Dodge County: Discover Wetlands, Trails, and Culture

Wetlands, Trails, and Special Places

Dodge County combines impressive wetlands, varied trails, and a diverse cultural landscape. The Horicon Marsh is particularly distinctive: This 33,000-acre wetland was formed thousands of years ago by a continental glacier and designated a wetland of international importance in the 1990s. In spring and fall, hundreds of thousands of ducks, as well as tens of thousands of Canada geese and sandhill cranes, pass through Horicon Marsh. For your travel planning, this creates a clear seasonal focus if you would like to combine birdwatching with landscape experiences.

Hiking and Biking Through the Landscape

The Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area has more than five miles of designated hiking trails through forest, prairie, and wetland habitats. At the Horicon Marsh Education and Visitor Center, exhibits present the history of the marshland from the Ice Age to the present. Wisconsin DNR educators offer educational programs and outdoor events there throughout the year.

The Gold Star Memorial Trail connects Mayville and Beaver Dam and provides access to the Horicon Marsh State Wildlife Area, the Education and Visitor Center, the City of Horicon, and the Wild Goose State Trail. The trail is intended for non-motorized use, especially biking and hiking. In winter, opportunities are available for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The Wild Goose State Trail follows a former railroad corridor through oak stands, fertile farmland, and prairie remnants, as well as along streams. It passes through rural areas of Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties and skirts the western edge of the Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

Nature Experiences with Different Focuses

There are also various ways to spend an active or observant day away from the large wetland landscape. Ledge Park is located on the Niagara Escarpment in northern Dodge County and offers views of Horicon Marsh and the surrounding landscape. Its hiking trails lead through distinctive rock formations and dense forests. At Harnischfeger Park on the Rock River in the Town of Lebanon, an 800-foot-long riverwalk allows for shore fishing as well as wildlife and wetland observation. The 132-acre park is the largest park in Dodge County and also has electric and non-electric campsites, showers, restrooms, picnic tables, and fire rings.

The Marsh Haven Nature Center complements the natural attractions with a museum and interactive exhibits about the Horicon Marsh ecosystem, conservation efforts, and the natural history of the region. It also offers opportunities for hiking and birdwatching. At the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, you can expect exhibits about the marshland’s wildlife and ecosystems, a raptor display featuring hawks and owls from Wisconsin, native gardens, an observation deck, and the Sense of Wonder Trail.

History, Museums, and Regional Discoveries

Those who want to combine days in nature with culture will find 37 effigy, conical, and linear mounds at Nitschke Mounds Park, believed to have been built between 800 and 1100 AD. Natural grass-surfaced trails lead around the mounds and through the park. The Mayville Limestone School Museum, a historic limestone school building from 1857, focuses on local industry, education, community life, and limestone mining. The Hollenstein Wagon & Carriage Museum in Mayville displays restored antique wagons, carriages, and sleighs.

Other cultural destinations include Waupun's Outdoor Sculptures in landscaped parks and public spaces, as well as the Wisconsin Automotive Museum in Hartford, with classic and historic automobiles and the largest assembled collection of Kissel vehicles. The Octagon House in Watertown is one of Wisconsin’s largest houses from the period before the Civil War; the Octagon House Museum also includes the schoolhouse of America's First Kindergarten. Farmers markets in Dodge County offer fresh produce in spring, summer, and fall.

Choose the Right Base

When searching for a vacation rental in Dodge County, it is worthwhile to first determine your desired travel focus. Travelers primarily interested in seeing migratory birds, wetlands, and hiking trails will plan differently from those with a greater interest in museums, sculptures, or regional history. For varied vacation days, you can plan nature observation, a bike ride, and a museum visit as separate focuses without limiting the trip to just one type of experience.

For further orientation, you can discover Lomira, Horicon, Beaver Dam, and Burnett. Find additional destinations through Lafayette County, Lincoln County, Kewaunee County, and Waushara County.

For the higher-level travel overview: Wisconsin.