Bohn Lake features the fluctuating water levels of its namesake lake, a remnant of a glacial tunnel channel formed millenia ago. Found in west-central Waushara County, this site is easily accessed via the Ice Age Trail. A parking area is located on the east side of CTH B, approximately 1 mile south of CTH V….
Tag: Ice Age Trail
Two Creeks Buried Forest (258/679)
Two Creeks Buried Forest features a unique record of Wisconsin’s glacial history in the extreme northeastern corner of Manitowoc County. A parking area is located on the east side of the T-intersection of STH 42 and CTH BB. Walk toward the lake and find a shallow place to amble down and see the profile of…
Wilderness Ridge, SNA (257/679)
Wilderness Ridge is a T-shaped area of forested ridges and wet swales marking former shorelines of Lake Michigan. Located within Point Beach State Forest, the site is easily accessed from the parking area at the entrance station and following the trail south. A GPS is recommended to know exactly when you are within the boundaries…
Point Beach Ridges (256/679)
Point Beach Ridges encompasses a series of 11 ridges and swales representing former shorelines of the Nippissing Great Lakes, a term for Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron which were all connected after the glaciers receeded but with much higher water levels than at present. A small pull-off is located on the east side of CTH…
Woodland Dunes, SNA (255/679)
Woodland Dunes featuers a series of forested ridges and swales that represent former shorelines of Lake Michigan. The site is owned by the Woodland Dunes Nature Center which has a headquarters/nature center building just north of the natural area on STH 310/Hawthorne Avenue. Trails lead from the nature center north, but none head south into the…
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…
Muir Park, SNA #96 (153/675)
Muir Park features a variety of natural communities within the boundaries of Muir County Park in Marquette County. A parking area and boat ramp are available off of Fox River Road. The Ice Age Trail forms a loop around Ennis Lake. The prairie was in full force during my mid-June visit. Butterfly milkweed, spiderwort, prairie…
Kettle Moraine Low Prairie, SNA #88 (120/675)
Kettle Moraine Low Prairie features an array of prairie types with upland islands near Eagle in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. There is an access lane and parking area located north of Eagle on the west side of STH 67 (Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive). Beyond the parking area, the access lane…
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…
Bluff Creek, SNA #271 (83/674)
Bluff Creek is another one of my favorite SNA’s and another smorgasboard of natural communities. It consists of two parcels and can be accessed via several points including a pull-off on CTH P, typically populated by fisherman, off of Hi-Lo Road (bring your rubber boots), and off of Esterly Road. The Ice Age Trail (IAT)…
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…
Parfrey’s Glen, SNA #1 (9/674)
A deep sandstone gorge dominates the site at Parfrey’s Glen, Wisconsin’s first State Natural Area. Designated in 1952, the area contains Parfrey’s Glen Creek, having cut through the Cambrian sandstone to form the gorge. The wet rock walls provide the environment for a more northern type of forest containing yellow birch, mountain maple,and red elder…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 