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| Marsh marigolds line the Plover River bottoms on the Green Circle Trail. |
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| Green Circle Trail map. Click map for larger version. |
The hike is a segment of the Green Circle Trail, which runs 27 miles around the city of Stevens Point. Offering multiple access points, the Green Circle Trail consists of several segments that carry their own names. The Plover River Trail runs 6.2-miles round trip and is the segment between Wis. Hwy. 66 and Maria Drive.
To reach the trailhead, take Wis. Hwy. 66 northeast out of Stevens Point. Once past the airport, turn right/southeast into the old farmhouse, which is now used a warming house. Between the parking lot and the warming house, take the wide connector trail heading northeast. Once at the Green Circle Trail, turn right/southeast onto the crushed granite trail.
The trail initially heads through an open area. Here you’ll find nest boxes. Though designed for bluebirds, a number of other birds – chickadees, swallows, wrens – use the boxes, making this a great spot for birdwatching. During spring and summer, keep an eye out for various sparrows, including chipping, field, and vesper; during winter, juncos can be spotted. Circling this open area are red-tailed hawks.
Mixed forest
At 0.25 miles, the trail enters a mixed deciduous forest and reaches a loop coming from the north. Continue south. Jack pines dominate the forest. This is another superb spot for birdwatching with cardinals, towhees, and a variety of woodpeckers – downy, hairy, red-bellied, and even a pileated – flitting about.
The trail next skirts Stevens Point Municipal Airport’s east side. Horned larks nest here, and during winter sometimes snow buntings can be seen.
At about a mile, you’ll enter another open area. If you’ve been on this trail many years ago, you’ll probably wonder what happened to the trees. Hundreds of them had to be removed here due to oak wilt.
The trail then enters a red pine plantation and comes to the north side of the City of Stevens Point well field.
Wildflowers
Next the trail arrives at the meandering Plover River. Among the most scenic parts of the entire Green Circle Trail – which is saying a lot, given that almost the entire route is beautiful – here is where wildflowers, especially marsh marigolds, galore can be found.
Preferring marshes, fens and wet woodlands, marsh marigolds are a harbinger of spring, blooming here April through May. The round, bright yellow flower can be up to 1.5 inches wide. Each flower has five to nine petals that turn upward to form a shallow cup. The marigold plant grows 1-2 feet high and can be found all across Wisconsin, though you may be surprised by the incredible number of them on this segment of the trail.
Another early blooming plant you’ll find in the river bottoms – though it’s hardly sweet like the marsh marigold – is skunk cabbage. One of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in spring, it can actually melt the surrounding snow and ice.
Its flower is shaped like a shell and usually brown to purple, though it also can be a quite attractive yellow, that grows 3-6 inches tall. Unfortunately, it gives off a strong odor of carrion, which attracts insects who then unwittingly pollinate its flowers.
Skunk cabbage prefers wet areas, so look for it in depressions. It mainly is found in the state’s southern half.
Hardwood forest
The trail leaves the river bottom after about a half mile and passes through a mature hardwood forest. Watch for beaver stumps along the river. Birds that can be seen in the area during spring and summer include barred and great-horned owls, red-shouldered hawk, and even sandhill cranes.
Next the trail arrives at a connector to a Green Circle trailhead parking lot off of East Maria Drive. Vireos, warblers, and other songbirds hang out in this cutback area during April and May.
The connector marks a good spot to turn back. You can add a half-mile one-way (1-mile round trip) by continuing on the Circle Trail to Hofmeister Drive. Be aware that you’re closing on Interstate 39, however, so the noise level rises.
In winter, the Plover River segment becomes a cross-country ski trail.
Other segments
Other exceptional segments of the Green Circle Trail include:
• Moses Creek segment – Running 2.4 miles, the trail heads through stands of mature hardwoods and white pine and offers an excellent opportunity to see pine warblers, red-eyed vireos and scarlet tanagers. It offers crushed granite surface and the Green Circle Trail’s longest boardwalk, at 0.5 miles long, which passes through wetlands.
• Riverfront segment – The 1.2 miles paved section follows the Wisconsin River from Bukolt Park south through Pfiffner Pioneer Park to the Hwy. 66 bridge. With its location near downtown and the UW-Stevens Point college campus, it’s among the trail’s most popular segments.
Leashed dogs are allowed on all segments of the Green Circle Trail except for the one heading through the Schmeekle Reserve.
