Waterfowl, rare birds await in Crex Meadows

Phantom Lake Trail

An array of short jeep trails at Wisconsin’s Crex Meadows Wildlife Area can be used for day hiking, offering the opportunity to see migrating birds and rare plant life.

Several of them can be found in Crex Meadow’s central area. From Grantsburg, Wis., follow the signs and yellow goose painted on the roadway, to the wildlife area’s southwest corner. County Road F heads north along Crex’s western boundary while County Road D heads east, roughly paralleling Crex’s southern bounder for a few miles. Take County Road D east then turn left/north onto East Refuge Road.

Jeep trails that make great hiking trails in central Crex Meadows include:
g Phantom Lake Trail – The 2.2-mile round trip trail heads to Crex Meadow’s largest body of water – a 2,000 acre lake teeming with birds from spring through autumn. On East Refuge Road, just after Lundquist Road, park in the southern lot for the Upper Phantom Flowage Trail. Backtrack on East Refuge Road and take the jeep trail going west.
g North Fork Flowage Trail – A number of flowages host islands perfect for nesting waterfowl; you can spot a few of those rookeries by hiking the 0.75-mile round trip North Fork Flowage Trail. Park at the lot or the Upper Phantom Flowage Trail on East Refuge Road’s east side. Walk north on East Refuge Road and take the first jeep trail heading right/east to North Fork Flowage.
g Dike 1 Flowage Trail – The 0.5-mile round trip jeep trail heads to the sedge meadows north of Dike 1 Flowage. To reach the trail, from East Refuge Road, turn right/east onto the jeep trail just north of Main Dike Road. Park in the first lot on the north side of Dike 1 Flowage. Hike the jeep trail to the next parking lot for an out-and-back trail.
g Dike 1 Sedge Marsh Trail – Hikers can spot a plethora of rare and endangered birds on the 0.5-mile round trip Dike 1 Sedge Marsh Trail. From East Refuge Road, about 2.5 miles north of County Road D, turn right/east onto the jeep trail (If you’ve reached North Refuge Road, you’ve gone too far.). Park at the lot at the edge of a sedge meadow. Rare birds that can be spotted here include LeConte’s sparrow, Nelson’s sharp-tailed sparrow, and the Yellow rail.
g Monson Lake West Trail – A 0.2-mile jeep trail runs to Monson Road from the wetlands at the edge of Monson Lake’s west side. The jeep trail is on Monson Road (which appears as Town Hall Road on some maps) between North Refuge and Reed Lake roads; East Refuge Road ends at its junction with North Refuge Road; turn left/west onto North Refuge Road then right/north onto Monson Road. Park at the wetlands and walk to Town Hall Road on this out-and-back trail.
g Middle North Fork Flowage Trail – Day hikers can travel past one of the first pioneer-era trails in northwest Wisconsin on this 1.5-mile round trip. On Main Dike Road about a mile east of East Refuge Road, turn right/south onto a jeep trail. Park at the end of the trail alongside Middle North Fork Flowage; from the lot, walk to and then back from Main Dike Road for 1.5-mile round trip. The Tote Road was established north of the jeep trail in 1830.

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

Observe waterfowl nesting islands on trail

Trumpeter swans take flight at Crex Meadows.

A number of flowages at Crex Meadows host islands perfect of nesting waterfowl. You can spot a few of those rookeries by hiking the North Fork Flowage Trail.

To reach the trailhead, from the County Roads F and D intersection, head east on County Road D. In about three miles, turn left onto East Refuge Road. Just north of the junction with N. Fork Dike Road, park at the lot on the road’s east side for the Upper Phantom Flowage Trail. Walk north on East Refuge Road and take the first jeep trail heading right/east to North Fork Flowage.

The out-and-back trail runs about 0.75 miles round trip to a boat landing on North Fork Flowage’s northwest shore. This mileage includes the walk along East Refuge Road to the trailhead.

From the boat landing, you’ll see islands to the southeast in the middle of the flowage. Crex Meadows regularly burns the islands’ vegetation to ensure they remains grassy rather than covered by woody brush. This creates a better environment for waterfowl nesting.

Predators such as raccoons, skunks and foxes will feed on eggs or hatchlings in rookeries. The islands, however, provide protection against such predators. Ducks and geese mainly use the habitats as rookeries.

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