Pecatonica River Woods features several southern Wisconsin forest types including southern mesic, southern dry-mesic, southern dry, and floodplain forest along a stretch of the Pecatonica River. A gravel pull-off in front of a DNR access gate is found on the east side of the river as it cross CTH A in Iowa County. I feel…
Tag: Southern Dry-Mesic Forest
Belmont Mound Woods, SNA #167 (167/675)
Belmont Mound Woods featuers southern mesic and dry-mesic forests within Belmont Mound State Park. An access road leads north form CTH G on the west side of the state park. Warning: it is not a very well-maintained road and I felt my car get several scrapes underneath along the way. Park on the road, narrow…
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…
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…
Johnson Hill Kame, SNA #258 (87/674)
Johnson Hill Kame contains northern and southern dry-mesic forests on the slopes of a conical moulin kame deposited during the last glaciation of Wisconsin. Parking here is the very narrow roadside along Shamrock Road. Walk across the agricultural field to a tree line, an area which can be quite wet with ephemeral ponds and quite…
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)…
Snow Bottom, SNA #262 (82/674)
Snow Bottom certainly packs a punch in terms of natural community diversity in a small area. Though there are 3 parcels to this site, only 2 are accessible as one is landlocked. The western parcel is accessed off of Cedar Rock Road, while the eastern parcel can be reached from a parking area on Bowers…
Richwood Bottoms, SNA #249 (79/674)
Richwood Bottoms contains an excellent floodplain forest along the Wisconsin River. An access lane heads south from STH 60 and dead-ends at a gate near a bridge that the DNR uses to reach the area. From here, walk across the bridge and then southeast approximately 1/2 mile to the northern edge of the site. I…
Browntown Oak Forest, SNA #23 (66/674)
Browntown Oak Forest features southern dry and southern dry-mesic forests along a sandstone ridge within Cadiz Springs State Recreation Area. It is easy to find and reach this site with a large parking area located near the southeast corner of the SNA on Allen Road. My first visit to this site was in mid-October. As…
South Bluff/Devil’s Nose, SNA #97 (59/674)
South Bluff/Devil’s Nose is located on a large expanse of the Baraboo Hills and comprises the bulk of the southern portion of Devil’s Lake State Park. There are a couple of areas to park: either the main south shore parking areas or a gravel cul-de-sac at the end of Burma Road in the southwest corner…
Devil’s Lake Oak Forest, SNA #27 (58/674)
Devil’s Lake Oak Forest is an 88-acre southern dry-mesic forest in Devil’s Lake State Park wedged between East Bluff SNA on its north side and South Bluff/Devil’s Nose SNA on its south side. Parking is available at the south shore day use/beach area. From there, take the Ice Age trail to the Grottos trail which…
Ward/Swartz Decatur Woods, SNA #231 (54/674)
Ward/Swartz Decatur Woods is a small southern dry-mesic forest northwest of Brodhead in Green County. The closest parking area is for Decatur Dam Park, about 1/5 mile to the south. The road in this area is narrow and gets a decent amount of traffic, so I would not suggest parking on the road. The site…
Hulburt Creek Woods, SNA #371 (47/674)
Hulburt Creek Woods is comprised of 3 separate, though nearby, parcels within the Hulburt Creek Fishery Area in Sauk County. The creek is a picturesque trout stream winding through northern and southern dry-mesic forests and areas with sandstone cliffs and alder thickets. I have visited the easatern and western parcels so far. The western parcel…
Lower Narrows, SNA #533 (45/674)
Lower Narrows is a beautiful and great example of the geologic history of our state. It represents a break in the Baraboo Range and was likely carved by a preglacial river. Today, the Baraboo River flows through the 900-foot wide, 230-foot high gorge. Further to the west, another SNA, Ableman’s Gorge, represents a similar break…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 