National Trails Day: Guided Hike on the Niagara Escarpment (Calumet County)

N7630 State Park Rd,Sherwood WI 54169

04 June, 2022

Description

Niagara Escarpment National Trails Day Hikes: High Cliff State Park (Calumet County) w/Don Mikulic. WI State Park Pass Required. Get out on National Trails Day with the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network as we host four simultaneous, geologist-led hikes through some of Wisconsin’s most fascinating geologic landscapes. Learn about the wonders of this 1,000-mile long, 430-million-year-old cliff face environment with an expert guide as you hike along some of Northeastern Wisconsin’s most beloved trails. Come help us celebrate the Ledge and kickoff NERN's new WI-LEDGE Geotourism Program and on-line WI-LEDGE Rambler Map Guide. Proceeds support the WI-LEDGE Educational Signage Program. Limited to 15 persons for each hike so sign up soon! Other hike locations include: Bayshore Blufflands SNA (Door County) w/ Bob BultmanBayshore County Park (Brown County) w/ John LuczajOakfield Ledges SNA (Fond du Lac County) w/ State Geologist, Ken BradburyLearn more about NERN Learn more about LNRP Supported in part by the David L. & Rita E. Nelson Family Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. High Cliff State Park (Don Mikulic/Eric Fowle) The High Cliff Escarpment features both shaded and exposed cliff habitats along the Niagara escarpment, talus slopes supporting wet-mesic forest, more than a mile of Lake Winnebago shoreline, and outstanding examples of conical and effigy mounds in the level woodland above the escarpment. High Cliff gets its name from the limestone cliff of the Niagara Escarpment, which parallels the eastern shore of Lake Winnebago. This ledge extends northeasterly to the Door County peninsula and on to Niagara Falls, New York. At the escarpment summit are vertical cliffs up to 25 feet high that contain fragile fern, bulblet fern, leaf cup, cliff stickseed, and long-beaked sedge. The talus slope below the cliff is composed chiefly of small, flat rocks, although some areas of large limestone boulders occur, and many seepages emanate from the rocks. The undisturbed forest on the slope is composed of sugar maple, basswood, white ash, green ash, elm, hackberry, and butternut. Closer to the lake, willows and cottonwood gradually appear. A rich herbaceous layer includes wild ginger, great water-leaf, false rue anemone, squirrel-corn, toothwort, and Canada violet. High Cliff Escarpment is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1982. (Source: WDNR) Directions: High Cliff State Park Enter Park at main entrance and drive up escarpment bluff, stay left at top and drive through the quarry to the 3rd parking area on the left. The tour will start from this lot which is adjacent to the Viewing Tower and start of Red Bird Trail. NOTE THAT A CURRENT STATE PARK STICKER WILL BE REQUIRED FOR YOUR VEHICLE.