SCHMEEKLE RESERVE - Stevens Point, WI
If you're looking for some spectacular nature walking in central Wisconsin, put Schmeekle Reserve on your must-visit list. This 280-acre public natural area on the campus of UW-Stevens Point is enjoyed by students, residents, and visitors alike. With five miles of interweaving trails and boardwalks, you could wander this sanctuary of beauty all day.
My first visit to the reserve was on a very humid and rainy June weekend. The mosquitoes were vicious, but the beauty of the trails and natural surroundings managed to distract me from their incessant whining. I parked in the visitor center parking lot and made my way over boardwalks and crushed granite trails, past the bird viewing area, the Trail of Reflections, and onward to walk the 1-mile trail around Lake Joanis. The 24-acre lake is a peaceful setting, perfect for a bit of rest and reflection, wildlife watching, or paddling a kayak. Many of the trails connect with the popular Green Circle Trail, which encompasses over 27 miles of hiking/biking trails throughout Stevens Point.
Both the Green Circle Trail, which is crushed granite, and the crushed granite trails within the reserve are wheelchair accessible.
Wildlife was in abundance as I wandered the reserve. I saw quite a few deer, including fawns, a family of sandhill cranes, chipmunks, squirrels, and an assortment of birds. I had a fleeting view of a Pileated Woodpecker as it took off in flight, and spotted several Northern Flickers, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Grackles, Northern Cardinals, a Carolina Wren, and a fledgling Warbling Vireo, to name a few. If you're a bird watcher, there's plenty to see on a walk here.
The reserve is named for UW-Stevens Point professor Fred Schmeekle. He began teaching agriculture at the school in the early 1920's. He saw the value in conservation, and began teaching courses in conservation principles, which developed into the College of Natural Resources, now the largest undergraduate natural resources program in the nation. In speaking of the land purchased that eventually became Schmeekle Reserve, he stated "Someday this area will serve as an island of green in the City of Stevens Point". Time has proven him correct, and it seems fitting that the reserve was named for him. For a more detailed account of the history and development of the reserve, visit the UW-Stevens Point website.
There are three rental spaces available within the reserve: Pankowski Friends Amphitheater, Menzel Pavilion, and the Visitor Center meeting room. Restrooms are available in the Visitor Center parking lot.
Parking: Parking lot at Visitor Center, street parking on Wood Lane and Maria Drive
Trail Hours: Open Daily, Sunrise to Sunset
Visitor Center Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am-4pm; Saturday: 10am-4pm; Sunday: Noon to 3pm
Fees: None
No Pets in the wildlife refuge. There is a Green Circle Trail pet route that borders the reserve along North Point Drive.
Location: 2419 North Point Drive, Stevens Point, WI (Portage County)
For more information, click here.
My first visit to the reserve was on a very humid and rainy June weekend. The mosquitoes were vicious, but the beauty of the trails and natural surroundings managed to distract me from their incessant whining. I parked in the visitor center parking lot and made my way over boardwalks and crushed granite trails, past the bird viewing area, the Trail of Reflections, and onward to walk the 1-mile trail around Lake Joanis. The 24-acre lake is a peaceful setting, perfect for a bit of rest and reflection, wildlife watching, or paddling a kayak. Many of the trails connect with the popular Green Circle Trail, which encompasses over 27 miles of hiking/biking trails throughout Stevens Point.
Both the Green Circle Trail, which is crushed granite, and the crushed granite trails within the reserve are wheelchair accessible.
Wildlife was in abundance as I wandered the reserve. I saw quite a few deer, including fawns, a family of sandhill cranes, chipmunks, squirrels, and an assortment of birds. I had a fleeting view of a Pileated Woodpecker as it took off in flight, and spotted several Northern Flickers, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Common Grackles, Northern Cardinals, a Carolina Wren, and a fledgling Warbling Vireo, to name a few. If you're a bird watcher, there's plenty to see on a walk here.
The reserve is named for UW-Stevens Point professor Fred Schmeekle. He began teaching agriculture at the school in the early 1920's. He saw the value in conservation, and began teaching courses in conservation principles, which developed into the College of Natural Resources, now the largest undergraduate natural resources program in the nation. In speaking of the land purchased that eventually became Schmeekle Reserve, he stated "Someday this area will serve as an island of green in the City of Stevens Point". Time has proven him correct, and it seems fitting that the reserve was named for him. For a more detailed account of the history and development of the reserve, visit the UW-Stevens Point website.
There are three rental spaces available within the reserve: Pankowski Friends Amphitheater, Menzel Pavilion, and the Visitor Center meeting room. Restrooms are available in the Visitor Center parking lot.
Parking: Parking lot at Visitor Center, street parking on Wood Lane and Maria Drive
Trail Hours: Open Daily, Sunrise to Sunset
Visitor Center Hours: Monday-Friday: 9am-4pm; Saturday: 10am-4pm; Sunday: Noon to 3pm
Fees: None
No Pets in the wildlife refuge. There is a Green Circle Trail pet route that borders the reserve along North Point Drive.
Location: 2419 North Point Drive, Stevens Point, WI (Portage County)
For more information, click here.