Alvin Creek Headwaters encompasses several natural communities centered around, appropriately enough, Alvin Creek and its headwaters in north-central Forest County. The site lies southwest of the intersection of STH 70 and STH 55. Access can be made directly from west on FR 2175 and from the east on FR 2427. Both lightly traveled (and lightly…
Tag: Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Kieper Creek (305/687)
Kieper Creek includes a variety of natural communities in northwestern Florence County, sandwiched between the two previous blog posts, directly east of Lauterman Lake and just west Fox Maple Woods. A few possible access routes exist for this site. FR 2154 forms a joint border between Lauterman Lake and Kieper Creek SNA’s. Lauterman Creek crosses beneath…
Lauterman Lake (304/687)
Lauterman Lake encompasses rolling terrain, a mesic hardwood forest, lakes, creeks, and a braided esker system in northern Florence County. The site can be reached via parking areas on Brule River Road (FR 2154) to the east of the namesake lake and FR 2553 to the west; both are just south of STH 70. Note…
Haymeadow Flowage (301/686)
Haymeadow Flowage is a sprawling mix of forested landscapes, lakes, creeks, bogs, and swamps across a 5-mile swath of Forest County in the northeastern part of Wisconsin. It is accessible from a multitude of National Forest roads, campgrounds, and boat launches. My first visit to Haymeadow Flowage was a fortuitous one and I simply sought…
Beaver Creek (189/675)
Beaver Creek State Natural Area is the prototypical State Natural Area found in Northern Wisconsin. It contains northern wet forest, northern dry-mesic forest, open bog, and a creek located just northwest of Eagle River in Vilas County. The most direct access is via Forest Road 2178 along the northern boundary of the site, with additional…
Haymeadow Creek, SNA #479, (188/675)
Haymeadow Creek encompasses nearly 1000 acres within the Chequameon-Nicolet National Forest in eastern Vilas County. The creek courses through a meadow surrounded by northern wet and dry forested lands. Access is available from numerous roads including Blong Road, FS 2567, and CTH E. All except the later are gravel roads and all involve parking on…
Kentuck Lake, SNA #442 (187/675)
Kentuck Lake (note: that spelling is correct; there is no ‘y’ at the end of ‘Kentuck’) encompasses two long, sandy ridges and the swale in between them on the north shore of the lake. Found within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in far southeastern Vilas County, one can reach the site by heading north from STH…
Franklin & Butternut Lakes, SNA #119 (140/675)
Franklin & Butternut Lakes encompasses a variety of habitats over rolling glacial topography, more or less centered around the aforementioned lakes. Found within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, parking for this site is available at either of two parking area on FR 2181 (Butternut Lake Road). Alternatively, there are several stopping points along various forest roads….
Echo Lake, SNA #445 (73/674)
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…
Scott Lake & Shelp Lake, SNA #117 (71/674)
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…
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…
Giant White Pine Grove, SNA #118 (42/674)
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…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 