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…
Tag: Wisconsin
Ancient Aztalan Village, SNA #408 (62/674)
Within Aztalan State Park, restored mounds and stockades from the village and ceremonial complex of an Upper Mississippian Native American culture and are now designated as Ancient Aztalan Village SNA. This is an easy to find and easy to explore site found just southeast of Lake Mills in Jefferson County on County Highway Q. This…
Waterloo Prairie, SNA #63 (61/674)
Waterloo Prairie consists of four prairie parcels east of Waterloo, home of Trek bicycles. The southernmost parcel is the easiest to access with a large gravel parking area off of Blue Joint Road. A smaller parcel is just to the west and can be reached via other DNR lands between the two. A parcel to…
Snapper Prairie, SNA #168 (60/674)
Snapper Prairie is a low prairie surrounded by agricultural fields in Jefferson County. It is not the easiest site to find because access is via an unmarked farm lane off of County Highway G. That dead-ends right at the prairie. I have visited this site three times and the weather has been remarkably similar each…
South Bluff/Devil’s Nose, SNA #97 (59/674)
South Bluff/Devil’s Nose is located on a large expanse of the Baraboo Hills and comprises the bulk of the southern portion of Devil’s Lake State Park. There are a couple of areas to park: either the main south shore parking areas or a gravel cul-de-sac at the end of Burma Road in the southwest corner…
Devil’s Lake Oak Forest, SNA #27 (58/674)
Devil’s Lake Oak Forest is an 88-acre southern dry-mesic forest in Devil’s Lake State Park wedged between East Bluff SNA on its north side and South Bluff/Devil’s Nose SNA on its south side. Parking is available at the south shore day use/beach area. From there, take the Ice Age trail to the Grottos trail which…
East Bluff, SNA #98 (57/674)
East Bluff is one of four SNA’s found within Devil’s Lake State Park, the largest and third oldest state park in Wisconsin. Though it is one of the most popular parks, few people probably realize they are hiking through SNA’s. The irony for me is that when looking for another state park to take photos…
Two Lakes Pine-Oak Forest, SNA #511 (56/674)
Two Lakes Pine-Oak Forest is actually located between three lakes and a conifer swamp. The easiest access is at the end of Will Jo Road which ends in a cul-de-sac followed by a hummocky walk though the swamp to the forest. My visit here was shorter than I would have liked due to the dwindling…
Avon Bottoms, SNA #36 (55/674)
Avon Bottoms contains a lowland hardwood forest amidst a tangle of sloughs and oxbows in southwestern Rock County. It is a small portion of the 3500+ acre Avon Bottoms State Wildlife Area, which also contains Swenson Wet Prairie SNA. The easiest access is via one of two parking areas on Nelson Road, one on either…
Ward/Swartz Decatur Woods, SNA #231 (54/674)
Ward/Swartz Decatur Woods is a small southern dry-mesic forest northwest of Brodhead in Green County. The closest parking area is for Decatur Dam Park, about 1/5 mile to the south. The road in this area is narrow and gets a decent amount of traffic, so I would not suggest parking on the road. The site…
Swenson Wet Prairie, SNA #64 (53/674)
Swenson Wet Prairie contains a small wet-mesic prairie and sedge meadow as well as a degraded savanna and old river channels. It is easily found at the corner of CTH T and Smith Rd with a large parking area found off of the latter. It is part of the expansive Avon Bottoms State Wildlife Area…
Abraham’s Woods, SNA #38 (52/674)
Abraham’s Woods is a southern mesic forest in Green County. As the location is not disclosed by the DNR, it will not be disclosed here. Permission is required for visiting. This site has the quintessential Wisconsin forest with a variety of tree species and ages. A sandstone rich arcs through the site and gives it…
Oliver Prairie, SNA #58 (51/674)
Oliver Prairie is a small, dry hillside prairie remnant in Green County. As the location is not disclosed by the DNR, it will not be disclosed here. Permission is required for visiting. I have found the site to be rather unremarkable, but this is in part due to the late summer season for both of…
Muralt Bluff Prairie (50/674)
Muralt Bluff Prairie was protected thanks to the foresight of a few Green County residents, was then purchased by Green County, and is now owned by The Prairie Enthusiasts and the DNR (and managed by the former). It is definitely one of my favorite sites, in part because of the care with which it is…
Ridgeway Pine Relict, SNA #326 (49/674)
The steep cliffs and gorges left behind by the glaicers create a cooler microclimate that allows relict pine stands like those found at Ridgeway Pine Relict SNA to persist in the southern part of the state. This site consists of three separate parcels, though only one has a parking area. The other two involve parking…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 