Van Loon Floodplain Savanna is, as its siter site Van Loon Floodplain Forest, found within the Van Loon Wildlife Area along the Black River in La Crosse County. The access directions as described on the DNR site, are not recommended to put it mildly. They describe walking 1 mile along the Seven Bridges trail and then north…
Tag: La Crosse County
Van Loon Floodplain Forest, SNA #568 (233/679)
Van Loon Floodplain Forest is comprised of two parcels of floodplain forest amidst sloughs and channels on the eastern shore of the Black River on either side of STH 35. It can be reached from a boat landing on the south side of STH 35. The southern parcel lies just 200 feet further south while…
Northeast Coulee Oak Woodland, SNA #597 (231/679)
Northeast Coulee Oak Woodland comprises a southern dry-mesic forest on a north-facing slope within the Coulee Experimental Forest in La Crosse County. It is directly adjacent to the north boundary of the Billy Goat Ridge unit of Berg Prairie & Billy Goat Ridge SNA. I reached this site by continuing north through the latter natural area…
Berg Prairie & Billy Goat Ridge, SNA #596 (230/679)
Berg Prairie & Billy Goat Ridge features dry prairie and dry-mesic forest in two disjunct parcels within the Coulee Experimental Forest. Berg Prairie is the largest dry prairie remnant left in Wisconsin and is found on CTH II just south of Anthony Road. There are a couple of DNR parking areas in the general vicinity,…
La Crosse River Trail Prairies, SNA #184 (229/679)
La Crosse River Trail Prairies includes 2 segments of dry-mesic and dry pairie along the La River State Trail straddling the La Crosse-Monroe county line. The trail can be accessed at numerous points including from Bangor to the west, Sparta to the east, or Rockland in the center. I parked on E May Street in…
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…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 