*experimenting with post format; bear with me* Spur Lake State Natural Area contains the eponymous lake as well as surrounding wetlands, including open bog, alder thicket, and a mixed swamp containing black spruce, white cedar, and tamarack. Located southeast of Three Lakes, the site can be easily accessed from Stella Lake Rd, west of USH…
Tag: Swamp
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…
Suk Cerney Peatlands (311/687)
Suk Cerney Peatlands is a massive complex of meadow, bog, swamp, and pine barrens covering over 3600 acres (11th largest SNA) in Juneau County’s Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area. The site is located west of Necedah and can be reached by taking North 6th Avenue north from CTH H to Bewick Trail which runs along…
Nipissing Swamp (309/687)
Nipissing Swamp is a remnant from the time of the glaciers when a sandbar blocked the outlet of Glacial Lake Nipissing and turned the area into a lagoon. Today, a northern hardwood swamp and sand dunes persist. Found within the boundaries of Point Beach State Forest, the area can be accessed from the northeast by…
East Fork of the Black River (289/681)
East Fork of the Black River features one of the longest stretches of undeveloped river in the state and a ridge and swale complex with alternating bands of northern dry-mesic forest and a variety of wetlands. This site is directly adjacent to yesterday’s blog post, Arbutus Oaks, and the same parking area at the end…
Arbutus Oaks (288/681)
Arbutus Oaks features a southern dry-mesic forest with stately oaks and white pine as well as a swamp on the border of southern Clark County and northern Jackson County within the Black River State Forest. Campground Road leads to a large parking area near Lake Arbutus with Arbutus Oaks SNA to the west and the…
Holland Red Maple Swamp (260/679)
Holland Red Maple Swamp encompasses a northern hardwood swamp and northern wet-mesic forest within Holland Wildlife Area in southern Brown County. One of only two SNA’s within the county, Holland Red Maple Swamp can be accessed via a parking area south of the T-intersection of Refuge Road and Mill Road southeast of the town of…
Coffey Swamp, SNA #276 (180/675)
Coffey Swamp features a seepage pond surrounded by a fen and northern wet-mesic forest on Washington Island in Door County. As mentioned in prevous posts on Detroit Harbor and Jackson Harbor Ridges, the most common access to the island is via ferry. This natural area consists of two parcels, one of which is found along…
Franklin & Butternut Lakes, SNA #119 (140/675)
Franklin & Butternut Lakes encompasses a variety of habitats over rolling glacial topography, more or less centered around the aforementioned lakes. Found within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest, parking for this site is available at either of two parking area on FR 2181 (Butternut Lake Road). Alternatively, there are several stopping points along various forest roads….
Frog Lake & Pines, SNA #187 (139/675)
Frog Lake & Pines features a northern dry-mesic forest and wetlands surrounding a wilderness lake. A small pull-off is located on the west side of STH 47 just south of Manitowish. From there, a walkable access lane leads to a short trail to the lake. I made a stop at Frog Lake & Pines after…
Scott Lake & Shelp Lake, SNA #117 (71/674)
Scott Lake and Shelp Lake SNA contains, appropriately enough, Scott Lake and Shelp Lake. The area around the lakes is northern mesic forest consisting of mostly hemlock with a few large red and white pines. Near the lakes are areas with black spruce and tamaracks as well as open bog and shrub swamp. The site…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 