horicon marsh

Most of the reviews here deal with the National Wildlife Refuge. As a National Refuge, the vast majority of it is inaccessible to humans. The Horicon Marsh is composed of over 32000 acres of cattail marsh. It is the largest cattail marsh in the United States, if not the world. It is truly a hidden gem. The northern 2/3 of the marsh is the National Refuge. The southern 1/3 is a state area. As such it is accessible to visitors. A good place to start is the Education and Visitor Center, located at N7725 Hwy 28 Horicon, WI 53032, 920-387-7860. From there you can take a number of hikes of varying lengths. Another way to enjoy the marsh is to take a canoe or kayak trip on the Canoe Trail. It begins at Greenhead Landing. Horicon Marsh Canoe Trail will direct your trip from the Greenhead Landing to the city of Horicon. Printed copies of the Canoe Trail map and brochure are also available at the Horicon DNR Service Center, the Greenhead Landing and the Blue Heron Landing in Horicon.The marsh is particularly suited for birders. Over 290 species have been spotted here.

Beautiful place to take your family. Lot of walking and hiking trails, educational things in the Center. Peace and quiet.

As the Marsh is an open space it was quite cold when we visited in November, thus hiking was limited but did the auto tour through and around the Marsh. However was a nice time to visit as there were no crowds. Take time to visit both education centers (state and federal).

It was a great way to spend the day with nature and fresh air.Enjoyed all the different birds and wildlife we saw.

Beautiful marsh and wildlife - an educational experience while being a peaceful retreat and getaway.

My husband the avid birder thinks Horicon Is a good place to stop any time, but I like to get there during fall migration. Come an hour or two before sunset, and them sit patiently waiting for the flocks to come in at sunset. On a beautiful fall day it is magical.

We recently spent a day exploring the Horicon Marsh. Although we have been here several times before, this place is new every time we visit. The colors of the flora changes with the seasons, and the type and number of animals and birds does, too. We took one of the hour-long boat rides, and had a gorgeous tour around. This time we saw a young eagle, a wood chuck, a pair of peregrine falcons, and a beaver dam. This was in addition to several other birds types and some beautiful scenery. Peaceful, and serene, the place is great for young and old, and everyone in between. It's a great treasure in the south central Wisconsin area.

On the North end of the marsh off Route 49 is the Horicon "TernPike" Auto Tour and Hiking Trails. We took the auto tour, which is a three mile signposted drive. There are several information stops with large text displays that can be viewed from the car describing aspects of the local flora and fauna. It is perfect for those that are not mobile or just do not want to walk out in the elements. There are several places to view the various bird species on the water or hunting from above as well as places to pull over and explore further on foot, including a boardwalk across a section of the marsh. While only a very small portion of the wildlife area is accessible in this manner, it offers great vantages and interesting facts. I would recommend this for any avian enthusiast or nature lover.

We were only able to spend a couple of hours, but the visitors center was well stocked with information and ideas about how best to spend our few hours. We'll definitely return again, when we have more timeI. It was beautiful, peaceful, and I really like the fact that you can choose what to do based on your time and budget! kayaking, boat tour, driving around the whole area, or just hiking, which doesn't cost a thing :) I'm glad we were able to see different birds and ducks and their habitats this trip. I have a feeling in a few more weeks or months there will be even more birds and wildlife to see. If you're a nature love, and enjoy the outdoors and animals, this is a must do trip for you!

We live just 10 miles from the Horicon Marsh but come here often. On weekends we often take a ride around the Marsh and walk the trails off of Hwy 49 on the north end of the Marsh.Those that bike will have the option of riding along the bike trail that goes through the Marsh. We realize how lucky we are to have this beautiful gem right in our back yard. Come and enjoy this the Horicon Marsh with us.

Travelers who approach the town of Waupun which is just northwest of the amazing Horicon Marsh of central Wisconsin canenjoy an easy and satisfying "taste" of the marsh and its wildlife bytaking the "TernPike" Auto Tour off Hwy 49. Just a few miles eastof Waupun on Hwy 49 you will see a sign indicating this Auto Tour. With about twenty minutes you will be very pleasantlyimmersed in the atmosphere of the marsh and its inhabitants.There are several places along the way where you can stop toread about the marsh or even take walks. I liked my first visit so much that I returned twice within a monthand was "treated" to seeing Canadian ducklings as they addedbulk to their fluffy bodies. Enjoy the ride!

The Horicon Marsh is one of those natural places in Wisconsin that shouldn't be missed - during any season. We've been there in the spring, summer, and fall. The Friends of Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center has a neat gift shop and changing photographic exhibits. Taking a boat tour of the marsh is well worth the time. Lots of birds to see and so much natural beauty here on the world's largest freshwater cattail marsh.

My wife and I just spent three days of incredible quality time with our nine year-old granddaughter exploring the Horicon Marsh. We had driven around the area in the past and when we got the opportunity to stay for a few days midweek at the marvelous Audubon Inn in Mayville, we jumped at the chance and borrowed our granddaughter for the trip since she loves hiking, birding and picnicking. At the start of the trip we gave her a decent camera to replace her cheap Hello Kitty model and we were all set. My wife loves to take wildlife and scenic pictures and the Horicon presents unlimited possibilities. The Marsh covers over 50 square miles with the northern 2/3 administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. They have a nice visitor center on the east side of the Marsh. We spent several hours hiking in the NWR...there is an area of trails in the northeast corner and one of the trails has a marvelous quarter-mile floating boardwalk on one of the marsh ponds. Another great area is the Dike Road which bisects a portion of the marsh. The birding was awesome...my wife and granddaughter got photos of many kinds of ducks, sandhill cranes, giant white pelicans and tons more...over 40 different species in all. We spent another day in the southern third of the marsh which is administered by the Wisconsin DNR...The Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area. The new state visitor center is on the main highway between Mayville and Horicon. Here they have backpacks kids can borrow stocked with wildlife ID materials, binoculars, and other supplies. The volunteer staff was very energetic and eager to help (as was the staff at the NWR). On one of the state trails starting at the visitor center our granddaughter delighted in picking up frogs and toads in one hand and taking their picture with the other. She took over 500 pictures with her new camera including perfect shots of a bald eagle, a barn swallow and many others. The reserve is accessible whether you want to drive, hike, or bike...and the state area allows kayaks, canoes and some boats. There is a pontoon excursion into the marsh which leaves from the city of Horicon and we enjoyed that as well. At our granddaughters request we worked-in a picnic at one of the picnic areas overlooking the marsh and that was a big hit as well. The marsh is a wonderful destination whether you have only a few hours or several days...and it's all free (donations are welcome). We're fortunate to live nearby and we'll be coming back soon.

Only hikers or bicyles can use the paths throughout the marsh, or you have the ability to go by pontoon boat on a sight/educatiional giuided tour from the town of Horicon.

wish we would have checked it out earlier would have loved to explore the marshlands a lot more just passing by when we discovered it