Spring Lake State Natural Area contains a seepage lake ringed by a northern wet forest with areas of calcareous fen and shrubs as well. Located just west of the Mauthe Lake State Recreation Area, this 37-acre site is located within the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, just west of the town of…
Tag: Kettle Moraine State Forest
Kettle Moraine Red Oaks (251/679)
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…
Milwaukee River Floodplain Forest (194/675)
Milwaukee River Floodplain Forest features floodplain and dry-mesic forests along a stretch of the East Branch of the Milwaukee River in Washington County. Parking is along the roadside on Oak Drive, just north of CTH H, where the gravel shoulder widens a bit near the Ice Age Trail. My first visit here was in too-early…
Clover Valley Fen, SNA #213 (130/675)
Clover Valley Fen features a series of peat mounds with characteristic fen flora just northwest of the Whitewater Lake Campground in the Kettle Moraine State Forest – Southern Unit. To reach it is not the easiest endeavor. Park either on Hi-Lo Road near the campground entrance or you could risk parking in a campsite to…
Young Prairie, SNA #132 (129/675)
Young Prairie features a wet-mesic prairie amidst a mixture of degraded lands straddling the Jefferson-Walworth County line. It can be reached via a DNR access lane north of Bluff Road or just to the northeast via a parking area off of Young Road. I have visited this site three times and have yet to explore…
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….
Scuppernong Prairie, SNA #6 (121/675)
Scuppernong Prairie contains a wet prairie just southeast of Kettle Moraine Low Prairie. The property consists of 2 parcels on either side of CTH N approximately 1/5 mile apart. A large parking area is found on the west side of CTH N, across from the southernmost parcel, but with no road shoulder here to speak…
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…
Ottawa Lake Fen, SNA #128 (119/675)
Ottawa Lake Fen features a picturesque fen and marl flat complex between Ottawa Lake and another, unnamed lake. Found within the Ottawa Lake Campground area of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, ample paved parking is available. One option is to park at the boat ramp and canoe/kayak across the lake to…
Kewaskum Maple-Oak Woods, SNA #135 (94/674)
Kewaskum Maple-Oak Woods features southern mesic and southern dry-mesic forests split between two parcels located southeast of Kewaskum. A parking area is located on South Mill Road from which a snowmobile trail heads west and bisects the non-SNA land between the two parcels. I have visited Kewaskum Maple-Oak Woods twice and am not very happy…
Kettle Hole Woods, SNA #254 (93/674)
Kettle Hole Woods features southern mesic and southern dry-mesic forests on a hillside with numerous ephemeral ponds scattered throughout. Continuing with the theme, this is one of 11 SNA’s found within the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. This is your standard park on the road (Forestview Road) and ‘jump in’ site, though…
Milwaukee River Tamarack Lowlands & Dundee Kame, SNA #256 (92/674)
Milwaukee River Tamarack Lowlands & Dundee Kame features a variety of wetland communities and several glacial kames surrounding a stretch of the Milwaukee River in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. It is one of 11 SNA’s found with this forest unit. There are several ways to access this SNA and I would…
Spruce Lake Bog, SNA #59 (90/674)
Spruce Lake Bog features a hard-water seepage bog northwest of Dundee in one of the many kettles characteristic of this region. It is one of 11 SNA’s within the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. A parking area is located on Airport Road as denoted by ‘Wildlife Viewing Area’ signs. Cross the grass…
Butler Lake & Flynn’s Spring, SNA #257 (89/674)
Butler Lake features the namesake lake and spring, as well as a short segment of the Parnell Esker. It is one of 11 SNA’s found within the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Access is easy via a large parking area at a bend in Butler Lake Road. There is a boat landing…
Haskell Noyes Memorial Woods, SNA #11 (88/674)
Haskell Noyes Memorial Woods protects a typical southern dry-mesic forest on rolling terrain within the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, one of 11 SNA’s found there. It is easy to find this SNA, with a glorified gravel pull-off from CTH GGG. A large SNA sign is noticeable from the road and a…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 