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: Northern Wet Forest
Silver Lake Bog (319/693)
Silver Lake Bog contains a bog and northern wet forest situated in the far southeastern corner of the state in Kenosha County. The site is owned by the Silver Lake Sportsmans Club and permission is required before visiting. The description of “open bog” refers to having <10% tree cover, per the WDNR's description of this…
Hog Island Tamaracks (317/693)
Hog Island Tamaracks is much as it sounds, islands of tamaracks within a sea of wetlands, minus the hogs, of course. This Wood County-owned natural area consists of three parcels arranged in a loose N-S line in southwestern Wood and northwestern Juneau Counties. Though the DNR website does not note this, the western portion of…
Deer Island (315/689)
Deer Island in the Jackson County Forest contains the rare maple swamp natural community. It is located amidst sandy, backcountry roads and cranberry bogs more or less right along Deer Island Rd south of City Point. My friend and I continued our tour of Jackson County SNA’s with a stop at 2 of the 4…
Bear Bluff (314/689)
Bear Bluff features a mixture of wet and dry forests and open wetlands in the Jackson County Forest. Situated within the basin of the former Glacial Lake Wisconsin, Bear Bluff can be accessed via Goodyear Road north of CTH HH. Note that at the time of my visit in 2013, this stretch of road was…
Alvin Creek Headwaters (306/687)
Alvin Creek Headwaters encompasses several natural communities centered around, appropriately enough, Alvin Creek and its headwaters in north-central Forest County. The site lies southwest of the intersection of STH 70 and STH 55. Access can be made directly from west on FR 2175 and from the east on FR 2427. Both lightly traveled (and lightly…
Holmboe Conifer Forest (241/679)
Holmboe Conifer Forest includes a variety of northern forest types on rolling terrain along the Pelican River in the city of Rhinelander. The directions as described by the DNR are a bit out of date and I believe they pre-date the Taylor Park nursing home that was built adjacent to the site on Boyce Drive….
Border Lakes (193/675)
Border Lakes, or the Catherine Wolter Wilderness Area as The Nature Conservancy calls it, encompasses 15 undeveloped lakes in northwestern Vilas County. A parking area is located on East Bay Road, southeast of Presque Isle. Numerous trails that are more like access roads, loop through the site. As my mother and I pulled into the…
Beaver Creek (189/675)
Beaver Creek State Natural Area is the prototypical State Natural Area found in Northern Wisconsin. It contains northern wet forest, northern dry-mesic forest, open bog, and a creek located just northwest of Eagle River in Vilas County. The most direct access is via Forest Road 2178 along the northern boundary of the site, with additional…
Haymeadow Creek, SNA #479, (188/675)
Haymeadow Creek encompasses nearly 1000 acres within the Chequameon-Nicolet National Forest in eastern Vilas County. The creek courses through a meadow surrounded by northern wet and dry forested lands. Access is available from numerous roads including Blong Road, FS 2567, and CTH E. All except the later are gravel roads and all involve parking on…
Cherry Lake Sedge Meadow, SNA #120 (172/675)
Cherry Lake Sedge Meadow contains a southern sedge meadow, as well as northern wet forest, tamarack bog and surrounding uplands. A parking area for the encompassing Honey Creek Wildlife Area is located on CTH W midway between Waterford and Burlington. I started off from the parking area by following one of several foot-trails that wander…
Beulah Bog (171/675)
Beulah Bog encompasses two bog lakes surrounded by a northern wet forest in northeastern Walworth County. A parking area is located on Stringers Bridge Road, south of CTH J. From there, a trail leads east over undulating glacial terrain before turning south to reach a boardwalk, which in turn leads to one of the bog…
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…
Quincy Bluff & Wetlands, SNA #272 (133/675)
Quincy Bluff & Wetlands is a massive natural area with a great variety of natural communities. Originally acquired by The Nature Conservancy, the property was transferred in recent years to the DNR. It has been the site of intensive restoration activities as well as land acquisition over the years and will continue to be in…
Lima Bog, SNA #219 (131/675)
Lima Bog features one of the largest bogs in southern Wisconsin with flora more characteristic of the northern portion of the state. There is a parking area on East Bowers Lake Road south of the site from which a very uneven jaunt through a forested and rocky divide between two agricultural fields awaits you. Then,…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 