Features

Public Use Information

Roads, Trails, & Recreation Facility Updates

The auto tour and Main Dike Road are now open to vehicles. Old Marsh Road is open for hiking and bicycling June through August. *Weather, maintenance, and management practices (pumping water, prescribed fire) may lead to periodic closures of facilities as needed. Please check website, facebook and or call for updates before your planned visit.

Public Programs and Events

On refuge and marsh-wide.

Horicon Marsh Public Programs and Events Fall and Winter 2018

Birding Information

Nesting season is underway. Species to look for include: Canada geese, mallards, coots, redheads, wood ducks, American white pelicans, blue-winged teal, sandhill cranes, trumpeter swans, red-winged blackbirds, and more. Best viewing areas around the refuge include Hwy 49 and county roads surrounding the marsh, refuge auto tour and Main Dike Road.

Waterbird Survey - Horicon NWR

Creating Firewise Communities in Wisconsin

Living close to nature has its perks - peace and quiet, cool wildlife sightings and easy access to hunting, fishing and hiking. For several decades, we at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have been working with our neighbors and partners to make public lands safer and healthier for everyone. Learn about a recent success story in Wisconsin and how you can make your property firewise. Not too far from the capital of Wisconsin is Shoveler’s Sink Waterfowl Production Area, 175 acres of oak savanna, grasslands and wetlands set aside for waterfowl and other wildlife. This protected area is part of Leopold Wetland Management District and is a great place to go birding, hunting or just get outside and go for a walk. Bringing back healthy habitats to the area is a constant fight against non-native and invasive brush species like buckthorn and honeysuckle, as well as spotted knapweed and purple loosestrife. For our neighbors, this battle against invasives can be loud and smokey to say the least. In the case of Shoveler’s Sink, and a lot of the other waterfowl production areas we manage, we take a community approach and see a real benefit to sharing habitat restoration efforts across our boundaries onto the private lands that surround these areas. By bringing our neighbors into the process, we all benefit. Follow the link for the full story.

Creating Firewise Communities in Wisconsin
Location / Hours

Location & Hours

Horicon National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters/Visitor Center W4279 Headquarters Rd. Mayville, WI 53050. Phone: 920-387-2658 Refuge public use areas are open daily from dawn to dusk. Visitor Center - Regular Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. April-November: Monday-Saturday, 9:00 am-4:00 pm (plus Sundays in October). Open July 4,Labor Day and Columbus Day. (Closed all other federal holidays). The visitor center will be open one Saturday per month during the winter months: Jan 13, Feb 10, and Mar 3, 2018. Coot's Corner Bookstore, located within the refuge visitor center is owned and operated by the non-profit Friends of Horicon National Wildlife Refuge. Hours: Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays, 11am-3pm. For more information, please email fohnwr@yahoo.com.

Plan Your Visit

About the Complex

Horicon Leopold Complex

Horicon National Wildlife Refuge is managed as part of the Horicon Leopold Complex.

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About the NWRS

National Wildlife Refuge System

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The National Wildlife Refuge System, within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, manages a national network of lands and waters set aside to conserve America's fish, wildlife, and plants.

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