*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: Tamarack Swamp
Blueberry Trail (312/688)
Blueberry Trail preserves a floodplain forest along the slow, wide turns of Beaver Creek within the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area in Juneau County. The site can be accessed from Mulloney Road. No parking areas are present, so this was another pull the car as far off the gravel road as possible situation. There are…
Upper Buckatabon Springs (302/687)
Upper Buckatabon Springs encompasses a variety of wetland habitats including springs, ponds, alder thickets, northern sedge meadow, fen, and tamarack swamp across two parcels in central Vilas County. Access to the western parcel is available directly from CTH K on the south side or 3 Springs Road on the west side. The eastern parcel appears…
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…
Upper Fox Headwaters (245/679)
Upper Fox Headwaters is comprised of a wide array of natural communities in 5 parcels of land divided amongst 3 units spanning 9 miles, 2 counties, and a total of 195 acres. The Upper Chaffee Creek Meadow unit (formerly known as the Chaffee Creek unit) is accessible from a wayside off of southbound I-39/USH 51…
Tamarack Creek Bog, SNA #60 (235/679)
Tamarack Creek Bog features bog, marsh, and forest communities with several species more often found further north. Located within the Tamarack Creek Wildlife Area in southern Trempealeau County, the natural area is composed of two parcels with parking for the southern parcel on the roadside of CTH F and a parking area adjacent to the…
Summerton Bog, SNA #42 (158/675)
Summerton Bog contains a mixture of wetland communities including bog, fen, and sedge meadow northwest of Endeavor. A parking area is located off of Freedom Road on the west side of the natural area. This is another site that requires a more detailed exploration in the near future. Here, the weather precluded any significant exploration,…
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….
Jefferson Tamarack Swamp, SNA #389 (126/675)
Jefferson Tamarack contains a tamarack swamp, of course, along with a southern sedge meadow and marsh, all as part of the Jefferson Marsh Wildlife Area, just east of Jefferson in, you guessed it, Jefferson County. There are several parking areas scattered around the edge of the Wildlife Area either on CTH Y or USH 18….
Toft Point, SNA #57 (115/675)
Toft Point contains a wide range of natural communities on a peninsula between Moonlight Bay and Baileys Harbor. To reach the site, take the access lane off of Ridges Road, about 1.5 miles east of the intersection of STH 57 and Ridges Road. A parking area and trailhead can be found there. Alternatively, continue on…
Hook Lake Bog, SNA #242 (74/674)
Hook Lake Bog is a high quality bog in Dane County featuring a soft water bog lake, rare for this part of the state. Found within Hook Lake Wildlife Area, there are several ways to reach the property, one of which didn’t exist when I visited. The first suggestion from the DNR is to park…
Bean Lake, SNA #111 (63/674)
Bean Lake is a seepage lake found with Lake Mills Wildlife Area in Jefferson County. A large gravel parking area is located at the terminus of Bean Lake Road. From there a trail leads almost to the shore of the lake. As one approaches the lake, a sunken piece of boardwalk is visible but further…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 