Hike major bird habitat in Crex Meadows

Hay Creek Trail

A plethora of trails run through the Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, an expansive, 30,000-acre wetlands in southwest Burnett County, Wis. Among the most popular of those walking paths is Hay Creek Trail, a 1.5-mile loop.

To reach the trail, from Grantsburg, take the road north at the Hwys. 70. 87 and 48 intersection. Watch for and follow the yellow goose painted on the roadway, which winds you through town until reaching the intersection of County Roads D and F. Turn right onto County Road D then take the next left into the visitor center parking lot. The trailhead is behind the center.

Pine barrens
Take the trail clockwise. It heads through a forested area to the Lower Hay Creek Flowage. A flowage is a lake created when a river or creek is dammed, typically to prevent flooding, but when in an urban setting often for hydroelectric power.

The forested area is among the higher elevations of land in Crex Meadows. The wildlife area preserves sedge marshes and brush prairie habitats, and boasts the largest remaining section of Wisconsin’s endangered pine barrens ecosystem.

The pine barrens once stretched for about 1500 square miles across northwest Wisconsin. When the last ice age’s glacier retreated some 13,000 years ago, it left a sandy plain; the marshes in the area are all that remain of Glacial Lake Grantsburg. Red and jack pines along with prairie grasses dominate the barrens.

Migrating birds, butterflies
Today, the protected ecosystems ensure that Crex Meadows annually is a major stop for migrating birds. Indeed, more than 270 bird species – including sandhill cranes, whose wingspans can reach up to seven feet – inhabit the wildlife area. Their stop off here in October draws birdwatchers from around the world.

Nearly 100 types of butterflies can be found here as well. Otters, black bears, wolves and a number of other animals also call the wildlife area home.

If you have a family dog, Rover is welcome on the trail. From April 15 to July 31, dogs must be leashed, though.

On the way back to the parking lot, stop at the visitor center for displays of local animals. A warning if children are with you: There’s a gift shop at the center.

Read more about day hiking Crex Meadows in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Crex Meadows Wildlife Area guidebook.

Crex Meadows birding opportunities abound

Erickson Flowage, Crex Meadows Wildlife Area

With spring’s arrival, tens of thousands of rare and endangered birds are gathering on their annual migration at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. A plethora of trails run through the wildlife area, an expansive 30,000-acre wetlands in southwest Burnett County, Wisconsin.

The wildlife area owes its modern landscape to the last ice age. As glaciers melted some 13,000 years ago, Glacial Lake Grantsburg stretched from this region into central Minnesota. The result was a deposit of sandy sediment that covers the ground. As the meltwater lake drained away, it left wetlands and brush prairie in its wake – all territory that waterfowl and many other bird species particularly appreciate.

Crex Meadow is most recognized for the major role it plays during waterfowl migrations each spring and autumn. The National Bird Conservancy lists the area as among the 500 Globally Important Bird Areas in the United States of America. In all, 270 different bird species have been spotted in Crex Meadows.

A number of those species can be seen there during any time of the year. Among them are endangered eagles, ospreys, and trumpeter swans.

Other birds prefer to make Crex Meadows their seasonal home. They include Caspian terns, great egrets, and peregrine falcon.

Migrations mark the greatest abundance of waterfowl in Crex Meadows. Perhaps the most spectacular of the arrivals are sandhill cranes. They can grow up to four feet tall with wingspans of up to seven feet wide. Migration seasons vary from year to year, but sandhill cranes (and other traveling waterfowl) generally can be spotted from April through mid-May on their way north and mid-September through October on their way south.

Many of the wildlife area’s human visitors come primarily to see sandhill cranes. The cranes typically stay in the wildlife area’s wetlands at night and then feed in nearby farm fields during the day. Your best bet for spotting a one is to catch them on their flights to and from these locations about an hour to 90 minutes after sunrise or before sunset. Good trails for these sightings are those along East Refuge Road, Main Dike Road, and Phantom Lake Road.

Other intriguing birds you’re likely to spot in Crex Meadows includes blue-winged teal, green-winged teal, loons, mallards, prairie chickens, ring-necked ducks, sharp-tailed grouse, and wild turkeys.

Regular updates on which birds and other wildlife can be seen at Crex Meadows are available online.

How to Get There
From either Minneapolis-St. Paul or Duluth, Minn., take Interstate 35 to Pine County. Exit on Minn. Hwy. 70 south of Pine City and head east over the St. Croix River, where the road becomes Wis. Hwy. 70; continue on to Grantsburg.

For Chicago and southern Wisconsin residents, take Interstate 94 north to Hudson, Wis. Exit onto Hwy. 35 and head north. In Siren, go west on Hwy. 70 to Grantsburg.

From Grantsburg take the road going north at the Wis. Hwys. 70, 87 and 48 intersection. Watch for and follow the yellow goose painted on the roadway, which winds you through town until reaching the intersection of County Roads D and F. This is the wildlife area’s southwestern corner and the visitor center’s location.

When to Visit
The best months to day hike Crex Meadows are May through September. Depending on the year, April and October also can be pleasant.

Most migrating birds can be spotted from April through mid-May and from mid-September through October. Migration seasons vary from year to year.

As with the rest of the Midwest, summers can be humid, especially July and August. Rain also can occur during the afternoon even when the morning is sunny, so always check the weather forecast before heading on a hike.

Hours and Admission
The wildlife area always is open and there is no fee to enter, park your vehicle, or to hike. Various events and activities may require a fee, however.

The visitor center located at Crex Meadows’s southwest corner – the junction of County Roads F and D, does have limited hours:
g Monday-Friday: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. except major holidays
g Saturday-Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. April through October

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Trail offers view of migrating sandhill cranes

Sandhill crane. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.

YCC Hiking Trail loops through wildlife area

Day hikers can view waterfowl galore inhabiting Crex Meadow Wildlife Area’s vast wildlife reserve from an observation platform along the YCC Hiking Trail.

The YCC Trail runs 0.75 miles in a loop. Autumn marks the best time to visit, as sandhill cranes and other migrating waterfowl are plentiful in the reserve and the Rest Area Flowage the northern part of the trail passes through. Bug populations also are down as cooler temperatures take hold.

To reach the trail, from Grantsburg follow the signs and yellow crane painted on the roadway north to the intersection of County Roads F and D. Turn right onto County Road D. After about three miles, turn left/north onto East Refuge Road. In another four miles, turn left/west onto North Refuge Road. Past the Monson Road junction, look for the rest area on the right side. Parking is available there.

Observation platform
The trailhead begins near the restrooms. Head clockwise or west through the woods.

About a quarter of a mile in, at the trail’s southwestern corner, a short stem trail leads to an observation platform, which looks out onto Reisinger Lake and the Crex Meadows State Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge, which people aren’t allowed to enter, annually attracts an amazing number of migrating birds. During mid-October, thousands of ducks and geese and up to 10,000 cranes inhabit the refuge.

To help attract waterfowl and other wildlife to the refuge, the state plants about 120 acres of corn, rye, buckwheat and other plants east of Reisinger Lake.

The platform offers a great spot to see the migrating waterfowl. Be sure to bring binoculars.

Picnic lunch
Standing atop it also will give you a good sense of what the area looked like before pioneers arrived in the late 1800s. Much of this region was prairie and wetlands that has been restored during the past few decades.

From the stem to the platform, the trail loops through the southern end of the Rest Area Flowage. It returns to the rest area, where you can enjoy a picnic lunch; picnic tables and fire grates are available. Camping also is permitted at the rest area Sept. 1-Dec. 30 with registration required at the Visitor Center.

The trail is named for the Youth Conservation Corps, which provides high school students with hands-on outdoor experiences during the summer. A YCC camp is located outside of Grantsburg.

Read more about day hiking Crex Meadows in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Crex Meadows Wildlife Area guidebook.

See pre-pioneer prairie on NW Wisc. trail

Erickson Flowage off of Abel Road, near the Abel Prairie Trail

Day hikers can discover what northwest Wisconsin’s grasslands looked like in pre-pioneer days with a walk along the Abel Prairie Trail in Crex Meadows Wildlife Area.

The easy half-mile (1 mile round trip) out-and-back trail follows the western and southern shores of Zulliger Flowage as skirting a restored prairie area.

To reach the trail, from Grantsburg, take the road north at the Hwys. 70. 87 and 48 intersection. Watch for and follow the yellow goose painted on the roadway, which winds you through town until reaching the intersection of County Roads D and F. Remain on County Road F, then turn right/east onto Abel Road. Park in the lot just north of the Abel Road intersection with Phantom Lake Road. The trailhead is off of Abel Road just southeast of the Abel/Phantom Lake roads intersection.

The prairie area looks much like it did in the 1800s before pioneers settled the region. Grass and wildflowers cover it, making excellent habitats for prairie grouse and water fowl.

Such an ecosystem, however, requires wildfires to maintain its cycles. When pioneers set up farms in the area, they put out the wildfires, opening the way for jack pines and oaks to dominate. Their cover prevented many of the prairie plants from being able to grow.

To restore the original prairie west and south of the trail, Crex Meadows used control fires to kill trees and brush then replanted grasses and flowers that once lived here when it was a prairie. The openness ensured prairie plants received full sunlight, allowing them to flourish.

About 3500 acres – or half of Crex Meadows’ restored prairie – is now burned annually. The burnings typically occur in spring but may occur during any other seasons as needed.

The area west and south of the Abel Prairie Trail for several decades was a farm field until the late 1980s when it was planted with prairie flora.

Signs of the prairie burns can be found along the trail. Watch for burned twigs on the trail and fire scars on logs and trees you pass.

Read more about day hiking Crex Meadows in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Crex Meadows Wildlife Area guidebook.

Fifth ‘Hittin’ the Trail’ book, on Burnett County, Wisconsin, released

The next book in my Hittin’ the Trail hiking guide series, Hittin’ the Trail: Day Hiking Burnett County, Wisconsin, went on sale this weekend. The ebook lists dozens of great family-friendly trails in all of your favorite Burnett County communities, including Grantsburg, Siren, Webster and Danbury as well along the St. Croix River in neighboring Minnesota. Included is a primer about day hiking essentials, such as gear, clothing, navigation, and how to avoid various trail dangers. Day Hiking Burnett County, Wisconsin is available as an ebook on Kindle, Nook, iBook/iPad, Kobo, and other formats.

Find out about other trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Quality trails abound near Grantsburg, Wis.

Upper Phantom Cross Country
Skiing & Hiking Trail

Cabin-goers in the Grantsburg, Wis., area can enjoy several great day hiking trails. Among them:
• Cedar Interpretative Trail – Though short at 0.7 miles, this trail in the Governor Knowles State Forest heads through five major lowland plant communities amid a cedar grove. You’ll likely spot the activity and impact of beavers on the landscape.
• Fish Lake State Wildlife Area trail – From County Road O, a jeep trail makes a 3.2-mile loop past marshes. Eagles, sandhill cranes and trumpeter swans grace the wildlife area.
• Grantsburg Nordic Ski Trails - Stacked loops totaling 6.5 miles in length can be skiied in winter or hiked the other three seasons. From Hwy. 70 in Grantsburg, take Olson Drive to the parking area, which overlooks the Wood River dam; cross the dam via North Park Street to the trailhead at edge of Cattail Pond. Note: The Lower Loop, which heads through a wooded area, currently is the only open trail.
• Grettum Trail - A stem trail leads to a pair of loops over gently rolling terrain that double as a cross country ski trail in winter. A total of 2.2 miles long, the trailhead is off of Hickerson Road north of Grettum Dike Road.
• Hay Creek Hiking Trail – A 1.5-mile trail meanders through woodland at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area near Hay Creek. An observation platform at the trail’s end allows hikers to spot several waterfowl.
• Trade River Trails – A series of loops, including a large one around a meadow, sit near the Trade River in neighboring Polk County. The wide trails head over easy, rolling terrain.

• Upper Phantom Cross Country Skiing & Hiking Trail – A set of four loops offer a hike of up to 3.7 miles in length at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area. The wildlife area is part of one of the largest remaining pine barrens in the state.

• Willard Munger State Trail – The Boundary Segment of this trail runs in Chengwatana State Forest, across the St. Croix River in Minnesota. Tamarack and burr oak dominate the forest, which boasts wild turkeys, beavers, mink and muskrat.

Read more about day hiking Burnett County in my Hittin’ the Trail: Day Burnett County, Wisconsin guidebook.