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| Big bluestem grows across a restored prairie at the Carpenter Nature Center Wisconsin Campus south of Hudson, Wis. |
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| Carpenter Nature Center, Wisconsin Campus trail map. Click for larger version. |
The nature center, however, actually has two campuses – the other is located just south of Hudson, Wis., roughly 20 miles north of the Minnesota site. The Wisconsin campus offers a number of great trails that head through remnant and restored prairies.
In all, seven trails loop about the 300-acre Wisconsin campus, making for a little more than 4 miles of hiking.
To reach the Wisconsin campus, from Interstate 94 in Hudson take County Road F (Carmichael Road) south. Once out of town, turn right/west onto East Cove Road. Alternately, from Prescott, Wis., take County Road F north past Kinnickinnic State Park and turn left/west onto East Cove Road. Once on East Cove Road, watch for the nature center’s signs; the buildings and parking are on the right/north.
Northern trails
From the parking lot, walk to the northeast corner of the buildings and follow the jeep trail east. Upon reaching the prairie, you can access the Ridgeline Trail. The 0.63-mile loop heads down a 50-foot hill into a basin, also known as “the bowl,” a remnant prairie habitat that was never farmed. It’s also an awesome trail for birdwatchers, as a number of species nest there.
To extend the hike, you have a couple of options. One is to take the Indigo Trail, a 0.2-mile side trail on the Ridgeline Trail’s northwest side. Pines as well as a variety of prairie plants, most notably blooming indigo, grow around the trail.
Another option is to take the Goldenrod Trail from the Ridgeline Trail’s southwest corner. A council ring – stones large enough to sit on arranged in a circle with no head of table or hierarchy – sits at the trails’ intersection, overlooking the bowl.
Recently added, the idea for a council ring came from the teachings of Jens Jensen, a Danish landmark designer who with Frank Lloyd Wright formed the Prairie School of Landscape Design. Jensen believed the rings symbolized humanity’s bond with nature; such circles can be found in the culture of the ancient Vikings, Native Americans and even legends, such as King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table.
Middle trails
A connector trail, the 0.25-mile (one way) Goldenrod Trail crosses East Cove Road and joins the Little Bluestem Trail. The Little Bluestem is a quarter-mile loop though the middle of an 80-acre restored prairie.
On the west side of the prairie and sharing a side with the Little Bluestem Trail is the Big Bluestem Trail. A 1.25-mile loop, the trail is named for the bluestem, a common prairie grass that grows between 6- to 8-feet tall. Its leaves range in color from light green/yellow to burgundy.
If interested in only hiking the Little and Big Bluestem trails, parking is available off of South Cove Road. To reach that lot, after turning from County Road F onto East Cove Road, drive past the aforementioned entrance and turn left/south onto Ahrens Road then left/east onto South Cove Road. The gravel lot is the on the road’s left/north side.
Southern trails
Two other trails sit at the campus’s southern corner. To reach them, from Ahrens Road turn right/southwest onto South Cove Road. After going around the curve, look for an entry on the road’s left/east side. Park there.
The Acorn Trail winds 1.2 miles through a deciduous forest. Serveral species of wildlife common to Wisconsin can be found along the trial, including whitetail deer, woodpeckers, owls and squirrels.
To extend the hike, take the Laurie and Al Hein Trail, a side trail off the Acorn. At 0.25 miles, the trail is named for the couple who in the late 1980s donated to Carpenter Nature Center 98 acres of land, the nucleus of the Wisconsin campus. This walk was among their favorites when they owned the property.
The Wisconsin campus is open for hiking every day of the year from sunrise to sunset, though the nature enter buildings are open only on select days.
