Lake Kegonsa State Park: White Oak and Prairie Trails (Blog Hike #644)

Trails: White Oak Nature and Prairie Trails

Hike Location: Lake Kegonsa State Park

Geographic Location: north of Stoughton, WI (42.98038, -89.23572)

Length: 2.4 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: July 2017

Overview: A pair of short loops, one through forest and one through prairie.

Park Information: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/lakekegonsa

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=733049
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: East of Madison, take I-90 to Dane County Road N (exit 147).  Exit and go south on CR N.  Drive CR N south 0.7 miles to Koshkonong Road and turn right on Koshkonong Rd.  Drive Koshkonong Rd. west 1.7 miles to its end at Door Creek Road and turn left on Door Creek Rd.  Drive Door Creek Rd. south 1 mile to the park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the large park entrance fee, then turn right at the first intersection past the park office.  Park in the second trail parking area on the left, the one near the playground.  A firewood concession, restroom building, and soda machine also stand here.

The hike: Located just off of I-90 southeast of Madison, Lake Kegonsa State Park protects 342 land acres on the northeast side of its namesake lake.  Lake Kegonsa is one of four natural lakes on the Yahara River that were created by moraine dams at the end of the last Ice Age.  Lakes Monona and Mendota in Madison are two other such lakes located further upstream on the Yahara River.  Kegonsa is a Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) word that translates to “Lake of Many Fish.”  True to its name, Lake Kegonsa is one of Wisconsin’s most productive fishing lakes.

            In addition to angling, the park offers a swimming beach, a 96-site campground, 5 picnic areas, and 5 miles of hiking trails.  All of the park’s trails are short nature trails, but the 0.9 mile White Oak Nature Trail and the 1.3 mile Prairie Trail share a common trailhead.  Thus, while you could hike these two trails separately, they combine nicely to form the slightly longer route described here.

Start of White Oak Nature Trail

            For no particular reason, I chose to hike the White Oak Nature Trail first.  A counterclockwise journey around the White Oak Nature Trail starts at a signed trailhead near the back right corner of the parking area.  The two-track dirt trail heads northeast into a dense forest that features many black walnut and (of course) white oak trees. Numbered trail markers correspond to a 20-page interpretive guide posted on the park’s website.

            The park’s campground stays nearby on the right until the trail curves sharply left to begin heading west.  These woods stay fairly damp, so bugs will be a problem here during the summer.  Also, looking for tracks in the soft dirt can reveal what has come this way before you.  I noticed many deer tracks, some fox tracks, and a few skunk tracks on my hike.

Indian mounds

            At 0.5 miles, you reach a brown metal sign that says “Indian Mounds.”  While the park does contain several mounds and other archaeological remains from the Mound Builders that lived here between 1000 and 1400 A.D., these long, low mounds would be hard to identify with the naked eye were it not for the sign.  Continuing around the loop, you next pass a large wolf tree, an oak tree that grew here when the land was cleared for farming.  Wolf trees are identified by their long, low limbs that were put out before the forest canopy blocked sunlight from the lower levels.  Numerous benches offer nice places to sit and rest provided the bugs are not too bad.

            After passing a pine plantation that dates to 1967, a short climbs brings you back to the trailhead area to complete the White Oak Nature Trail.  Turn sharply right and look for a wooden post with painted blue top to find the start of the Prairie Trail.  The wide gravel Prairie Trail soon begins its loop around the prairie.  Angle right to start a counterclockwise trip around the perimeter of the prairie.

Tallgrass prairie

            The large tallgrass prairie features a wide array of prairie plants including bluestem, milkweed, and some yellow coneflower that was in full bloom on my late July visit.  Butterflies and dragonflies were also prolific on my visit.  Where a shortcut trail exits left, turn right to keep following the west edge of the prairie.  The prairie is drier than the forest, so bugs are less of a nuisance here.

At 1.6 miles, you reach the southern end of the prairie where the trail curves left and briefly enters the woods.  The remainder of the Prairie Trail stays close to the main park road and the park’s developed area.  The group camp, a mowed-grass athletic field, and the campground dumping station all come into view.  Some side trails exiting right and crossing the park road allow you to extend your time in the prairie if you wish.  When you get back to the north end of the prairie, you pass a nice interpretive sign that tells about common prairie plants before returning to the parking lot to complete the hike.