Explore the Door Hike 

Oak Road Nature Preserve

Geology, wetlands and restoration hike

Join our hike leaders and see first-hand the land restoration efforts that have been taking place at the Oak Road Nature Preserve since 2006.  The latest restoration project was the establishment of a berm designed to retain melting snow and rain, creating a perfect wetland habitat for birds.

WHEN:  Saturday, April 12, 10am to noon.  Hikes begin promptly, so please be on time.

WHO:  Free and open to the public

WHAT:  90-120 minute hike with stops along the trails

WHERE:  Oak Road Nature Preserve.  Meet at the preserve entrance located at 6391 Oak Road, near the intersection of Sunny Slope Road, just east of Carlsville

REGISTER:  Click the "Register Now!" button below.  Attendance is free.  Registration is limited to 24 participants and spaces fill quickly, so please register early.  If you are unable to attend, please call us so we may offer the opportunity to another hiker.  Call us at (920) 746-1359.

WHAT TO BRING & WEAR:  Please dress for the changing weather.  Waterproof shoes and a walking stick may be helpful.

Register Now!

If registration fills, please sign up for our waiting list.  Add your name to the Waiting List.

An excerpt from A Guide to the Places We Protect: Highlights of 25 Years of Preserving Door County's Finest Open Spaces and Wild Places:

Oak Road Nature Preserve

The Oak Road Nature Preserve is situated northeast of Carlsville where Sunnyslope and Oak Roads converge in a picturesque valley. Included in the preserve are rolling hills, fields bordered by woodlands, and views of an occasional barn and farm house, but the

major feature of the preserve is an extensive vernal wetland. Each spring it fills with water and becomes an annual stopping point for migrating waterfowl and breeding amphibians. When the marsh fills with water, spring peepers (frogs) are so abundant and loud that neighbors find it hard to sleep at night, resulting in the local name “Frog Town.” Water from this marsh drains west off the preserve into nearby Plum Bottom, and from there down the escarpment bluff and eventually into Green Bay. The Oak Road Nature Preserve was once the farmstead of August and Lillian Gabert. The Gaberts raised their 12 children here, tended an orchard, milked cows, and worked the land. Today, it is the site of a major ecological restoration project. In an effort to enhance the preserve’s wetland ecosystem, the Land Trust has planted tens of thousands of oaks, pines and shrubs and established a 30-acre prairie.