Wisconsin Rustic Road 89 | Devil's Punchbowl | Red Cedar State Trail

Wisconsin Rustic Road 89
south of Menominee, Dunn County, Wisconsin
5.3 miles of paved road through the bluffs of the Red Cedar River, a mix of wooded areas and farmland with occasional views of the river

Devil's Punchbowl
near the midpoint along Rustic Road 89 (about 3 miles south of Menomonie, about 1 mile from Irvington)
3.5 acre 'miniature canyon' carved away by glacial melting 10,000+ years ago

Red Cedar State Trail
accessed on this drive about 2 miles from the southern tip of Rustic Road 89 in Irvington

Area Notes

Rustic Road 89
Rustic Road 89 is a pleasant drive and provides access to areas where one can exit the car to explore nature. But other than those spots, it is merely a drive and one cannot (easily) stop along the roadway to explore anything.

Devil's Punchbowl
Part of the Landmark Conservancy land trust, this spot is unique in its geological formation of cliffs and waterfall providing a miniature ecosystem. The small preserve has two short trails. One goes across the top of the falls and through a wooded area along the top of the bowl. The other skirts a small prairie area away from the parking area then down steps to the bottom of the bowl. One can explore a small area at the bottom fairly easily but more extensive exploring across the stream will require surefootedness, sturdy footwear that can get wet. Posted: " No Rock Climbing. Please stay on trails, respect property boundaries, and refrain from climbing on slopes to protect sensitive soils and plants."

I'm reading that there are "unique and special plants that only grow in the microhabitats on the moist slopes at the Punchbowl" but most info on Devil's Punchbowl doesn't go into any details about its microclimate. One report mentioned mosses, liverworts and 13 species of ferns. (video linked below). It's classified as a birdwatching site and I found an observation of an Eastern Red-backed Salamander at iNaturalist.

Besides a variety of plant and wildlife sightings, there are reports that 'fairies, gnomes, trolls and strange orbs' can be found at the preserve. I'm not sure how one would upload an observation at iNaturalist for a troll.

There are a fair amount of stairs but I (with moderate fitness) didn't find them terribly taxing. In early July, we weren't bothered by (biting) insects. There was some poison ivy very close to the edge of the parking lot one should look out for. There are no amenities at the site.

Red Cedar State Trail
The 14.5 mile long Red Cedar State Trail runs south from Menomonie, often parallel to Rustic Road 89. . In conjunction with RR89, one can access the Trail in Menomonie (before starting RR89) or in Irvington. As it lies on an old railroad bed, it is level, wide, and either gravel or paved. Most of the trail along this section lies quite close to the Red Cedar River on one side and bluffs on the other amongst a variety of deciduous trees. A state trail pass is required for bicycling and cross-country skiing but not for walking or hiking.

From Irvington, walking south was easy hiking and we encountered no annoyance insects. There are no amenities (other than a picnic table) at the Irvington parking lot for the trail.

Red Cedar River
For any who might be interested, canoe rentals are available at towns along the river. Traveling down the river would provide an additional way to observe nature in this area.

Visits

July 15, 2021
We were mostly looking for a new place to explore (near us) that might offer the opportunity to be outside observing nature at some point. Rustic Road 89 was a pleasant drive (and might be exceptionally so during fall colors). But this is not a 'observe nature from the car' sort of road. The chances to observe nature came from the two stops we made.

Devil's Punchbowl- online, reactions to visiting this site are mixed. Some think it's too small and too uninteresting. Others find the geographical feature of the small sunken bowl in the landscape interesting - especially during the winter when the waterfall and water seeping from the sides of the canyon freeze into icicle. But, although people do bird there, I don't think it's a site that people visit to specifically observe plants or animals in nature. We heard a few birds. We saw a few insects down in the bowl. I took photos of a few plants. Up at road level, there were a lot of grasshoppers in the grass along the edge of the parking lot (and a lot of poison ivy). And I saw a Fritillary in the small meadow/prairie area. It would be hard to fully explore this ecosystem since one must remain on the path for much of the preserve. That said, I think this preserve may be under-evaluated. It could be a good personal project to try to document as much as one could access. Is it worth going out of one's way to visit? Probably not. But it is geologically interesting and it can easily be combined with other nature-worthy stops/activities in the area.

Red Cedar State Trail - we accessed this at the parking lot in Irvington. Immediately north, it was mostly wooded. Immediately south, it was a little more open where I was already spotting butterflies so we wandered in that direction and hiked about a half a mile down then back. The bluffs along the side of the trail are reminiscent of the walls of Devil's Punchbowl. We saw/heard a handful of birds including a large colony of Cliff Swallows who had nested under a bridge spanning the river. We also saw a good handful of interesting insects: butterflies, sawfly, cricket, grasshoppers, flies, treehoppers, and wasps. Plant life reflects, in my assessment, the history of this path - an old railroad bed. Construction of the railroad line disrupted the plant life and then conversion of that line to a paved/packed pedestrian/bike path disrupted it again. And near Irvington, there are backyards at the top of the bluff which will influence the plants growing down on the path. There were a lot of plants that grow well in disturbed soil. None of it seemed all that unique or rare. But as someone who hasn't been actively observing plants for more than a few years, I did make note of a few plants.

We met our goal of going someplace new and getting out of the car to observe nature. And at the end of the day, we observed 20 life firsts: 6 plants and 14 insects. If I chose to revisit this drive/area, I might like spending more time on the Red Cedar State Trail (it was afternoon and hot so we weren't motivated to hike a long distance). I wouldn't be highly motivated to revisit Devi's Punchbowl but I'm glad we went once.

iNat observations | July 15, 2021

Useful links/info

Rustic Road 89
From the north: Rustic Road follows 410th St which is accessed just south of Menomonie off of Hofland Road. It follows 410th St to Irvington where it turns right (west) on 440th Ave, then immediately left (south) on 420th St. The designated Rustic Road ends where 420th St intersects with (and terminates at) 370th Ave and 390th St.
Wisconsin Rustic Road pamphlet
Wisconsin Dept of Transportation | Rustic Road 89 page

Devil's Punchbowl
The parking lot and preserve are on the east side of Rustic Road 89.
(44°51'02.8"N 91°57'09.1"W | 44.850769, -91.952519)
Landmark Conservancy | Devil's Punchbowl webpage (provides a trail map)
2015 media article about Devil's Punchbowl
eBird | Devil's Punchbowl hotspot reports
YouTube | 40 second summary of unique plant life at Devil's Punchbowl
YouTube | 3 minute video that explores the trails and bottom of Devils' Punchbowl

Red Cedar State Trail | Irvington, WI access
Parking lot is on the east side of 410th St just before the road terminates at 440th Ave. A state trail pass is required for bicycling and cross-country skiing on the trail but not for walking or hiking. There isn't any method of buying a permit at this access site.
Wisconsin DNR | Red Cedar State Trail website
TrailLink | Red Cedar State Trail page
Wisconsin Trail Guide | Red Cedar State Trail page

Julkaistu heinäkuu 29, 2021 09:35 IP. käyttäjältä mmmiller