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| Trumpeter swan lands on Nepco Lake in central Wisconsin. |
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| First and Second Loops map. Click for larger version. |
During summer, trumpeter swans often stop at Nepco Lake County Park to feed and raise their young. Five trails crisscross the county park; combining two of them for a 1.9-mile hike allows you to walk near Nepco Lake where the swans swim.
To reach the trailhead, from Adams-Friendship, drive north on Wis. Hwy. 13 and cross into Wood County. On the outskirts of Wisconsin Rapids, turn right/east onto Griffith Avenue. Enter the park on the entry road on the right/south. Follow the park road to where it dead ends at the parking lot.
From the lot, walk back onto the park entry road then turn right/east onto the First Loop. Veer right/east to stay on the loop’s southern portion.
The 125-acre park opened in 1977 after Nekoosa Papers donated the site to the county. It hugs the north shore of 496-acre Nepco Lake, which has a maximum depth of 29 feet. It’s a popular lake for fishermen, and ice shacks pop up on it in winter. The lake sports largemouth bass, northern pike, panfish (especially blue gill), smallmouth bass, and walleye.
The two ends of the loop meet at another park road. Cross the asphalt and take the stem to the Second Loop. When the trail splits, go right/south. This takes you along Nepco Lake.
Trumpeter swans have been spotted on the lake during summer. The heaviest bird native to North America, adults usually weight anywhere between 15–30 pounds. To achieve flight, they require the continent’s largest wingspan of any bird; it usually ranges 6-8 feet but has been known to exceed more than 10 feet.
Despite their size, like other swans they possess a graceful shape and elegant coloring. Mature adults are a pure white with a distinctive black bill.
As the Second Loop curves to its northern side and away from the lake, the route junctions with the East Loop, then twice with the Third Loop, and once more with the East Loop. Continue straight each time to remain on the Second Loop.
During the Great Depression, the trumpeter swan appeared doomed. Fewer than 70 wild trumpeters were counted during 1933. Reintroduction efforts during the past few decades, however, have turned that around. During the 1800s, they ranged from Indiana to Oregon, but in the Midwest, they mainly can be found in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, Michigan and northern Ohio, and Iowa.
Once the Second Loop meets its other end, go right-straight/north. Recross the road back to the First Loop. Veer right/north to take that loop’s north side.
Trumpeter swans feed almost entirely on aquatic plants. They dig as well into the lake’s muddy bottom to find roots and tubers. Younger trumpeter swans also eat insects and small fish.
Even if you don’t see a trumpeter swan, you’ll probably hear one. Quite loud, their musical cry sounds like a playing trumpet.
Once back at the park road, walk it left/south to the parking lot and your vehicle.
Most of the trail is shaded. Pets are welcomed at the park.
