After a long, snowy winter, even the most casual hiker is thrilledwhen spring is officially on the horizon. March is a wonderful time tohead outdoors, hit the trails and explore the beauty and wondermentprovided by nature in Ozaukee County.
The Ozaukee Interurban Trailprovides 30 miles of paved, multi-use trail that winds through theentire county, connecting toMilwaukee County trails to the south and SheboyganCounty trails to the north. The majority of the trail is off-road and family-friendly. Views include wetlands,woodlands, Cedar Creek, the Milwaukee River and LakeMichigan. There are also numerous on- and off-trailbirding hotspots. Whether you are walking, running, in-line skating or riding your bike, the trail also offers theopportunity to rest and enjoy Ozaukee County’s beautifuland vibrant communities along the way.
In the southern part of the county you will find theMequon Nature Preserve. Enjoy 444 acres of fresh air andbeautiful vistas from the 5-plus miles of hiking trails, 40-foot observation tower and a new pollinator’s gardenr e c e n t l yi n s t a l l e dnear thee d u c at i o ncenter. Withmuch of thel a n dformerly inagriculture,t h i s
treasured sanctuary is carefully being restored topre-settlement conditions of prairies, wetlandsand woods, creating habitat for wildlife andimproving the local ecosystem. Trails are freeand open to the public 365 days a year from sunrise to sunset.
Lion’s Den Gorge Nature Preserve, part of the Ozaukee County Park System and locatedalong Lake Michigan in the town of Grafton, offers striking views of Lake Michigan andundeveloped 130-foot high clay bluffs. The preserve also protects a significant natural area,
Lion’s Den Gorge, and is adjacent to a 44-acreU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Ulao WaterfowlProduction Area. The preserve includes 73acres of hiking trails, boardwalks, bridges anda staircase that weave along the bluffs, oversignificant ravines, through the wetlands anddown to the shore of Lake Michigan. Birdwatching, including waterfowl, raptors andmigrants, nature photography, picnicking andhiking are some of the recreational featuresoffered.
Heading north to Belgium along thebeautifulshores ofL a k e
Michigan, you will find 700-plus-acre Harrington BeachState Park. The park offers a wonderful beachfront,summer camping and nature trails, including a hikingtrail around Quarry Lake that highlights the history ofStonehaven, a mining community that was once locatedin the park. Puckett’s Pond provides fishingopportunities, and the entirepark is a great place for birdwatching. A Wisconsin StatePark sticker or day pass isrequired for entry
The Ozaukee WashingtonLand Trust offers a wonderfulseries of hikes in OzaukeeCounty. More than 250 speciesof birds have been recorded atthe Forest Beach MigratoryPreserve in Port Washington.Ten migratory habitatsprovide stopover support forspecies that follow the LakeMichigan migratory corridor– viewable to hikers fromnumerous trails and twowatch platforms. Grafton
offers the Bratt Woods Natural Area,where you can enjoy trails that loop closeto the Milwaukee River, giving springhikers the rare opportunity to watch theice leave the river and the short-livedspring flowers emerge. Also in Grafton, the forest floor of the KurtzWoods State Natural Area is a great place to see spring flora – springplants carpet the area, which is similar in terrain to parts of the Kettle
Moraine. The hike takes about an hour – be aware, the rocky terrain can be difficult in icyconditions.
Riveredge Nature Center in Saukville offers 10 miles of trails, which are open to the publicyear-round from dawn to dusk. Enjoy the beauty of these wonderfully restored naturalsanctuaries, where youwill find prairies, ponds,woods and more than amile of Milwaukee Rivershoreline.
In the town ofSaukville, the 300-acreHawthorne Hills CountyPark complex through theMilwaukee River MesicWoods Natural Area(Shady Lane NaturalArea) offers miles ofbeautiful trails withspectacular views of therolling natural terrain,spring ephemeral flowersand a mature canopy of native hardwood trees as well as access to the Milwaukee River, whereyou can enjoy the view or fish. Also in the town of Saukville, discover the 123-acre TendickNature Park, part of the Ozaukee County Park System, where you can experience a walkthrough a cedar swamp, wetlands, maple-beech forest and restored native prairie grasslandsand savannah, or play a round of disc golf at the professional 18-hole disc golf course, use yourbow at the archery range or launch your kayak or canoe on the Milwaukee River.
Keep in mind, spring is a seasonal transition time. Dress accordingly; wear proper clothing,especially footwear. Many of our parks and natural areas offer classes throughout the year –before heading out, consider visiting websites for special events, pet-friendly areas, classes, feesor seasonal updates. Then get out and enjoy the beauty of the trails throughout Ozaukee County.
For information on all these activities and more, pick up a copy of the Ozaukee CountyTourism Guide available at area chambers and visitor centers, visit www.ozaukeetourism.comand follow the Ozaukee County Tourism Facebook page. On behalf of the Ozaukee CountyTourism Council, thank you for helping to make Ozaukee County a wonderful place for all tolive, work and visit.
Ozaukee County offers miles of beautiful trails that come alive in spring
Harrington Beach State Park
Be a tourist in your own backyard
Riveredge Nature Center
Trail running at Riveredge Nature Center
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Photo submitted
Members ofCedarburg GirlScout Troop 8321presented an ideafor a project to theirleader, raised themoney, purchasedthe fabric and onFeb. 7 presented 20blankets tomembers of theCedarburg FireDepartment. Theblankets are for usein emergencysituations. Picturedwith their gifts are,from left, AliyahCerbins, CFD Public Education Coordinator Dustin Halyburton, Hannah Zietlow, Isabella Santoro,Berit Henderson and Deputy Chief Kim Esselmann.This project completed the work for the girls toearn their Silver Award through the Girl Scouts of Manitou.
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Jessica Michna portrayedGolda Meir during themonthly meeting of theMequon Woman’s ClubTuesday. Meir is aMilwaukee native whobecame the fourth primeminister of Israel in 1969.The meeting took place atthe Nines in Mequon. TheMequon Woman’s Clubmeets monthly exceptduring the summer. Formore information, callJoyce at 262-242-1557.
Golda Meir impersonator entertains Mequon Woman’s Club
The Cedarburg Matdogs hosted their annual Grant Schoen Beginners Tournament in the field houseat Cedarburg High School Feb. 4. Despite the snowy weather there were almost 200 wrestlers from 4K toeighth grade from all over the state. The tournament provides kids that are new to the sport a chance toexperience an actual tournament in a positive environment competing with others that are just as new.The tournament is named in memory of a Cedarburg wrestler, Grant Schoen, who passed away in 2013due to Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Grant’s parents, Jeff and Tammy Schoen, started HeartSafe Wisconsinin 2014 to help provide awareness of SCA and provide education, CPR training and AED’sto schools,businesses and communities.
As part of the tournament, T-shirts were sold to raise money for the organization. The Matdogswere able to raise $750 this year for HeartSafe Wisconsin to support their mission. For moreinformation, visit www.heartsafewisconsin.org.
Project completed!
Pictured from left are Matdogs head coach Matt Gartman, Jeff Schoen of HeartSafe Wisconsin and Matdogs president Yvette Roller.
Matdogs come through for HeartSafe
Photo submitted
Observation tower at MequonNature Preserve
Forest sun, Mequon Nature PreserveMNP photos by Larry Meihsner
