Looking North West from the Merrimac Preserve toward the East Bluff @ Devil’s Lake State Park

As a follow up to our last blog on winter hiking in the state parks, I decided to have a look outside the borders.  In this case, just across the road from Devil’s Lake State Park.  One natural area here in Sauk County that is certainly open to hikers and showshoers is the Riverland Conservancy’s Merrimac Preserve.  The preserve offers about a dozen miles of posted trail through a wide variety of landscapes, mostly open grasslands, wetlands, and forest.  Hikers will not find any challenging stairways or uphill slogs which is great when there is already a foot or more of un-broken snow under their feet!

Yesterday we decided to visit the Merrimac Preserve and do a bit of hiking ourselves. When we arrived at the main parking area along Hwy 113 between Baraboo and Merrimac, we realized that parking may not be all that easy in the winter months. It could be simply that road crews have not caught up, but the parking area has not been plowed and users must park alongside the road. This is not the best solution however, since there is a hill blocking the view of oncoming traffic, and only the bravest souls in a 4 wheel drive vehicle would attempt to get “off the road”.  We have a jeep. We are thankful for our jeep!

The next thought that came to mind was simply that we were  maybe the only fools really seeking winter hiking trails in our area. There were no signs of  anyone setting foot anywhere.  It was just 2 degrees under ice-blue skies and no one had been here, at least not since the last snow storm.  No human prints, no animal prints, no skis.  One thing was sure, the Merrimac Preseve is certainly a road less traveled.  Perfect for  crazy winter hikers and snowshoers!

We slogged our way through the almost knee deep snow and occasionally higher drifts on a trail called the “Carbon Cycle and Habitat Diversity trail which covers about 1.6 miles of wetland and grasslands. We stopped at a sign that asked us to “listen to the frogs”.  We didn’t hear any…

The recent heavy snow made hiking quite a challenge. The snow sat above the earth, held aloft by the tall grasses.  With each step there would be sudden collapse as your foot broke through the snow layer into the void below before hitting the frozen ground.  A good workout.  We did finally come across some ski tracks and animal tracks that had come together at a tiny bridge across a still open and flowing stream. It’s funny how small signs of life can make you suddenly feel just a bit warmer out on a frozen trail.

The views are amazing.  Looking back toward Devil’s Lake State Park (see the above picture) provides a unique and wild view of the East Bluff, a view many park users rarely see.  The rolling grasslands and meandering streams offer a picture postcard view of Wisconsin winters.  The old red barn in the distance only enhances the scene.   It’s certainly worth the hike. (As long as you wear warm boots.)

In addition to the “Carbon Cycle” trail there are other trails within the preserve including a segment of the Ice Age trail. We’ll be exploring them over the coming months as we invite you to do as well.  I look forward to spending more time in the Merrimac Preserve and can’t wait to explore it’s summer side as well. Until then it’s great to know we have about a dozen miles of trail right next to Devil’s Lake State Park where we can hike all we like.. Oh, and tell Santa I want nice new snowshoes this year!

• More Pictures posted to Flickr Photostream
• Our Google Map area guide
• Merrimac Preserve Trail Map
• The Riverland Conservancy
• Baraboo Hills Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance