Cudahy Woods features several forested natural communities: mesic, dry-mesic, and wet-mesic just a short distance from the Milwaukee Airport. An unmarked driveway on the south side of College Avenue, approximately 1.5 miles east of I94. The driveway leads to a small parking area and subsequently a paved loop closer to the trailhead. The trail forms…
Tag: Forest
Cherney Maribel Caves (259/679)
Cherney Maribel Caves features a limestone bluff indented with what could loosely be described as caves (and more accurately referred to as cracks, crevices, and the like). The natural area is found within the namesake park, located on the east side of CTH Z south of Cooperstown in northern Manitowoc County. A large parking area…
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…
Tamarack Creek Bog, SNA #60 (235/679)
Tamarack Creek Bog features bog, marsh, and forest communities with several species more often found further north. Located within the Tamarack Creek Wildlife Area in southern Trempealeau County, the natural area is composed of two parcels with parking for the southern parcel on the roadside of CTH F and a parking area adjacent to the…
Coon Creek Cliffs, SNA #201 (218/675)
Coon Creek Cliffs encompasses a series of north-facing and seeping cliffs rich in mosses, liverworts, and ferns. Park along Jore Road, east of CTH P. The natural area lies south of the road. Take care in moving through the site as conditions are typically slick at any time of the year. Water was freely dripping, seeping, and…
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…
Mayville Ledge Beech-Maple Woods, SNA #143 (186/675)
Mayville Ledge Beech-Maple Woods features a half-mile long exposure of the Niagara Escarpment topped by a mixed forest consisting of primarily maple and beech, the latter of which is rare in the area. Previous posts on the Niagara Escarpment include: Bayshore Blufflands, Oakfield Ledge, Red Banks Alvar, Ellison Bluff, and High Cliff Escarpment. The only parking…
Red Banks Alvar, SNA #332 (177/675)
Red Banks Alvar features a rare natural community in Wisconsin known as an alvar. This natural area consists of three parcels near Benderville in Brown County. Two parcels are found on either side of STH 57, just southeast of the town, with a parking area accessible from the northbound lanes. The second parcel is found to…
Ellison Bluff, SNA #378 (106/675)
Ellison Bluff features nice view from atop a 200-foot bluff overlooking the Green Bay side of Lake Michigan. The site is easily reached via Ellison Bluff Park Road to its end, a large parking area and trailhead. Ellison Bluff is formed by the Niagara Escarpment, a rock formation that forms the spine of Door County…
White Cliff Fen & Forest, SNA #383 (103/675)
White Cliff Fen & Forest features a calcareous fen and mixed forest between the Niagara Escarpment and Green Bay. The trailhead is found on White Cliff Road with limited parking available on the roadside there. Additional parking can be found just east of the trailhead at a public boat launch. This was my first visit…
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…
McGilvra Woods, SNA #206 (6/674)
Rich displays of spring ephemeral wildflowers greet visitors to McGilvra Woods, though a visit in any season is a treat. My visits were in summer and fall, the latter providing a colorful display of autumnal sugar maples. As there are no trails, I leisurely meandered around the site, working my way aroudn the occasional downed…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 