Diverse day trails abound at Crex Meadows

Upper Phantom Cross Country Ski
and Hiking Trail from parking area
along East Refuge Road

Several walking paths and jeep trails run through Crex Meadows Wildlife Area north of Grantsburg, Wis. Among the more popular ones are:
g Abel Prairie Trail – Day hikers can discover what northwest Wisconsin’s grasslands looked like in pre-pioneer days with a walk along this easy half-mile (1-mile round trip) out-and-back trail. It follows the western and southern shores of Zulliger Flowage as skirting a restored prairie area.
g Hay Creek Trail – The 1.5-mile loop heads through a forested area to the Lower Hay Creek Flowage. The forested area is among the higher elevations of land in Crex Meadows.
g Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area Trail – On James Road south of Reed Lake Road, take the jeep trail west to the parking lot at the edge of the Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area, a wetlands between Reed Lake in the north and Dike 1 in the south. South of the trail is prime territory for spotting sharp-tailed grouse, who often dance here in mating displays from late March through May.
g Reed Lake Trail – From Reed Lake Road east of North Refuge Road Road, take the jeep trail south to the parking lot on the northshore of Reed Lake; walk the out-and-back trail back to Reed Lake Road. A pine-oak forest sits to the trail’s west while a sand blow with dunes is to the east.
g Phantom Trail – On East Refuge Road, take the jeep trail going west, just before reaching Lundquist Road. The out-and-back skirts a wetlands before reaching the southeast edge of Phantom Lake, which at 2000 acres is the largest waterbody at Crex Meadows.
g Upper Phantom Cross Country Ski and Hiking Trail – Day hikers can walk across what once the bottom of an Ice Age lake and now is a rare, vanishing ecosystem. The longest trail at the wildlife area reserved solely for walking (or cross country skiing in winter) actually is a 3.7-mile set of three loops with two stems linking it to parking areas.
g YCC Hiking Trail – The trail loops through the Rest Area Flowage north of Reisinger Lake. An observation platform at the loop’s southwest end looks out onto lake and the Crex Meadows State Wildlife Refuge. Park at the rest area on North Refuge Road east of Currey Road.

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

Central Crex Meadow trails make great hikes

Sedge meadows line the back of a flowage
at Crex Meadows Wildlife Area in Wisconsin.

Often when traveling to Wisconsin’s Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, day hikers often stick to the popular ones near the visitor center. Yet just a few miles drive away in Crex Meadows’ central area are a number of jeep trails that make great hiking paths.

Among those trails:
g Sandberg Flowage Trail – The jeep trail runs 0.4 miles round trip to wetlands on the north side of Sandberg Flowage. To reach the trailhead, from Kylingstad Road north of North Fork Dike Road, turn left/west onto the jeep trail. The parking lot is at the jeep trail’s end, between Sandberg Flowage to the south and the Middle North Fork Flowage to the north. Hike the out-and-back trail with a walk back to Kylingstad Road.
g Reed Lake Trail – A beautiful blue lake in front of a massive sedge meadow await day hikers on this brief trail. To reach it, from the visitor center take County Road F north. After passing Currey Pond, turn right/east onto Reed Lake Road. Past North Refuge Road, a jeep trail heads right/south to Reed Lake. Drive the trail to the lake’s northshore, where there’s a parking lot. Hike the jeep trail back to Reed Lake Road then to the parking lot for an easy 0.45-mile round trip.
g Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area Trail – Day hikers can see the elaborate dances of sharp-trail grouse on this trail during late March through May. To reach the trail, from the visitor center take County Road D east. Turn left/north onto Rylander Road then right/east onto North Fork Dike Road. North Fork Dike becomes Kylingstad Road. At the next junction, turn left/north onto Hildas Road, which becomes James Road. A jeep trail is about 0.4 miles north of Klotts Road on the left/east.
g Upper North Fork Flowage Trail – You can hike to and from the top edge of the Upper North Fork Flowage on this 0.6-mile round trip jeep trail. From Highline Road north of Lincoln Road, turn left/west onto the jeep trail opposite of Lhotka Road. Park at a lot on the flowage’s northeastern end. For an out-and-back trail, hike back to Highline Road. Though public property, Lhotka Road is not part of Crex Meadows.
g West Paulson Flowage Trail – The 0.6-mile round trip jeep trail runs through woodlands north of West Paulson Flowage to Klarquist Road. To reach the trailhead, turn left/west onto the jeep trail from Klarquist Road, north of Corner Road. A parking lot is at the end of jeep trail well north of West Paulson Flowage. For an out-and-back trail, hike back to Klarquist Road. To extend the walk by up to 0.6 miles, cross the road to the Eastern Boundary Trail.
g Eastern Boundary Trail – A walk through the woods await day hikers on this 0.6-mile round trip jeep trail. From Klarquist Road, north of Corner Road, turn right/east onto the jeep trail. The parking lot is at end of the road south of a wetlands near Crex Meadow’s eastern boundary. Hike back to Klarquist Road for an out-and-back trail. To extend the walk by up to 0.6 miles, cross the road to the West Paulson Flowage Trail.

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

Watch sharp-tailed grouse mating dances

Sharp-tailed grouse

Day hikers can see the elaborate dances of sharp-tailed grouse on the Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area Trail in Wisconsin’s Crex Meadows Wildlife Area.

Late March through May provide ample opportunities to spot the birds during their morning mating displays.

Largest sedge meadow
To reach the trail, from the visitor center take County Road D east. Turn left/north onto Rylander Road then right/east onto North Fork Dike Road. North Fork Dike becomes Kylingstad Road. At the next junction, turn left/north onto Hildas Road, which becomes James Road. A jeep trail is about 0.4 miles north of Klotts Road on the left/east.

Take the jeep trail to the parking lot, which overlooks the largest sedge meadow in the wildlife area. Reed Lake is to the north with North Fork Flowage to the south. Much of the sedge meadow, including Reed Lake, is protected as part of the Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area.

From the parking lot, hike to and from James Road for a 0.46-mile round trip.

As walking, watch the trail’s south side for sharp-tailed grouse. They like the mowed, brush-free areas, which allows females to more easily spot males and for both genders to more easily spot predators.

Courtship dance
Before sunrise, male grouse make their way to the mowed area, where each selects a small area in which other males are not allowed to enter. Then each male begins a mating dance with the aim of attracting a female. This mating arena is known as a lek.

Their courtship dance includes stamping feet 20 times a second, rattling tail feathers, and turning in circles or strutting forward while cooing. The males’ purple neck sacs also puff up and deflate.

The grouse live in the brush-prairie surrounding the mowed area. State environmental efforts restored much of this prairie ecosystem – which dominated the higher ground of Crex Meadows more than 150 years ago – during the past quarter century.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.