for Decatur Dam Park, about 1/5 mile to the south. The road in this area is narrow and gets a decent amount of traffic, so I would not suggest parking on the road. The site…
Swenson Wet Prairie, SNA #64 (53/674)
Swenson Wet Prairie contains a small wet-mesic prairie and sedge meadow as well as a degraded savanna and old river channels. It is easily found at the corner of CTH T and Smith Rd with a large parking area found off of the latter. It is part of the expansive Avon Bottoms State Wildlife Area…
Lewis’s Woodpecker
I don’t often ‘chase birds’ as the phrase goes, but once in a while I will. When I read the reports of a Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) sighted near La Crosse, the 4th ever state record, I hoped it would stick around until I had a chance to go see it. As it turns out,…
Abraham’s Woods, SNA #38 (52/674)
Abraham’s Woods is a southern mesic forest in Green County. As the location is not disclosed by the DNR, it will not be disclosed here. Permission is required for visiting. This site has the quintessential Wisconsin forest with a variety of tree species and ages. A sandstone rich arcs through the site and gives it…
Oliver Prairie, SNA #58 (51/674)
Oliver Prairie is a small, dry hillside prairie remnant in Green County. As the location is not disclosed by the DNR, it will not be disclosed here. Permission is required for visiting. I have found the site to be rather unremarkable, but this is in part due to the late summer season for both of…
Muralt Bluff Prairie (50/674)
Muralt Bluff Prairie was protected thanks to the foresight of a few Green County residents, was then purchased by Green County, and is now owned by The Prairie Enthusiasts and the DNR (and managed by the former). It is definitely one of my favorite sites, in part because of the care with which it is…
Ridgeway Pine Relict, SNA #326 (49/674)
The steep cliffs and gorges left behind by the glaicers create a cooler microclimate that allows relict pine stands like those found at Ridgeway Pine Relict SNA to persist in the southern part of the state. This site consists of three separate parcels, though only one has a parking area. The other two involve parking…
Barneveld Prairie, SNA #405 (48/674)
Barneveld Prairie represents a small piece of the prairie and grasslands that once dominated the southwest portion of Wisconsin. Now, this SNA consists of five parcels in Iowa and Dane Counties that themselves are part of additional natural areas, or more accurately, project areas, including the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area, which is itself embedded…
Hulburt Creek Woods, SNA #371 (47/674)
Hulburt Creek Woods is comprised of 3 separate, though nearby, parcels within the Hulburt Creek Fishery Area in Sauk County. The creek is a picturesque trout stream winding through northern and southern dry-mesic forests and areas with sandstone cliffs and alder thickets. I have visited the easatern and western parcels so far. The western parcel…
Dells of the Wisconsin River, SNA #283 (46/674)
Dells of the Wisconsin River is a wonderful site, with beautiful views and a diversity of protected natural communities. It is the only SNA that can be found in 4 different counties. The protected land is comprised of cliffs overlooking the Wisconsin River, which in this portion of the state, forms the boundaries between several…
Lower Narrows, SNA #533 (45/674)
Lower Narrows is a beautiful and great example of the geologic history of our state. It represents a break in the Baraboo Range and was likely carved by a preglacial river. Today, the Baraboo River flows through the 900-foot wide, 230-foot high gorge. Further to the west, another SNA, Ableman’s Gorge, represents a similar break…
Lost Lake, SNA #198 (44/674)
Lost Lake was once prized for the clarity of the ice that formed there in the winter. Now it is protected as a State Natural Area and comprises an interesting mix of natural communities. From the parking area, the bulk of the site slopes gently downward toward the lake. In some places, large quartzite outcrops…
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…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 