Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park - South

Image credit: Jan Axelson

Acres: 261.27

Park Map

New: Winter Trails Map - includes designated snowshoe trails, in addition to the ski trails.

Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park, South Unit has trails that explore restored prairie, oak savanna, and woodland. High ground offers views of sedge meadow, deep marsh, and the upper Yahara River. Three constructed ponds filter urban stormwater and provide wildlife habitat. A gravel boat launch and pier provide river access. When snow-covered, all trails except the east-most loop are groomed for classic cross-country skiing. The park offers 3.8 miles of trails in total.

Birdlife includes sandhill crane, wood duck, great blue heron, green heron, and belted kingfisher. The wooded areas and woodland edges have woodpeckers, wood-warblers, nesting Baltimore oriole, and blue-gray gnatcatcher.

Visit the Friends of Cherokee Marsh to learn more, including events and volunteer projects.

Land Management

Image credit: Jan Axelson

Cherokee Marsh, Dane County's largest wetland, is located at the head of the chain of Yahara lakes. Cherokee Marsh - South Unit is one piece in a complex of protected land that supports wildlife and native plant communities in the marsh and adjacent uplands.

This park is situated on ancestral Ho-Chunk land. Cherokee Marsh's name dates to a 19th-century hunting club in the area.

Before being acquired by the City in the mid-1960s, the uplands and a portion of the wetlands were used for agriculture and gravel mining. Restoration has included converting old fields to tallgrass prairie, removing invasive woody species from oak woodlands, and prescribed burning. Aquatic plants have been established in the stormwater ponds.

Restoration of oak woodland and oak savanna has resulted in increased numbers of woodpeckers, including the red-headed woodpecker, a Wisconsin Species of Special Concern. Parks management follows a snag protection policy to preserve dead, standing trees for wildlife.

American lotus has been established in the river to protect the river shoreline from erosion and improve water quality.

Visit the Friends of Cherokee Marsh for sponsor events and volunteer workdays.