As more people have explored Wisconsin’s natural spaces over the past couple years, some of those places have become more crowded.
But there’s no shortage of crowd-free natural beauty to explore in the state — if you know where to look.
The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin can help with that. From May through October, the nonprofit hosts hundreds of field trips that take participants to every corner of the state, from exploring an ancient Native American mining site not normally open to the public to searching for elk calves in northern Wisconsin.
This year the foundation is offering more than 260 trips, including 19 accessible ones — more than ever before. Among them are trips to try archery, hummingbird banding and forest bathing.
“We really worked hard to connect with new leaders, on new topics, with the purpose of expanding our selection of wheelchair accessible trips,” Christine Tanzer, the field trip program director, said via email, noting they hope to grow the selection in the future. “Our hope is that both individuals using wheelchairs join us, and families with a member using a wheelchair can attend trips to learn and experience nature together.”
The trips are only open to NRF members ($40/family, $25/individual). Money raised from the trips goes to work the nonprofit does to protect Wisconsin’s wild places and creatures.
All of the trips are open to children for a cost of $10 less than an adult registration, although some are more family friendly and are listed as such in the guidebook, with suggested ages. Dogs are not permitted on any of the trips (although at least one has working dogs on it).
The trips are popular and some fill up within minutes of registration opening, which is at noon on April 4 this year, only at wisconservation.org (phone, email and mail-in registrations will not be accepted). Members are limited to registering for four trips this year through April 15.
If the trip you want is full, you can join a wait list. Or check out some of the other offerings from the NRF, including the Great Wisconsin Birdathon, a birdwatching fundraiser held across the state; and Virtual Field Trips, a video web series highlighting some of the trips mentioned below.
Whether you’re new to the outdoors and want to learn new skills, or you’ve already hit all the hot spots and are looking for hidden gems, here are some trips worth checking out this year.
For a guidebook, complete descriptions of the trips, to become a member and register, visit the NRF website (wisconservation.org).
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Places normally closed to the public
Archaeology at Silver Mound (4): Visit an ancient mining quarry and learn about how stone tools were made by Native Americans using a technique known as flintknapping, plus view pictographs and petroglyphs. This trip includes a challenging hike on steep terrain. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. April 23 or 24, Hixton, $48.
Train Ride & Birds: Tiffany Wildlife Area & Lower Chippewa River (35): Head deep into the Tiffany Wildlife Area on an open-air train — rides that are only offered a handful of times every year — to see up to 75 bird species during peak migration. 7 a.m.-noon May 14, Durand, $48. Another trip (231) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 17 will include a hike in Five-Mile Bluff State Natural Area before the train ride; that trip costs $51.
Kestrel Banding at Badger Mining Corporation Grasslands (114): Visit nest boxes to help band America’s smallest falcon at this privately owned silica sand mine. 9 a.m.-noon June 14, $33/adult, $23/child (ages 8 and up).
Fair Meadows SNA: Three field trips will explore this privately -owned natural area in Milton that is only open to the public during special events like this: a birding trip (67) from 7 to 9 a.m. May 27 ($18), a wildflower trip to see the prairie in bloom (134) from 9 to 11 a.m. June 24 ($18), and a trip to see eastern prairie fringed orchids (145) from 9 to 11 a.m. July 7 or 8 ($23).
Butterfly Field Day in Fort McCoy (153): Explore the grasslands of Fort McCoy to search for Ottoe skipper, regal fritillary and Karner blue butterflies. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. July 13, Tomah, $18.
Horseshoe Bay Cave Crawl (171): Crawl 1/4-mile through Wisconsin’s longest wild cave — including areas not normally accessible to the public. 9-11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. or 2-4 p.m. July 23, Egg Harbor, $50/adult, $40/child (ages 10 and up).
Shorebirds & Waterbirds of Cat Island (227): See breeding piping plovers and other birds on a five-mile hike along the Cat Island Wave Barrier, which has played host to more migratory shorebirds than any other place in Wisconsin and is not normally open to the public. 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 10, Green Bay, $100.
Trips for beginners
Introduction to Birding and eBird (No. 20): Learn about bird ID basics and how to use eBird and other birding apps at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center before heading to Olin/Turville Point to put your skills to use. 7-10 a.m. May 7, Monona, $28.
Trout Fishing for Beginners: Kickapoo Valley Reserve (No. 36): Learn how to catch and clean trout in a class 1 trout stream, either by spin fishing (Saturday) or fly fishing (Sunday). All fishing gear will be provided. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. May 14 or 15, La Farge, $68.
Tree Climbing: A View From the Top (111): Take your tree climbing to new heights with ropes and other safety gear. 1-3 p.m. June 11 or Aug. 6, Newburg, $46/adult, $36/child (ages 7 and older).
Survival Skills (135): MacKenzie Center naturalists will teach basic survival skills including building shelters, fires and navigating using a compass. 9 a.m..-noon June 24, Poynette, $23/adult, $13/child (ages 5 and older).
Beginning Rock Climbing (232): Learn the basics of rock climbing, then climb routes on the quartzite cliffs around Devil’s Lake. All climbing gear is provided. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Sept. 18 or Oct. 23, Merrimac, $68.
Unique animals, plants, landscapes
Woodcock Watch at The Ridges Sanctuary (21): Learn about woodcocks’ unique courtship displays, then see the bird’s wacky dances out in the nature preserve. 7-8:30 p.m. May 7, $23/adult, $13/child (ages 10 and older).
Whooping Crane Reintroduction (38): Help biologists track and observe nesting whooping cranes in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. 8 a.m.-noon or 1-5 p.m. May 14, Necedah, $58.
Kirkland’s Warblers and Pine Barrens (50): Hike off trail through pine barrens in search of one of Wisconsin’s rarest birds. 7:30-10 a.m., May 20, Rome, $48.
Lake Superior Estuary: Paddle Extravaganza (122): Canoe the largest estuary in the Great Lakes, with visits to research stations and a birding area. Canoes are provided. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. June 17, Superior, $78.
Karner Blue Butterflies: A few trips offer the chance to see federally endangered Karner blue butterflies: Wildflowers & Butterflies: Namekagon Barrens, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Jun 4, Danbury (No. 87, $18); Karner Blue Butterflies at Mecan Prairie, 9 a.m.-noon Jun 9, Coloma (96, $28); and Beauties and the Beasts: Karner Blues & Bison, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. June 11, Sandhill Wildlife Area, Babcock (103, $18/adult $8/child, ages 10 and up).
Geology of Two Creeks Buried Forest SNA (223): Hike along a Lake Michigan bluff to see exposed wood from a pre-glacial forest. 10 a.m.-noon, Sept. 10, Two Creeks, $18.
Milwaukee County trips
Havenwoods History Hike (48): Explore Wisconsin’s only urban state forest and learn about its history as a prison — including during World War II for German prisoners of war — and a Nike missile site. 9:30-11 a.m. May 20, Milwaukee, $18.
Pontoon Tour: History and Habitat of the Harbor District (154): Ride through the Harbor District and learn about the history and restoration efforts underway there, where three of the city’s rivers converge and flow into Lake Michigan. 12:45-3 p.m. July 13 or Sept. 7, Milwaukee, $53/adult, $43/child (ages 13 and up).
Urban Nature Photography (169): Learn photography tips from an expert while exploring Three Bridges Park along the Hank Aaron State Trail. 10-11:30 July 22, Milwaukee, $18.
Lakeshore State Park: Urban Oasis (193): Ramble along paved paths through shortgrass prairie while taking in views of the city and Lake Michigan on this accessible trip. 9-10:30 a.m. Aug. 12, Milwaukee, $18.
Kayaking the Kinnickinnic: The Urban Watershed (208): This trip for experienced paddlers will explore the Kinnickinnic River watershed on the city’s south side; kayaks and gear will be provided. 1-4:30 p.m. Aug. 26, Milwaukee, $53.
Accessible trips
Forest Bathing & Foraging: Pheasant Branch (83): Connect with nature through the Japanese practice of forest bathing, plus learn about wild edible and medicinal plants to further your connection, on the paved trails of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. 9 a.m.-noon June 4, Middleton, $48.
Archery: Basics to Advanced (165): Give archery a try at the MacKenzie Center, where bows and arrows will be provided. 9 a.m.-noon July 22 or 23, Poynette, $23/adult, $13/child (ages 8 and up).
Hummingbirds: Ecology & Banding (213): Watch a licensed bander capture and tag ruby-throated hummingbirds, and learn about the birds and how to attract them to your yard. 7:30-9:30 a.m., Aug. 27, Milton, $68/adult, $58/child (ages 7 and up).
Crane Roosting Tour at Crex Meadows (253): Learn about sandhill cranes, then caravan through the wildlife refuge to watch thousands of cranes roosting at sunset. 5-7 p.m. Oct. 14, Grantsburg, $33/adult, $23/child (ages 10 and up).
Migration on the Mighty Mississippi (260): See hundreds of bald eagles and tens of thousands of other birds including swans and pelicans during peak migration along the Mighty Miss. 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Nov. 3 or 5, La Crosse, $50.
More interesting trips
Conservation Detection Dogs: Seek & Find Aquatic Invasives (28): Dogs have been used to track down everything from missing persons to illegal drugs, and now they’re used in hunting invasive species, too. Examine creek samples for the tiny New Zealand mud snail, then watch the Canine Detectors sniff them out. 12-3 p.m. May 14, Cross Plains, $33/adult, $23/child (ages 7 and up).
Elk Calf Searching (69): Help DNR biologists track elk cows and search for calves to measure and tag them on this rigorous, off-trail adventure. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. May 28 or 29, Clam Lake, $60.
Explore the Barrens with Ho-Chunk Tribal Members (81): Local Ho-Chunk Nation tribal members will provide knowledge about their culture, history and land at Bauer-Brockway Barrens State Natural Area, a globally endangered pine-oak barrens landscape with fields of lupine. 10 a.m.-noon June 4, Black River Falls, $18.
Ancient History: Man Mound & Raddatz Rockshelter (207): Visit the state’s last remaining human-shaped effigy mound, then explore a rock shelter used by the area’s earliest human inhabitants. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 26, Baraboo, $48.
A Falconry Experience (240): Learn about falconry — hunting with a trained bird of prey — view a demonstration, and meet the birds up close. 10 a.m.-noon Sept. 30, Milton, $68.
Contact Chelsey Lewis at clewis@journalsentinel.com. Follow her on Twitter at @chelseylew and @TravelMJS and Facebook at Journal Sentinel Travel.
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