Lost Lake State Natural Area

Lost Lake is a 169-acre parcel in western Columbia County that contains a small kettle-type depression in ground moraine deposits overlying the eastern end of the Baraboo Range. This deep, circular hard water lake is perched near the upper end of a ravine about 0.2 mile wide and 0.5 mile long and drains to the northwest. Large quartzite boulders and exposures of quartzite conglomerate and layers of sandstone cover the north-facing slope. This area harbors a shaded cliff community with numerous ferns and mountain maple. The bottom of the hollow supports a well-established lowland forest with yellow birch, black ash, green ash, hackberry, American elm, and poison sumac.

On the slopes, the forest grades into red oak, basswood, yellow birch, hackberry, and white ash with white oak predominant further upslope. The state-threatened slender bush clover is found here. Surrounding the 2-acre lake is a zone of swamp loosestrife and large alder thicket. Historically, the lake ice was in local demand due to its unusual density and clarity. Wildlife includes snapping turtles, green and gray tree frogs, green herons, and two rare birds, the yellow-billed cuckoo, and Louisiana waterthrush. Invertebrate life is abundant throughout the lake. Lost Lake is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1985.