Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program
Frog Lake And Pines (No. 187)

Overview

Location

Within the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest, Iron County. T42N-R4E, Sections 8, 9, 16, 17. 1,176 acres.

Access

From Manitowish, go south on Highway 182/47 0.6 mile to a parking area on the west side of the road. Walk west along an access lane into the area. Taking the south fork leads to the lake and the largest pines.

Description

Description

Frog Lake and Pines features an undisturbed wilderness lake surrounded by old-growth northern dry-mesic forest in a large lowland bordering the Manitowish River. The 42-acre lake is a deep, soft seepage lake with a dense community of submergent aquatic vegetation including white and yellow pond-lilies and three rare plants --purple bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea), small purple bladderwort (Utricularia resupinata), and Robbin's spike-rush (Eleocharis robbinsii). Wetlands predominate along the shoreline with bog, sedge meadow, and lowland conifer-hardwood swamp. The bog has an abundance of leather-leaf and Laborador-tea with numerous scattered small trees, sedges, and other ericaceous species. The low conifer-hardwood swamp contains species such as white and black spruce, tamarack, thimbleberry, and three-leaved gold-thread. The remaining shoreline is upland forest consisting primarily of red and white pines some that are more than 2 feet in diameter with other trees including white birch, aspen, red maple, and balsam fir. The understory varies in shrub density from a thicket of hazelnut to a fairly open understory with bracken fern, bunchberry, wild sarsaparilla, American starflower, rough-leaved rice grass, and Canada mayflower. Swainson's thrush (Catharus ustulatus) and blackburnian warbler nest here and migrating waterfowl make extensive use of the lake. Frog Lake and Pines is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1983.

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, 255 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)