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| Fall colors on the Orange Loop in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest. |
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| Orange Loop map. Click for larger version. |
The 6-mile loop heads up and down glacial geography through a hardwood forest. Part of the Emma Carlin trail system, it’s just one small sample of the more than 300 miles of trails spread across 30,000 acres in the state forest.
Fall leaves range from the reds of black cherry and golds of quaking aspen to the cinnamon of northern red and yellow of white oaks. The trees all make up a classic southern dry-mesic forest.
To reach the trailhead, from Palmyra take Wis. Hwy. 59 east. Turn right/south onto County Road Z/Little Prairie Road. In just under a mile is a parking lot on the road’s right/west side. From the lot, go left/southeast on the trail.
Black cherry
About 0.18 miles in, a side trail, the Green Loop, diverges from the Orange Loop. Go right/southwest to stay on main trail.
Along the way, look for the black cherry tree on the trail’s uplands. Eleven species of cherries grow in Wisconsin, and all are shrubs or small trees with the exception of the black cherry, which can grow quite tall. It's easy to identify in a woods, as the bark is smooth and highly colored with small broken lines; it looks somewhat like the old punch cards used to store computer data.
The black cherry delights hikers during two seasons – spring when its sweet scented white flowers open and autumn when its edible cherries ripen and its leaves turn color.
Quaking aspen
After topping the ridge, the trail ascends for about a half-mile. At 0.7 miles in, the Brown Loop breaks off to the right/north; the Brown Loop is the same as about the first third of the Orange Loop with this cut-off trail. Go left/southwest to stay on the Orange Loop.
Around 0.75 miles in, Green Loop reconnects with the trail. The Orange Loop continues heading west. In short order, you’ll reach a trail junction with the South Connector left/south. Continue walking west on the loop.
Among the trees you’ll see plenty of on the trail is the quaking aspen. It’s the most common of the 35 populus tree species – which includes poplar, aspen, and cottonwood – across North America. A pioneer species, it quickly replaced the continent’s many forests when they were logged off in the 1800s. Prevention of forest fires has allowed the quaking aspen to maintain its hold. It is the most abundant and widespread tree in neighboring Minnesota.
The quaking aspen’s flat, spade-like leaves flap at the slightest breeze. In autumn when the leaves turn amber, that makes for quite a show, especially so on trees that grow at least six stories tall and that under ideal conditions can reach 10 stories.
Northern red oak
On the loop’s western side is an excellent overlook. From it, you can see village the of Palmyra, some of Spring Lake, and in autumn a panoply of fall colors.
Another important tree in the trail's uplands is the northern red oak. The third most common tree in Wisconsin – nearly 1 in 11 of the state’s trees is a red oak – it's also enormous. Growing quite straight and very tall, the red oak can reach up to 92 feet high with a trunk diameter of 39 inches. In old growth forests, the red oak soars even taller, and some even have been measured at 141 feet high. Red oaks grown in open areas, such as lawns, tend to be stouter, though, but can have a trunk diameter of up to 6.6 feet.
A XXL tree like the red oak also produces big acorns; the acorns are the largest of all Wisconsin’s oaks, measuring 1-1/8 inches long. With acorns that size, the tree is fairly easy to spot in autumn. The thoroughly fissured bark on mature red oaks is another giveaway.
Around 4.8 miles, the Brown Loop reconnects with the Orange Loop. Continue straight-left/east on the trail.
White oak
One last tree to look for on the trail is the white oak. White oaks primarily grow in the western and central parts of Wisconsin, so it’s a rare sight in this area of the state. You easily can spot the tree because of its scaly, ash gray bark. They grow up to 80 feet tall with a massive canopy.
The tree is extremely long-lived, lasting for around 200-300 years. One white oak in New Jersey was known to be more than 600 years old before dying.
Lastly, the trail descends through the forest to a wide meadow then comes full circle at the parking lot.
Though the trail is hilly, the different faces of the trail’s ridges allows for a variety of trees and hence autumn color. Other deciduous trees common to the state’s southern dry-mesic forest that you’ll find here are bitternut hickory, black oak, bur oak, ironwood, northern pin oak, red maple, shagbark hickory, slippery elm, and white ash. Evergreens include eastern white pine and red pine.
Hiking boots definitely are needed for the trail, which at spots is strewn with rocks and roots and that also can be muddy after rain. Bicyclists travel counter-clockwise while hikers go clockwise; be prepared to step aside for them on the narrow trail. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.
