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…
Tag: Wisconsin
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…
Bayshore Blufflands, SNA #377 (118/675)
Bayshore Blufflands contains a mixture of forest communities on the steep slope of the Niagara Escarpment. Access is available from above or below with parking areas off of CTH I and B, respectively. We parked below the bluff and walked the faded trail through the old field to the base of the bluff, across a…
Whitefish Dunes, SNA #175 (117/675)
Whitefish Dunes features the largest landscape of sand dunes along the Great Lakes. Found within Whitefish Dunes State Park, both active and stabilized dunes are home to various stages of succession with those dunes further from the lake being more wooded and stabilized. Parking is available near the park office. From there, we walked north along…
Logan Creek, SNA #543 (116/675)
Logan Creek features northern wet-mesic and upland hardwood forests along the northern shore of Clark Lake and a short stretch of Logan Creek. A large parking area is found on Loritz Road. This site is owned by The Ridges Sanctuary, LLC and similar to their eponymous sanctuary, a day-use fee is required for use of…
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…
The Ridges Sanctuary, SNA #17 (114/675)
The Ridges Sanctuary contains a series of ridges and swales marking former shorelines of Lake Michigan from the last 1400-1500 years. This topography results in an array of different natural communities and resident species. A large parking lot and visitor’s center can be found off of CTH Q just east of Hwy 57. Note that…
Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach (113/675)
Moonlight Bay Bedrock Beach protects a small dolomite bedrock beach and adjacent boreal forest near Baileys Harbor. The site is easy to reach from W Cana Island Road, just south of its intersection with E Cana Island Road. A sign and short trail leading west from the road takes you into the site. Hands-down this…
Mud Lake, SNA #125 (112/675)
Mud Lake features a shallow drainage lake surrounded by a sedge meadow. It is one of 6 SNA’s with ‘Mud Lake’ in the name and one of 2 SNA’s with 3 owners. There is room to park at dead-ends on Lime Kiln and Birch Roads, on the north and east sides of the site, respectively….
Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest & Wetlands, SNA #284 (111/675)
Baileys Harbor Boreal Forest & Wetlands features a rocky shoreline and interior boreal and northern wet-mesic forests on the Lake Michigan side of Door County. Access is readily available anywhere along several of the bordering roads; simply pull to the side, park, and walk into the site. There are a total of five separate parcels…
North Bay, SNA #381 (110/675)
North Bay features a long list of natural communities including various forest and wetland types (see table below) and certainly is more diverse than its name implies. Such is the case sometimes with SNA names. At times a site may be named X Lake and it really is just the lake. Other times it is much…
Mink River Estuary, SNA #218 (109/675)
Mink River Estuary features one of the most pristine freshwater estuaries in the country as well as associated wetland communities including marsh and conifer swamp. Land access is availabe from two spots: a large parking area off of CTH NP where it turns sharply north and off of Mink River Road. This site is best…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 