As we start talking about changing leaves, it's good to note that fall colors are…
Right now on Mirror Lake State Park’s unassuming 2.4 mile Turtleville trail, there are some cool colors and awesome aromas to experience. You should check it out!
Mirror Lake State Park is just under 13 miles from Devil’s Lake State Park and is known for its ski/bike trails and some impressive sandstone cliffs that can best be seen by canoe and kayak. It’s also a great location to check out migrating birds during the spring and fall season, especially out on the slough. This week, we’d also encourage you to get out and hike or bike the Turtleville trail, where I should add, we haven’t yet seen a turtle!
Turtleville Trail
The nearly 2 ½ mile Turtleville trail is open to hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing. This trail can be accessed from the trailhead parking lot on Mirror Lake Road near the Wild Rice trail connector or at the trail crossing with Fern Dell Trail. Here’s a trail map. For the most part, this is a wide, easy trail with just a couple of short but steep, rolling hills. The environment is a mix of oak and pine stands with mowed grass, prairie, and sand. It does get fairly hot in the summer, but it’s great right now in mid-May. But what really stands out is this…
Sand Barren
Not too far along into the trail, you’ll come across this sandy area. We’ll call it a sand barren, though I’m not sure it would earn the “official” title. Sand Barrens in Wisconsin are these interesting little plant and animal communities that develop on disturbed, not quite stable sand. Most trace their origins back to historic farming attempts. Sand does not make for fertile farmland! Once the thin topsoil was plowed away, the sandy soil often did not restabilize and became almost desert-like. In the case of this spot at Mirror Lake State Park, it is believed that this was a dump site from dredging out the lake some time in the past.
What’s impressive about this little “barren” is the mix of colors created by the lichens and moss. If you look closely, you’ll also see little white “stars” know as Earthstar Fungi.
Just remember, this is a fragile environment. It’s best to stay on the outside of the “circle” and do your best not to disturb the location.
Aromatic Trees
Another unique thing you’ll notice on the Turtleville Trail (Almost right away from the Mirror Lake Road parking area.) is an awesome, incense-like aroma. It’s often described as a vanilla-like smell. If you look around though, you’ll see there are no flowers in sight! The aroma is actually coming from the newly sprouting buds and leaves of a poplar tree, the Balsam Poplar. This is a tree which is pretty common in Canada, but rarer down by us. You’ll find Balsam Poplar mentioned often in aromatherapy, essential oils, and old-school remedies. Well, it’s certainly therapeutic to stand amongst them on a warm sunny spring day!
Of course, spring turns to summer and the colors around the sand will fade, the aromas will disappear and the mosquitos and biting flies will soon be out in force. So, now would be the perfect time to get out to Turtleville!
More Photos
Learn More
- Balsam Poplar Range Map
- What You Once Knew – Balsam Poplar
- Mirror Lake State Park (WDNR)
- Sand Barrens (WDNR)
For nearly 2 decades the Skillet Creek blog has focused on 3 main goals; To inspire you to visit and explore the Devil’s Lake region, to help you get the most your visit by sharing tips, events, and other helpful information. Lastly to advocate for our environment & wildlife and talk about how we can keep our natural areas amazing now and into the future! That last goal can sometimes cause controversy, but it’s the only way we can accomplish the first two. – Derrick Mayoleth, Owner.
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