John Muir Memorial Park

This hidden treasure of a county park is in an out-of-the-way place but is a “must see” destination.  The park was established in 1957 by Marquette County to commemorate the boyhood home of renowned naturalist/conservationist John Muir that was located on the northeast side of Lake Ennis, the centerpiece of this 150-acre park.

Muir’s Scottish family settled this area in 1849, when Muir was eleven years old.  As pioneers, his family broke the prairie soil and worked hard to produce food for the family.  Muir loved the natural setting—the crystal clear lake, the wet meadows full of wildflowers and birds, the nearby woods.  It was in this rural Wisconsin setting that he developed such a keen love of nature that accompanied him throughout his travels across America.

The park is both historic and aesthetic.  A prairie-covered hill with scattered oak trees boasts bobolinks and red-headed woodpeckers.  The hill overlooks the deep (30 foot) 30-acre Ennis Lake and beyond to a sedge meadow and woodland.  A 1.6 mile trail around the lake –designated the John Muir Park Segment of the Ice Age Trail– provides opportunities to explore the diverse habitats associated with this park. There is a picnic shelter near the upper parking area, and the lake is accessible for canoeing, kayaking and fishing.

Due to its rich natural diversity and rare plant communities, this park was designated as a state natural area in 1972, giving it the highest protection status.  [See: Muir Park State Natural Area for more information.]

Across County Highway F from the park is property along the Fox River that is owned and managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Fox River National Wildlife Refuge.