Natural Beauty
Evansville Wildlife Area
The Evansville Wildlife Area was established in 1960 and is
home to many grassland birds including pheasants, bobwhites,
upland sandpipers, harriers, and dickcissels. Prescribed
burns and farming are the two most common management practices on
the area. Pheasants and doves are the two most common
species hunted there.
Recreational opportunities include hunting, trapping, hiking,
fishing, bird watching, and wildlife viewing.
Evansville Wildlife Area is a 5500 acre property located south
and east of Evansville. It contains 704 acres of state owned
marsh immediately south of Evansville, 240 acres of state owned
stream bank protection land, and 4600 acres of private land leased
for public hunting.
The state marsh is native wet prairie, canary grass, giant
ragweed, and sedges surrounded by 160 acres of planted native
grass and 230 acres of cropland planted to corn, soybeans,
sunflower, and hay.
There is over 1.5 miles of trout stream, and numerous drainage
ditches in the area.
Maintenance of the wildlife area has been adopted by the Rock
River Valley Chapter of Pheasants Forever.
Magnolia Bluff County Park
Magnolia
Bluff County Park is located just 6 miles southwest of Evansville
off Highway 59.
Magnolia Bluff is the highest point in Rock
County and offers scenic overlooks of the rural countryside.
The park includes two trails, one a nature trail and bridle path
and one a hiking and cross-county ski trail.
For more info on Magnolia Bluff, please
click here....
Rustic Road #68 - Riley Road
The Wisconsin Legislature established the Rustic Roads program
in 1973 to help citizens and local units of government preserve
what remains of Wisconsin's scenic, lightly traveled country
roads.
Unique brown and yellow signs mark the routes of all
officially-designated Rustic Roads. These routes provide bikers,
hikers, and motorists an opportunity to leisurely travel through
some of Wisconsin's scenic countryside. R68 is a paved road.
It is 5.7 miles in length, running between US Highway 14 and the
Rock/Dane County Line.
R68 passes through woodlands, rolling meadows and lowland
marshes abounding in native vegetation and wildlife. The route
passes two historic houses: the 1850’s Stebben’s House and the
Richardson Grout House. At the south end awaits a county
wayside park for rest and relaxation.
R68 is located 3 miles east of Evansville on Highway 14.
Sugar River Trail
The Sugar River Trail is a 23-mile recreational trail surfaced
with crushed limestone suitable for hiking, bicycling, and
snowmobiling. The trail connects the communities of New
Glarus, Monticello, Albany, and Brodhead and intersects the Badger
State Trail.
It is part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail; prairie
remnants exist in many areas along the right-of-way. More
than 100 species of birds have been recorded along this 265 acre
corridor. Signature species include indigo bunting, orchard
oriole, and eastern meadowlark. Rare species include
yellow-crowned night heron, sedge wren, western meadowlark, and
bobwhite quail.
The Sugar River Trail is located 11 miles southwest of
Evansville in the Village of Albany.
