The focus of Hogback Prairie is a ridge with a narrow crest and steep slopes of equal gradient. Dry prairie is found on the eastern and western slopes, while oak woods and an overgrown oak savanna are found to the south. The natural area is composed of 5 separate parcels accessible by local roads. Three…
Tag: Dry Prairie
Cassville Bluffs – Roe Unit (203/675)
Cassville Bluffs – Roe Unit features dry prairie remants and oak savanna along a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in southwestern Grant County. Parking is at the end of the cul-de-sac on Sand Lake Lane. From there, a trail leads through the forest, across a stream, up the backside of the bluff before petering out…
Dewey Heights Prairie (202/675)
Dewey Heights Prairie features a dry prairie on a bluff 800 feet above the Mississippi River. Found within Nelson Dewey State Park, a lesser known site in Grant County, this gem is easily reachable and explorable for most. Several parking areas are located along and at the end of the long park road and a trail…
Gasner Hollow Prairie (200/675)
Gasner Hollow Prairie features a dry prairie and oak savanna on a bluff overlooking several sloughs of the Mississippi River. It is located in Grant County, just south of Wyalusing State Park, wedged between CTH X and Gasner Hollow Road. Parking is a bit easier on the latter which is much less travelled, but there…
Hardscrabble Prairie, SNA #322 (164/675)
Hardscrabble Prairie features a dry prairie and oak openings near Hazel Green in southwestern Lafayette County. Park near the end of the cul-de-sac on Crawford Lane near the sewage treatment plant and walk along the fence on the west side of the plant. Walking along the fence brought me to what seemed to be an…
Rock River Prairie, SNA #289 (146/675)
Rock River Prairie features a dry prairie overlooking the Rock River approximately halfway between Janesville and Beloit. A parking area can be found on South Walters Road. This site is a very pretty one topographically with the low undulations of the land continuing off in the distance seemingly ad infinitum. Puncuated by dots of color from…
Clifford Messinger Dry Prairie & Savanna Preserve, SNA #230 (128/675)
Clifford Messinger Dry Prairie & Savanna Preserve is composed of 13 separate parcels of dry prairie and oak savanna scattered across 11 miles in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Over the years, the number of parcels has varied as parcels were acquired, delisted as SNA’s, or subsumed into an existing SNA….
Genesee Oak Opening & Fen, SNA #153 (125/675)
Genesee Oak Opening & Fen is well-described by its name. An bur oak opening and fen are found at the site, just north of North Prairie. An access lane leads west from STH 59 to a small pull-off for parking. Continue walking west into the site. I have visited Genesee Oak Opening & Fen twice,…
Eagle Centre Prairie, SNA #349 (122/675)
Eagle Centre Prairie is one of the smaller SNA’s and contains a dry prairie remnant and oak opening next to a subdivision. Park at the end of the cul-de-sac on Clover Court and walk through the trees to the site. This was one of the visits where I was thinking to myself, ‘am I supposed…
Midway Railroad Prairie, SNA #18 (99/674)
Midway Railroad Prairie is, as its name implies, a prairie along a former railroad right-of-way. What makes this site different is that it encompasses substantially more land away from the trail compared to most other former railroad prairies which tend to be thin strips of land. The Great River State Trail runs along the site’s…
Holland Sand Prairie (98/674)
Holland Sand Prairie features, of course, a sand prairie that was once part of a massive sand terrace above the Mississippi River. Now, Holland Sand Prairie is the only sizable remnant. The site can be accessed from CTH Mh (McHugh Road). A parking area and information kiosk are present. Informal trails lead throughout the site….
Great River Trail Prairies, SNA #357 (97/674)
Great River Trail Prairies consists of two sand prairie parcels located approximately 7 miles apart in La Crosse and Trempealeau Counties. The Trempealeau County unit is adjacent to Perot State Park and can be accessed via Prairie Road. The La Crosse County unit is best reached from a canoe landing parking area at the end…
Brady’s Bluff (96/674)
Brady’s Bluff features a dry prairie and oak woodland on a bluff with stunning views overlooking the Mississippi River. Found within Perot State Park, this is definitely in my top 10 SNA’s visited. The SNA can be reached from several trailheads, though the most common are the East Brady’s and West Brady’s parking areas. From…
Kettle Moraine Oak Opening, SNA #229 (84/674)
Kettle Moraine Oak Opening features oak openings amidst an oak woodland with dry prairie remnants. Access is easy with a large parking area on CTH H. From there, the Bald Bluff hiking trail leads throughout the site and doubles as a segment of the Ice Age Trail (IAT). This is one of 7 SNA’s in…
Blue River Sand Barrens, SNA #69 (81/674)
Blue River Sand Barrens features oak barrens and sand dunes on an old alluvial plain of the Wisconsin River. The site is easy to reach with parking along Wightman Road, a sandy/gravelly access lane. Blue River Sand Barrens is another of my all-time favorite sites. The presence of moving sand dunes is similar to Spring…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 