Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
flowers in their natural habitat. The eponymous series of ancient spiney sand ridges mark
the advance of ancient and modern Lake Michigan. All 23 native Wisconsin orchids are
found within the sanctuary's confines, as are 13 endangered species of flora. The preserve
was established in the 1930s by hardcore early ecologists (such as Jens Jensen) in one of
the state's first environmental brouhahas, incited by a spat over plans for a trailer park. The
U.S. Department of the Interior recognizes the site as one of the most ecologically precious
in the region; it was the first National Natural Landmark in Wisconsin.
The famed
Baileys Harbor Range Lights
are a pair of small but powerful lighthouses:
a shorter, wooden octagonal one across the road on the beach, the other 900 feet inland and
raised in 1869 by the Coast Guard. Three easy trails, ranging from just under two miles to
five miles, snake throughout the tamarack and hardwood stands—20 miles in all. Also on
the grounds you'll find a nature center. Many have deemed the educational programs some
of the best in the state.
ContinueonRidgesRoadtoadditionalsitesdeemedNationalNaturalLandmarks.
Toft's
Point
(or Old Lighthouse Point) is along a great old dirt road that winds through barren
sands with innumerable pulloffs. A few trails are found throughout the 600-plus acres that
takeupthewholeofthepromontoryandincludealmostthreemilesofrockbeachshoreline.
To the north of the Ridges, the
Mud Lake Wildlife Area
is more than 2,000 acres pro-
tecting the shallow lake and surrounding wetlands. In fact, its second-growth wet-mesic
ecosystem of white cedar, white spruce, and black ash is a rarity in Wisconsin. A prime
waterfowl sanctuary, Mud Lake and its environs may be even more primeval and wild than
the Ridges and are home to one of the few breeding spots of the threatened Hine's emerald
dragonfly. Canoeing is also very popular, as Reibolts Creek connects the lake with Moon-
light Bay.
