Scuppernong Springs Nature Trail — Attraction in Town of Ottawa

I wanted to see the abandoned structures, Indian campsite, spring water bubbling up from underneath sand and the numerous springs all listed in the self-paced guide and I wasn't disappointed. You may want to bring boots for the muddy parts of the trail, but they aren't necessary for much of the path, unless you go there after a big rain. This is a nice, easy hike with beautiful landscape to see along the way. Some forest area, some prairie, wooden boardwalks take you out into the water area. The only drawback was that part of it borders a well-trafficked street and loud motorcycles and vehicles go by, ruining the peaceful nature of the hike. But it's a bit of a hidden gem, so there's not a lot of people on the trails, so you have it mostly to yourself. We heard and saw some Catbirds in the area, along with Blue Jays and migrating warblers. While watching the bubbling springs, I got the sense that I was a satellite looking down on a strange planet out in the galaxy, watching the weather patterns on the surface. The way the sand moved almost looked like it was intelligent and trying to communicate, you certainly don't see sand doing that in every day life! Reviewed...

We visited on an early spring day. What a cool place! Loved the guide that goes with the trail. The guide says the loop is 1.5 miles but if you venture off in all the different areas it would easily be 2+. We got lost after the old marl plant and kept going down a trail after the bridge but this isn’t the trail. We had to backtrack. Some trails aren’t labeled all that well but for us it was part of a really cool adventure.

It is mostly wooded, can get muddy so wear footwear for that. The springs were so cool with the bubbling from underground. We spent several hours just hiking 2-2.5 miles.

This is a fee area part of Kettle Moraine Forest. We opted for the annual pass which is an absolute steal for our if state at $38 (it’s $16 for a day pass). For comparison, Indiana charges around $80 for an annual pass and I much prefer Wisconsin...

This has been one of my favorite places to hike since I was a kid. It's still so cool to get the southern end of the loop to find the big springs and old building.

The paths are wide and well maintained, but watch out for tree roots that can trip you. The beginning of the path is pretty flat and may be good for those needing accessibility for mobility equipment, but as you get farther in the path becomes a bit hilly and uneven.

On a recent hike, my daughter and I were startled by a big common watersnake crossing the path nearly under our feet. We stopped freaking out in time to watch it stop for a moment then slither into the brush and on its...