Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
betrothed maiden. They both leaped to their deaths rather than lose each other, and the
maiden, Clinging Vine, had her spirit returned to this rock, which was named after her lov-
er.
Sprawling north and west of Necedah and bordered by WI 80 and WI 21 is the stark, mov-
ing
Central Necedah Wildlife Preserve,
almost 44,000 acres that allow up-close glimpses
atisolatedwildlifeandawesomescenery.Onceintheconfines,you'llunderstandsoonwhy
Native Americans dubbed the area Necedah, “Land of Yellow Waters.”
The preserve makes national news annually for its ambitious whooping crane recovery
program—ultralight planes launched here guided the birds all the way to Florida. Thus, the
first whooping crane migrations since 1878 took place.
The preserve is essentially what remains of an enormous peat bog—residual glacial
Lake Wisconsin—called the Great Central Wisconsin Swamp. It's now one-quarter wet-
lands, home to 20,000 ducks and Canada and snow geese, all introduced beginning in the
1950s.
A total of 35 miles of hiking and skiing trails wind throughout the Necedah refuge. The
11-mile auto tours outlined in maps obtained from the nature center at the south end of
the refuge are good. There's even great berry picking. Be careful while hiking, though; the
state has reintroduced the eastern massasauga rattlesnake. The nature center office is open
7:30am-4pm daily.
