Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program
Johnson Lake Barrens & Springs (No. 107)

Overview

Location

Within the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, Vilas County. T42N-R8E, Sections 2, 3, 4, 8-11, 13-16. 1,125 acres.

Access

From the intersection of County Highways B and M (Cut-off Road) north of Boulder Junction, go east on County B 4.5 miles, then south on Old B 1.9 miles, then west on Jute Lake Road 1.4 miles, then south on logging roads to the natural area.

Description

Description

Johnson Lake Barrens and Springs contains open communities of pine barrens and bracken grassland perched on the sandy glacial outwash plain that gently slopes toward the lake. Dominant trees are scattered, open grown jack pine, Hill's oak, red pine, and choke cherry. The groundlayer is dominated by sweet fern, blueberry, barrens strawberry, rice grass, poverty oat grass, hawkweed, and arrow leaved aster. The moister west and north slopes have a large number of aspen and openings nearly covered with bracken fern. Water resources include Johnson Lake, a soft-water spring complex, and three cold, hard water streams that meander through the site: Garland, Siphon, and Johnson Creeks. The 24-acre Johnson Lake is a soft-water drainage lake fed by Garland Creek. Abundant submerged aquatics are present including white water-lily, spatterdock, big-leaf pondweed, floating pondweed, flat-stem pondweed, and common water-weed. A northern sedge meadow dominated by wire leaved sedges surrounds the lake and seepage areas at the base of the terrace contain black spruce and tamarack. Formed in pitted outwash and moraine at the Manitowish River headwaters is the Siphon Springs complex, which includes Goodyear Springs, a 3-acre spring pond with a maximum depth of 8 feet. Water is neutral in pH, 52 ppm total alkalinity, and supports brook trout, white sucker, common minnow species, and a sparse growth of aquatic plants including watershield, chara, wild celery, and waterweed. The spring and outlet are filled partially with silt but retain deep pockets of exposed sand and gravel. The area has a wide range of animal life including smooth green snake, mink frog, hermit thrush, Connecticut warbler, common yellow-throat, swamp sparrow, Lincoln's sparrow, spruce grouse, bobcat, and black bear. Restoration management activities have included prescribed burning and the cutting of aspen and small jack pine, which has opened up the area. Johnson Lake Barrens and Springs is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1973. The boundary was expanded in 2007 to include the spring pond complex.

Maps

The WDNR's State Natural Areas Program is comprised of lands owned by the state, private conservation organizations, municipalities, other governmental agencies, educational institutions, and private individuals. Therefore, while the majority of SNAs are open to the public, access may vary accordingly. Public use restrictions may apply due to public safety, or to protect endangered or threatened species or unique natural features. Lands may be temporarily closed due to specific management activities. Users are encouraged to contact the land owner for more specific details.

The data shown on these maps have been obtained from various sources, and are of varying age, reliability, and resolution. The data may contain errors or omissions and should not be interpreted as a legal representation of legal ownership boundaries.

• Detailed Map [PDF, 291 KB]

Activities

Please come prepared for your visit. Amenities vary from site to site with most SNAs being primitive and without facilities. See Guidelines for Visitation for details.

Allowable Activities

Most DNR-owned SNAs allow:

• Hiking
• Hunting
• Fishing
• Trapping
• Skiing

Some exceptions apply. Properties closed to the public or closed to specific use, such as hunting, will be posted.

***For non-DNR-owned SNAs: Additional use guidelines may apply. Please verify any use restrictions with the landowner or contact the SNA Program. Landowners may require additional permits or restrict the number of hunters at a given SNA to provide a quality hunting experience. SNA landowners can be found at the bottom of each SNA description page.

Prohibited Activities

• Horseback riding
• Rock climbing
• Vehicles, including bicycles, ATVs, aircraft, and snowmobiles except on trails and roadways designated for their use
• Collecting of plants (including fruits, nuts, or edible plant parts), animals, fungi, rocks, minerals, fossils, archaeological artifacts, soil, downed wood, or any other natural material, alive or dead

Please note that a permit is required for scientific collection and research on State Natural Areas. For more information, contact Thomas Meyer, State Natural Areas Program Specialist.

For more information on rules governing state-owned SNAs and other state lands, please consult Wisconsin's Administrative Code Chapter NR 45 (exit DNR)