Horicon Refuge Auto Tour and Walking Trails Complex off Hwy 49 to be Temporarily Closed to All Public Access Starting June 3, 2019 for Road Repaving and Improvement Project
Beginning Monday June 3, 2019 the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge Auto Tour and Walking Trails Complex will be temporarily closed to all public access due to a road repaving and improvement project. The recreational area, located about 3 miles east of Waupun, will be undergoing significant construction and will not be accessible to hikers, bicyclists or vehicles for most of the summer months. Old Marsh Road will be open during June through August for hiking and bicycling (no vehicles) but visitors will need to park and access that interior road from the east side of the marsh (Cty Rd Z to Point Rd.) only. Other public use areas on the refuge such as Main Dike Road near Mayville, Hwy 49 Viewing Area near Cty Rd Z, and Bud Cook Hiking Trails off Point Rd. will be open as usual. Please visit https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Horicon/ for maps and directions.
Alternative opportunities for nearby hiking and bicycling include Marsh Haven Nature Center http://marshhaven.org/ and the Wild Goose State Trail, parking lot north of Hwy 49 – Fond du Lac County. https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/parks/name/wildgoose/ .
In addition to repaving, the auto tour will also be widened in several locations to improve opportunities for wildlife viewing and to improve traffic flow. The project is expected to be completed before the fall bird migration in October.
Thirty novice hunters from ages 10-adult will have the unique opportunity to experience a once in a lifetime duck hunt at Horicon Marsh on the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge through a Learn to Hunt Waterfowl Program offered this fall. The program will be hosted by Ducks Unlimited (DU), Wisconsin Waterfowl Association (WWA), Friends of Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Click on the link below for application and more information.
Horicon Marsh LTH Waterfowl Application and Information 2019
It's nesting season at the marsh. Species to look for include: mallards, Trumpeter swans, Canada geese, coots, American white pelicans, Forster's terns, great blue herons, egrets, blue-winged teal, yellow-headed blackbirds and sandhill cranes.
Waterbird Survey - Horicon NWR