Trail Accessibility Info
Welcome to the trail accessibility guide for our wildlife sanctuaries. We understand that every adventurer has different needs and preferences, so we provide information about the features and terrain of our trails to help you plan an outing you’ll love. Whether you’re a seasoned birdwatcher or just starting out, this resource ensures that you can enjoy the wonders of birding at your own comfort level.
Note that pet animals are prohibited, regardless of whether they’re leashed or not. ONLY trained service animals are allowed.
We will continue to add trail information to this webpage as we are able. If you have any particular requests for information, please email Brenna at bmarsicek@swibirds.org. Enjoy your outing!
Cover photo: hikers on a trail at Erstad Prairie. Photo by Elizabeth Palmer
Choose what kind of trail
Most Accessible
Goose Pond Sanctuary Trails
Goose Pond Sanctuary Map. Three accessible trails are marked in purple, blue, and pink.
Browne Prairie Outlook
Zoomed in view of the Goose Pond map with the purple dashed lines indicating the Browne Prairie trail.
Browne Prairie trailhead (photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA)
Location: Kampen Road, approximately 1/4 mile west of the driveway for W7503 Kampen Rd., Arlington.
GPS Coordinates: 43.3229474,-89.395296. Google Map
Route: Park in the small grass lot off of Kampen Rd. Take the middle trail that goes south. At the next intersection, take the trail to the left to arrive at the bench and overlook. Return the way you came.
*****
General Information
Type of trail: out-and-back
Trail length: 0.15 miles to lookout (0.3 miles with return)
Parking: small grass lot off of main road, not on a slope but the surface is slightly uneven and can become muddy from heavy rain
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: short grass, somewhat uneven
Trail width: 8 ft. for whole trail
Trail cross-slope: max. 4% cross-slope, most of trail is about 2-3% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: max. 3% forward slope, most of trail is about 2% forward-slope
The Browne Prairie Overlook bench with shade (photo by Brenna Marsicek/SoWBA)
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: bench at outlook (0.15 miles)
Shade cover: bench is covered, otherwise none
Other
Transportation/construction noise: traffic from road (usually minimal)
Other potential concerns: ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night
Lapinski-Kitzke Prairie
Zoomed in view of the Goose Pond map with the aqua dashed lines indicating the Lapinski-Kitze trail.
Lapinski-Kitze Prairie trailhead (photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA)
Location: Goose Pond Rd., approximately 500 feet north of the intersection with Kampen Rd., Arlington.
GPS Coordinates: 43.3265415, -89.3690251. Google Map
Route: Park in the small grass lot off of Goose Pond Rd. Take either trail to the north or south, and turning at each intersection to remain on the outer-most path.
*****
General Information
Type of trail: loop
Trail length: 1.9 miles around outer perimeter
Parking: small grass lot off of main road, entrance from road is on a slope but the lot itself is flat, surface is slightly uneven and can become muddy from heavy rain
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: short grass, uneven
Trail width: 8 ft. for whole trail
Trail cross-slope: max. 4% cross-slope, much of the trail has 2-3% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: max. 5% forward-slope (occurs at 0.1 miles to the right of entrance, lasts for about 0.1 miles with bench shortly after), most of the trail has about 2-3% forward-slope
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: bench at 0.25 miles to the right of entrance
Shade cover: none
Other
Transportation/construction noise: traffic from road (usually minimal), train tracks nearby
Other potential concerns: ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night, shares border with private property
Erstad Prairie
Zoomed in view of the Goose Pond map with the pink dashed lines indicating the Erstad Prairie trail.
Erstad Prairie trailhead (photo by Emma Raasch/SoWBA)
Location: Northern most point of Harvey Rd., Poynette, WI.
GPS Coordinates: 43.3433, -89.3024. Google Map
Route: Park in the small grass lot off of Harvey Rd. Take either trail to the north or east, and turning at each intersection to remain on the outer loop.
*****
General Information
Type of trail: loop
Trail length: 0.84 miles
Parking: small grass lot off of main road, not on a slope but the surface is slightly uneven and can become muddy from heavy rain
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: short grass, somewhat uneven
Trail width: 8 ft. for whole trail
Trail cross-slope: max. 4% cross-slope (for about 0.1 miles near start of trail), most of trail has only about 1-2% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: max. 2% forward-slope, most of the trail has only about 1% forward-slope
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: none
Shade cover: none
Other
Transportation/construction noise: traffic from road (usually minimal)
Other potential concerns: ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night, entrance is next to private property
Fair Meadows Sanctuary Trails
Note that Fair Meadows Sanctuary can be accessed through the many field trips and twice-monthly Birding Days. Register for an upcoming event to get the location information. Spontaneous drop-in visits are not permitted.
Fair Meadows Sanctuary Map. Three accessible trails are marked in purple, blue, and pink.
Big Prairie - marked in purple
Zoomed in view of the Fair Meadows map with the purple dashed lines indicating the Big Prairie trail.
Big Prairie trailhead (photo by Penelope Shackelford)
Location: Fair Meadows Sanctuary (register for an upcoming event at Fair Meadows to receive more information about the location)
Route: park at the main parking area near the Red Barn (northern P on the map). Walk north through the open mowed grassy area between the woods and the cedar trees to get to the trailhead. Walk west along the grassy trail to get to the Big Prairie Loop.
*****
General Information
Type of trail: loop
Trail length: 0.80 miles (inner perimeter)
Parking: pavement next to barn, enough space for 2 vehicles, wheelchair accessible
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: short grass, somewhat uneven
Trail width: 7 ft. for whole trail
Trail cross-slope: max. 4% cross-slope (for about 0.1 miles near start of trail), most of trail has only about 1-2% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: max. 5% forward-slope from road to trailhead, most of the trail has only about 1-2% forward-slope
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: bench at 0.15 miles and 0.25 miles (walking counter-clockwise around loop)
Shade cover: benches have shade, otherwise none
Other
Transportation/construction noise: none
Other potential concerns: trail is on private property, ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night
Barn to Apple Shed Lane Parking - marked in blue
Zoomed in view of the Fair Meadows map with the blue dashed lines indicating the Barn to Apple Shed Lane Parking route.
Location: Fair Meadows Sanctuary (register for an upcoming event at Fair Meadows to receive more information about the location)
Route: park at the main parking area near the Red Barn (northern P on the map). Walk south along the gravel Main Entry Road past the wetlands. Turn right (south) on the grassy Apple Shed Lane and follow that until you get to a small grassy parking area. Return the way you came.
*****
General Information
Type of trail: out-and-back
Trail length: 0.27 miles (one way)
Parking (can park at either end of trail):
Pavement next to barn, enough space for 2 vehicles, wheelchair accessible
Grassy parking lot on Apple Shed Lane, space for ~4 vehicles, 5% slope to get to main road
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trailhead from barn to Apple Shed Lane (photo by Penelope Shackelford)
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: gravel on main road, short grass, somewhat uneven on Apple Shed Lane
Trail width: 10 ft. on main road, 7 ft. on Apple Shed Lane
Trail cross-slope: max. 3% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: max. 6% forward-slope on main road, 5% forward-slope from main road to Apple Shed Lane parking
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: none
Shade cover: moderate shade from trees, about 30% shade coverage year-round
Other
Transportation/construction noise: none
Other potential concerns: trail is on private property, ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night
Apple Shed Lane Parking to Fork at Heron Pond - marked in pink
Zoomed in view of the Fair Meadows map with the pink dashed lines indicating the Apple Shed Lane Parking to Fork at Heron Pond route.
Fork from Apple Shed parking to Heron Pond (photo by Penelope Shackelford)
Location: Fair Meadows Sanctuary (register for an upcoming event at Fair Meadows to receive more information about the location)
Route: park at the grassy lot on Apple Shed Lane, walk north along the lane until it meets with the Main Entry Road. Turn right (east) to walk past the Petite Woods and to Heron Pond. Return the way you came.
*****
General Information
Type of trail: out-and-back
Trail length: 0.18 miles (one way)
Parking: grassy parking lot on Apple Shed Lane, space for ~4 vehicles, 5% slope to get to main road
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: gravel on main road, short grass, somewhat uneven on Apple Shed Lane
Trail width: 10 ft. on main road, 7 ft. on Apple Shed Lane
Trail cross-slope: max. 3% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: max. 5% forward-slope to from Apple Shed Lane parking to main road
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: none
Shade cover: moderate shade from trees, about 30% shade coverage year-round
Other
Transportation/construction noise: none
Other potential concerns: trail is on private property, ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night
Faville Grove Sanctuary Trails
Buddy’s Prairie trailhead (photo by Kaitlin Svabeck)
Buddy’s Prairie trail (photo by Kaitlin Svabeck)
Buddy’s Prairie
General Information
Location: Faville Grove Sanctuary
Type of trail: out-and-back
Trail length: 0.4 miles to lookout of Faville Grove Bog
Parking: One spot available on the right side of the gravel driveway. Also can park well off the road along Highway 89, though there is a slope when doing so.
Bathrooms: no bathrooms
Trail traffic: few people present/typically low traffic
Trail Terrain
Trail surface: trail is roughly mowed prairie, often with a mulch of grasses present, some muddy sections
Trail width: 6 ft. wide, at about 0.3 miles becomes ~2 ft. wide
Trail cross-slope: max. 3% cross-slope
Trail forward-slope: 1-2% forward-slope for most of trail, max. 5% forward-slope around 0.3 miles to reach lookout
Features and Obstacles
Ramps: no ramps
Steps: none
Gates: none
Railings: none
Bird blinds: none
Resting and Shade
Benches: none
Shade cover: one area contains a black oak savanna and offers shade, the rest is open prairie without shade
Other
Transportation/construction noise: nearby traffic from highway
Other potential concerns: ticks/chiggers present, trail is not lit at night, driveway may not be maintained during winter