Peat Lake State Natural Area is headlined by its 42-acre namesake lake. Haboring mainly non-native carp, the lake is not known for it fishery and is not particularly accessible for those purposes. Such access is somewhat precluded by the extensive surrounding wetlands, composed of sedge meadow and cattail marsh. Located on the WI-IL border and…
Tag: Wisconsin State Natural Area
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…
Meadow Valley Barrens (313/689)
Meadow Valley Barrens is aptly described in its name. It is simply put, a barrens within the Meadow Valley State Wildlife Area. The site exists in two parcels, both of which can be accessed via CTH H. Further interior access to the larger southern parcel can be had via Eisefeldt Rd and 15th St SW….
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…
Bear Creek Cave (310/687)
Bear Creek Cave is exactly what its name describes, a cave. It is closed to the public and its location is not disclosed due to the sensitive nature of the site and past vandalism issues. This ninth-largest cave in the state is home to several bat species and a number of cave-preferring and endemic invertebrate…
Fox Maple Woods (303/687)
Fox Maple Woods contains a block of northern mesic forest and sedge meadow in northwestern Florence County. STH 70 bisects the property, though the vast majority and more interesting portions lie north of the highway. A parking area provides easy access to the forest. A faint trail leads northwest from the parking area, but I…
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…
Haymeadow Flowage (301/686)
Haymeadow Flowage is a sprawling mix of forested landscapes, lakes, creeks, bogs, and swamps across a 5-mile swath of Forest County in the northeastern part of Wisconsin. It is accessible from a multitude of National Forest roads, campgrounds, and boat launches. My first visit to Haymeadow Flowage was a fortuitous one and I simply sought…
Carver-Roehl Woods (300/686)
Carver-Roehl Woods, the subject of this, my 300th blog post, features a southern mesic forest on and around the hillside and rocky overhangs along Spring Brook Creek in Rock County’s Carver-Roehl Park. The park entrance is found on South Carver’s Rock Road just north of East Creek Road. The park road eventually forms a loop…
Cudahy Woods (299/686)
Cudahy Woods features several forested natural communities: mesic, dry-mesic, and wet-mesic just a short distance from the Milwaukee Airport. An unmarked driveway on the south side of College Avenue, approximately 1.5 miles east of I94. The driveway leads to a small parking area and subsequently a paved loop closer to the trailhead. The trail forms…
Warnimont Bluff Fens (298/686)
Warnimont Bluff Fens represents a rather unusual place to find a fen, on tall bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan. The location is not disclosed by the DNR and will not be here either, but I was allowed some special dispensation by the county. So as not to not tread on the fragile ecosystem, I enjoyed the…
Franklin Savanna (297/686)
Franklin Savanna contains the bones of an oak savanna within the decidedly urban Milwaukee County. It is one of just 3 SNA’s found within the county. It can be found on Oakwood Road, south of the city of Franklin, in the southeast corner of the county. Parking here is dicey at best. The road is…
Little Bear Hemlocks (296/686)
Little Bear Hemlocks encompasses a block of northern mesic forest in Portage County, one of very few left in the central portion of Wisconsin. It is easily accessible via a parking area near the southeast corner of the parcel off of STH 34. No trails exist here, but none are needed. The canopy is composed…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 