Sandhill Wildlife Area – Trumpeter Trail Auto Tour

The Trumpeter Trail is a 14-mile auto tour that takes about two hours to complete (a short-cut road can be taken if time is limited). The Trail is open from sunrise to sunset April (usually mid-April) through the end of October. It is unplowed and closed to auto travel in the winter, but this provides unique wildlife watching adventures. Bring cross-country skis and experience the quiet cold of winter! Although the Trail is free to enter, donations are appreciated and can be placed in a designated box located at the chalet near the Sandhill Wildlife Area entrance gate

Along the Trumpeter Trail, there are three observation towers that provide visitors with unique views of Sandhill Wildlife Area’s landscape and wildlife. The observation tower steps are steep however, and can be slippery when wet. Use hand railings and take your time!

Bison Barrens Tower

The first observation tower on the Trumpeter Trail overlooks the fenced-in 260-acre bison range home. This is home to a small herd of bison, a gift from Wallace and Hazel Grange. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wildlife management staff maintain a small herd at 12 to 20 animals. Too many of these large grazers would quickly outstrip their food supply– the grasses and wildflowers that grow in the managed oak barrens habitat. Throughout the growing season, the Bison Barrens is colored in hues of blue, yellow, white and orange from the blooms of various prairie wildflowers. Visitors may notice the various managed burn units. There is a Bluebird Nest Box Trail at Bison Barrens. Badgers, red-tailed hawks, eastern kingbirds, coyotes and deer also thrive in this oak barrens habitat.

North Bluff Tower

The second observation tower on the Trail offers a panoramic view of several nearby bluffs and the surrounding countryside – a twenty-mile vista! North Bluff, a lone sentinel in an expanse of flat land, rises 200 feet above the surrounding landscape. Thermal updrafts created almost daily by the sun-heated rock, provide air currents favored by carrion-eating turkey vultures. These blackish-colored birds, with wingspans in excess of 6 feet rely heavily on winds for soaring. They are frequently seen circling North Bluff.

The volcanic rock (called rhyolitic rock) was forged by the same forces that formed the Baraboo Hills to the south and Rib Mountain to the north. Its bulk gradually sank under hundreds of feet of sea water that flooded Wisconsin’s landscape for 300 million years. Sandy sea sediments slowly piled up, totally burying North Bluff. Finally, the earth’s crust heaved giving rise to a land smoothed by ocean sediments. The trail that leads from the parking lot to the summit of North Bluff is rugged and can be slippery when wet. The trail is not recommended for people with heart conditions or those who must avoid strenuous exercise

Gallegher Marsh Tower

The third observation tower is tucked into a corner of the 2,200 acre Gallegher Marsh. Visitors can park at the small parking lot and take a short hike to the tower which provides an unobstructed view of Gallegher Marsh. During spring and fall, visitors may see flocks of sandhill cranes, geese, ducks and other wetland wildlife. The Gallagher family homestead was originally located near the tower site.  When the family was unable to pay their property taxes they lost the home, which then reverted to county ownership around 1930. The house was later moved to a Babcock town site. Rare cliffbreak ferns now cling to the inner surface of the Gallegher’s house foundation. Salamanders and other species seeking cool, dank environments also use this foundation to hibernate.

Source: WDNR