Continuing in the vein of aptly named SNA’s, today’s post is on Giant White Pine Grove in Forest County. This is a relatively small site in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, located in a part of the forest known as the Headwaters Wilderness. After driving on gravel forest roads, there is a small gravel parking area…
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…
Mirror Lake Pine-Oak Forest, SNA #406 (40/674)
Mirror Lake Pine-Oak Forest is exactly what it sounds like: a nice forest consisting of pine (mostly white) and oak (a mixture of red, black, and white) on an undulating terrain on the shores of Mirror Lake. Access is available from a couple of boat landings or by actual boat from the main portion of…
Fern Dell Gorge, SNA #407 (39/674)
Fern Dell Gorge is aptly named as Dell Creek eroded the Upper Cambrian sandstone over time leaving a gorge filled with a variety of ferns. As this site is within Mirror Lake State Park, a sticker is required for visiting. From within the park, one can take the Northwest Trail from the park office which…
Empire Prairies, SNA #146 (38/674)
Empire Prairies consists of three separate remnant drumlin prairies, two of which are open to the public. The Westport Drumlin and and Hagen units are open to the public and fairly straightforward to reach, the latter being the easiest with a parking area off the road and a short walk to the drumlin. Westport Drumlin…
Cherokee Marsh, SNA #130 (37/674)
If you say ‘Cherokee Marsh’ to someone in the area, they will most likely know what you are talking about. There is a reason for that, however. ‘Cherokee Marsh’ is a name applied to several nearby, adjoining, and/or overlapping properties near the northwest corner of Lake Mendota in Dane County. Cherokee Marsh SNA is itself,…
Goose Lake Drumlins, SNA #375 (36/674)
Six drumlins and two lakes can be found at Goose Lake Drumlins, found within Goose Lake Wildlife Area. As is the custom with SNA’s embedded in State Wildlife Areas, there is no demarcation of which portion is SNA and which is not. Access is fairly straightfoward and can be accomplished from a number of SWA…
Deansville Fen, SNA #311 (35/674)
Deansville Fen contains a variety of natural communities including wet-mesic prairie, sedge meadow, and calcareous fen as part of the larger Deansville Wildlife Area. As is typical of SNA’s found within State Wildlife Areas (SWA’s), there are no signs marking SNA-land from non-SNA land, and hence a GPS will come in handy (or a topo…
Audubon Goose Pond, SNA #86 (34/674)
Audubon Goose Pond is a hotspot for birding, particularly during spring or autumn migrations when many species of shorebirds and waterfowl, in particular, stop here. Also known as Goose Pond Sanctuary, over 240 species of birds have been spotted here. Hundreds of tundra swans and Canada geese congregate here during migration season. The site itself…
Gibraltar Rock, SNA #73 (33/674)
Rising 200 feet over the Wisconsin River valley, a stunning panorama awaits you after a moderately steep hike up Gibraltar Rock. From the parking area, there are two hiking options. The access road is steeper, though more direct. An Ice Age Trail segment also leads to the top at a shallower slope over its longer…
Lodi Marsh, SNA #374 (32/674)
Lodi Marsh contains large wetland complex complete with streams and springs, but it also includes hill prairies and dry-mesic forests. Rubber boots are recommended for marsh exploration, but hiking boots may also be suggested depending on your access point. I would recommend accessing this site from the Ice Age Trail, for which there is a…
Mazomanie Oak Barrens, SNA #248 (31/674)
Another home to cacti in Wisconsin!
Mazomanie Bottoms, SNA #142 (30/674)
A large bottomland forest is criss-crossed by old river channels at Mazomanie Bottoms. The site requires a bit of a hike (or bike ride) from the large parking area. From there, it is approximately one mile to the SNA’s eastern border. On summer days, however, this parking lot is typically very full, for there is…
Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie (29/674)
Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie is a well-managed dry-mesic prairie on a low ridge containing over 80 prairie species. I have always considered this a sister site to Pleasant Valley Conservancy SNA, both due to its proximity and its management by the same group (TPE) and people (the Brocks). There is a small, 2-car pull-off for…
Pleasant Valley Conservancy (28/674)
I could probably write a small novel summarizing my numerous visits to Pleasant Valley Conservancy, but I’ll hold that for a chapter in my memoirs (ha!). Its proximity to my house is one of the reasons I have visited so often, as is its proximity to another SNA, Black Earth Rettenmund Prairie, which often makes…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 