Muskego Park Hardwoods features southern dry-mesic and lowland forests within the confines of Muskego Park, a Waukesha county park. The park is found on CTH L just southwest of Muskego. There is a day use fee of $4 per car payable at the entrance station. There are self-pay stations available if an attendant is not…
Tag: Waukesha County
Clifford Messinger Dry Prairie & Savanna Preserve, SNA #230 (128/675)
Clifford Messinger Dry Prairie & Savanna Preserve is composed of 13 separate parcels of dry prairie and oak savanna scattered across 11 miles in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Over the years, the number of parcels has varied as parcels were acquired, delisted as SNA’s, or subsumed into an existing SNA….
Genesee Oak Opening & Fen, SNA #153 (125/675)
Genesee Oak Opening & Fen is well-described by its name. An bur oak opening and fen are found at the site, just north of North Prairie. An access lane leads west from STH 59 to a small pull-off for parking. Continue walking west into the site. I have visited Genesee Oak Opening & Fen twice,…
Martin’s Woods, SNA #350 (124/675)
Martin’s Woods is a Waukesha County Land Conservancy property feature mesic and wet-mesic forests on Edgewood Avenue just west of Big Bend. There is no dedicated parking area and not much of a shoulder to speak of, so just do your best in terms of parking as far off the road as you can. The…
Mukwonago River, SNA #417 (123/675)
Mukwonago River is as it sounds. This site features an approximately 0.6 mile stretch of the Mukwonago River north of its confluence with the Fox River. A park-and-ride lot is located on Holz Parkway, just north of STH 83. The Mukwonago River is known as a clear-flowing, exceptionally diverse stream. Categorized as an Exceptional Resource…
Eagle Centre Prairie, SNA #349 (122/675)
Eagle Centre Prairie is one of the smaller SNA’s and contains a dry prairie remnant and oak opening next to a subdivision. Park at the end of the cul-de-sac on Clover Court and walk through the trees to the site. This was one of the visits where I was thinking to myself, ‘am I supposed…
Scuppernong Prairie, SNA #6 (121/675)
Scuppernong Prairie contains a wet prairie just southeast of Kettle Moraine Low Prairie. The property consists of 2 parcels on either side of CTH N approximately 1/5 mile apart. A large parking area is found on the west side of CTH N, across from the southernmost parcel, but with no road shoulder here to speak…
Kettle Moraine Low Prairie, SNA #88 (120/675)
Kettle Moraine Low Prairie features an array of prairie types with upland islands near Eagle in the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. There is an access lane and parking area located north of Eagle on the west side of STH 67 (Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive). Beyond the parking area, the access lane…
Ottawa Lake Fen, SNA #128 (119/675)
Ottawa Lake Fen features a picturesque fen and marl flat complex between Ottawa Lake and another, unnamed lake. Found within the Ottawa Lake Campground area of the Southern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest, ample paved parking is available. One option is to park at the boat ramp and canoe/kayak across the lake to…
Lulu Lake, SNA #138 (86/674)
Lulu Lake is an amazing mosaic of natural communities straddling the Walworth-Waukesha County line. Several parking areas are located around the property including on CTH E, Lulu Lake Road, and Nature Road. Trails lead throughout the site. The SNA is owned approximately 2/3 by the DNR and 1/3 by The Nature Conservancy. Both entities own…
Eagle Oak Opening, SNA #66 (85/674)
Eagle Oak Opening, protects, as does the previous post’s Kettle Moraine Oak Opening, one of the rarest natural communities in Wisconsin, the oak opening. Once covering over 5.5 million acres (~15% of the state), oak openings have all but vanished as fire supression and reduced grazing have allowed the openings to fill in with younger…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 