Kettle Moraine Red Oaks features a southern dry-mesic forest with a significant red oak component on rolling topography in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest (KMSFN). This natural area is one of 11 found in the KMSFN and one of 18 total in the KMSF. I reached the site by parking on…
Mecan River Pine-Oak Forest (250/679)
Mecan River Pine-Oak Forest features the only pine-oak forest in the Central Sand Plains Ecological Landscape of Wisconsin. This natural area is easily reachable from a parking area on the north side of Dixie Avenue, east of STH 22. A trail leads north a few hundred feet to the southeast corner of the site. Note that…
Wedde Creek Savanna (249/679)
Wedde Creek Savanna features an oak savanna located in northern Marquette County. The site is easily accessed from a parking area on the south side of Deerborn Avenue, just east of CTH Y. There are no trails, but the open landscape is easy to explore. Though the rain had abated by the time I reached…
Bass Lake Fen (248/679)
Bass Lake Fen encompasses an area that is much as it sounds, a fen along the shore of Bass Lake. A parking area is located on the south side of CTH YY east of STH 22. From there, walk approximately 3/4 mile due south to the north shore of the lake. The fen is primarily…
Lunch Creek Wetlands (247/679)
Lunch Creek Wetlands is comprised of a large sedge meadow and areas of calcareous fen straddling the meandering Lunch Creek in Waushara County. This site can be accessed from a DNR parking area on the east side of CTH Y. Alternatively, it appears access is possible from the northeast and southeast corners of the site…
Mecan Springs (246/679)
Mecan Springs’ primary feature is the namesake springs, which are the headwaters for the Mecan River, one of the best trout streams in Wisconsin. The site is easily reachable via a parking area off of 6th Lane between Chicago Road to the north and Cottonville Avenue to the south. From this northeast corner of the…
Upper Fox Headwaters (245/679)
Upper Fox Headwaters is comprised of a wide array of natural communities in 5 parcels of land divided amongst 3 units spanning 9 miles, 2 counties, and a total of 195 acres. The Upper Chaffee Creek Meadow unit (formerly known as the Chaffee Creek unit) is accessible from a wayside off of southbound I-39/USH 51…
Pine Island Savanna (244/679)
Pine Island Savanna encompasses one the largest floodplain savanna in the state. Located along the Wisconsin River and spanning the Columbia-Sauk Counties border, portions of the site are accessible from land, while the highest quality savanna is located on an island. A boat launch and parking area are both found along Levee Road between CTH…
Magnolia Bluff (243/679)
Magnolia Bluff includes southern dry-mesic forest and a small dry prairie on a rocky ridge overlooking eastern Rock County. Found within the eponymous county park, Magnolia Bluff can be reached on Croak Road, south of STH 59. Lower and upper parking areas provide access to the site. Trails lead from the parking areas and loop…
Sugar Camp Hemlocks (242/679)
Sugar Camp Hemlocks features a northern mesic forest with a dominant old-growth hemlock component. This natural area can be reached by taking Fire Lane (gravel) and parking along the road. The site abuts a house that is seemingly in the middle of nowhere so take care to avoid trespassing on private property. Despite our early…
Holmboe Conifer Forest (241/679)
Holmboe Conifer Forest includes a variety of northern forest types on rolling terrain along the Pelican River in the city of Rhinelander. The directions as described by the DNR are a bit out of date and I believe they pre-date the Taylor Park nursing home that was built adjacent to the site on Boyce Drive….
Cedarburg Beech Woods (240/679)
Cedarburg Beech Woods is comprised of a southern mesic forest on rolling topogrpahy dominated by beech and maple. The site is located on Saint Augustine Road just southwest of the UWM Field Station and pulling to the side of this gravel road is your only parking option. First and foremost, however, permssion to visit this…
Cedar Grove Hawk Research Station (239/679)
Cedar Grove Hawk Research Station is an ornithological research and banding station in Sheboygan County. It is closed to the public so as to not disturb the ongoing research. Bird trapping and banding has been occurring at the Cedar Grove Hawk Research Station since the 1940’s. A large blind is located on site from which…
Kohler Park Dunes (238/679)
Kohler Park Dunes features a stunning series of sand dunes and a mile of Lake Michigan shoreline within Kohler-Andrae State Park in Sheboygan County. Several access points can be used including parking areas on Beach Park Lane at the northern boundary, near the Sanderling Nature Center in the park, and on Old Park Road at the…
LTC Old Growth Forest (237/679)
LTC Old Growth Forest is a small remnant of old-growth northern mesic forest located on the campus of Lakeshore Technical College in Manitowoc County. The campus entrance is approximately 1/2 mile east of I-43 on CTH XX. Park in the North parking area and walk east into the natural area. Trails wind through the site….
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 