If you want a true spring nature experience visit Devil’s Lake State Park in the spring, just after the ice comes off of the ponds, for
There are two great locations to listing to the spring frogs chorus at Devil’s Lake State Park. On the south shore of the park, you can listen to the frogs singing anywhere around Messenger creek which is located on the south-west corner of the lake near the boat landing.
Of course, this area can get a bit noisy on busy weekends which can cause the frogs to stop singing, so we like to recommend heading out to Devil’s Lake State Park’s Johnson Moraine Trail and hiking over to the kettle ponds for an ear-splitting frog concert. What are kettle ponds? Well, they are ponds that were formed at the end of the last Ice Age some 15,000 years ago. As the glacier ice melted, it left behind depressions and holes called “kettles” that later filled with fresh water. The Johnson Moraine Trail passes between two kettle ponds and then just beyond a third. The songs of the frogs each spring coming at you from all direction can be ear-bleedingly loud! After a few moments, once you adjust to the din, you can start to sort out the calls of up to 4 different frog species; Spring peepers, chorus frogs, wood frogs, and leopard frogs. Most of the high pitched din is created by spring peepers, and that one that sounds like you’re running your fingers across a plastic comb, are chorus frogs. I’ll let you discover the other two!
Timing
The best time to go out to listen to the frogs is after the day warms up and best from dusk into the night. Each species of frog is on their own schedule, but if you want to hear the loudest mix, you want to soon after the ice has left the pond on days where the temperatures have reached around 50f. The frogs usually continue singing until early May. Also, you might want to take your family out on a “Frog Hike” with the park naturalist! These are coming up soon, just check the events calendar for dates and times.
Location & Parking
To experience this for yourself, you’ll want to head out to the kettle ponds on the Johnson Moraine Trail. To get there, you head out on Country Road, DL, East of the Park’s main entrance on North Shore and park in the Steinke Basin Parking Lot. Then, walk north, across the road and follow the trail until you come to a right-hand turn which goes down a short, but steep hill. That’s it. See the map above.