La Crosse River Trail Prairies includes 2 segments of dry-mesic and dry pairie along the La River State Trail straddling the La Crosse-Monroe county line. The trail can be accessed at numerous points including from Bangor to the west, Sparta to the east, or Rockland in the center. I parked on E May Street in…
Tag: Wisconsin
Eureka Maple Woods, SNA #222 (228/679)
Eureka Maple Woods features a primarily maple-basswood forest on the slopes above Timber Coulee Creek in far southwestern Monroe County. It is directly across Oboe Avenue from Portland Maples SNA and both are part of the Coon Creek Fishery Area. Park along the road and you can visit both sites without even moving your vehicle….
Portland Maples, SNA #372 (227/675)
Portland Maples encompasses a southern mesic and floodplain forests on sloped terrtain in the southwestern corner of Monroe County. Part of Coon Creek Fishery Area, the natural area lies along Rutlands Coulee Creek and can be reached by parking on the side of Oboe Avenue for the larger west parcel or Oakdale Avenue for the smaller…
Faville Prairie, SNA #3 (226/675)
Faville Prairie features a low prairie surrounded by sedge meadow and shrub-carr in Jefferson County. Owned by the UW System and managed by the UW Arboretum, permission is required to visit the site. As denoted by its number (3), Faville Prairie was one of the first SNA’s and was designated in 1952. The fluctuating water…
Allen Creek Wetlands, SNA #641 (225/675)
Allen Creek Wetlands includes a complex of wetlands including sedge meadow, wet-mesic prairie, and fen. The natural area consists of two parcels, one of which is privately owned and closed to the public and the other which is DNR-owned and open to the public. I have visited only the former, but the directions given…
Fair Meadows, SNA #416 (224/675)
Fair Meadows encompasses a variety of habitats including oak woodland and savanna, wet prairie, and sedge meadow. It is home to the federally threatened and Wisconsin endangered eastern prairie white-fringed orchid. A privately owned natural area, Fair Meadows is generally only open to the public on field trips through conservation organizations and that is how…
Tomahawk Lake Hemlocks, SNA #510 (223/675)
Tomahawk Lake Hemlocks features a northern mesic forest with hemlock and yellow birch on rolling topography betwen Tomahawk and Little Carr Lakes. Kettle depressions are found throughout the site. Park on Rainbow Road, near the intersection with Robin Road and beyond the entrance to the Macnaughton Correctional Center. Hemlock forests are one of my favorite…
Finnerud Pine Forest, SNA #31 (222/675)
Finnerud Pine Forest encompasses an old-growth red pine forest, bog, and lake shoreline. The site is owned by the University of Wisconsin System via the Board of Regents and is managed by the UW Arboretum. Visits require advanced permission. I am grateful to the UW Arboretum for allowing me to visit the several natural areas…
Black Tern Bog, SNA #49 (221/675)
Black Tern Bog features a quaking sphagnum bog mat surrounding two seepage lakes, just a stone’s throw from USH 51 in Vilas County. Park along, but well off of the highway, wand walk east toward the bog and lakes. This was another site in which I was uneasy about where I had to park. Traffic…
Trout Lake Conifer Swamp, SNA #21 (220/675)
Trout Lake Conifer Swamp is a small, northern wet-mesic forest on a carpet of sphagnum moss found northeast of Woodruff in Vilas County. It is part of the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest and can be reached via CTH N to Perch Lane, just northeast of the intersection of CTH M and CTH N. A…
Allequash Lake & Pines, SNA #508 (219/675)
Allequash Lake & Pines encompassees a mostly second-growth northern dry mesic forest surrounding the southern basin of Allequash Lake in Vilas County. Part of the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, this site can be reached by parking at the boat launch at the end of an access road heading east from CTH M. There are…
Coon Creek Cliffs, SNA #201 (218/675)
Coon Creek Cliffs encompasses a series of north-facing and seeping cliffs rich in mosses, liverworts, and ferns. Park along Jore Road, east of CTH P. The natural area lies south of the road. Take care in moving through the site as conditions are typically slick at any time of the year. Water was freely dripping, seeping, and…
Tunnelville Cliffs, SNA #542 (217/675)
Tunnelville Cliffs features a series of sandstone cliffs above the East Fork of the Kickapoo River southwest of La Farge. Access is via Tunnelville Road where the road bends sharply north. Park on the roadside near, but not blocking, the DNR access gate. Walk west into the site. From the road, the access lane passes…
Sugar Creek Bluff, SNA #338 (216/675)
Sugar Creek bluff features a dry prairie and southern dry-mesic forest overlooking the Mississippi River in Crawford County. Access is via Lagoon Street. Park beyond a gravel driveway and walk ~100 feet to the trailhead going north. A series of long switchbacks eventually leads you to the top and the dry prairie and scenic overlook….
Rush Creek, SNA #170 (215/675)
Rush Creek features a series of dry prairies on southwest-facing bluffs along a 2 mile stretch overlooking the Mississippi River. The namesake creek meanders through a portion of the site and a floodplain forest surrounds it. There are numerous points of access for the 9 separate parcels of land. The DNR-recommended access points are a…
State Natural Areas of Wisconsin 