Find your favorite place
Whether you’re into birding, hiking, kayaking, or just being in nature, there’s a CCLC preserve for you.
Our preserves:
Joas Park Nature Preserve
Hidden in the heart of Chippewa Falls, well-maintained trails meander through this 52-acre preserve. Beautiful in every season, it includes an upland prairie terrace, lowland forest with old-growth trees, a creek with stone outcroppings, and a pond. Hunting is NOT permitted.
Location: 300 Old Eau Claire Road, Chippewa Falls, WI. Park along the road. Follow the marked trail 1/2 mile until you reach a park sign.
44.913858°, -91.409621°
Otter Lake Esker Preserve
Small but mighty, this 13-acre preserve has a maintained trail through a meadow that leads to an esker (or glacial ridge). The trail ends at Otter Lake, and there’s easy blackberry picking in season. This preserve will become part of the Ice Age Trail in the future. Check out the nearby Lake Eleven Segment of the Ice Age Trail too.
Location: 14233 360th St., Stanley, WI. Park in the gravel parking lot.
45.049127°, -90.943970°
Boyd Park Nature Preserve
A new, short trail zigzags through this 24-acre native wooded parcel near Lake Wissota. This preserve is especially showy in autumn, but please be aware that bowhunting is allowed here during hunting season. Up for more hiking? Check out nearby trails at Pine Harbor Woods Park and Lake Wissota State Park.
Location: 7780 185th St., Chippewa Falls, WI. Park alongside the road.
44.956084°, -91.296992°
Kemper Woods
Explore sunlit trails swirling through upland woods and young pines in this 80-acre preserve. As the site of over 50 years of continuous bird banding records, it’s perfect for birdwatching.
CCLC acquired this property and it is now owned by Chippewa County/WDNR (part of the 630-acre Hallie Marsh Wildlife Area). Learn more about the history of this property on our blog.
Location: 15459 50th Ave., Lake Hallie, WI. Park in the gravel parking lot.
44.915266°, -91.358811°
Krank Nature Preserve
In our largest preserve (598 acres), unmaintained trails wind through upland mesic forests, tamarack bogs, alder thickets, and sedge meadows. The preserve is next to the Chippewa River Segment of the Ice Age Trail and across the river from lush Brunet Island State Park.
Location: 23200 Highway CC, Cornell, WI. Park in the gravel driveway with a gate on the west side of the road (south of the Ice Age Trail parking). Walk up the driveway. The trail is on the right, before a shed on the left.
45.180575°, -91.178652°
Huettner Preserve
67 acres of upland oak woods to the west and floodplain lowlands valleys and a creek to the east. The trails are unmaintained. Hunting is NOT permitted.
Location: 5125 199th St, Chippewa Falls, WI. Park halfway down the road, near the CCLC sign. The sign marks an upland oak woods trail along the pipeline corridor. Across the road is the unmarked Paint Creek trailhead, into the woods and down a hill.
44.915363°, -91.270042°
Polder Preserve
This unique aquatic preserve consists of 40 acres of lake and peat moss bog on Larrabee Lake, near Long Lake. This preserve doesn’t contain trails, but it’s perfect for canoeing or kayaking.
Location: Use Landmark Conservancy’s canoe landing at 27745 State Highway 40, New Auburn, WI, west of Polder Preserve.
45.245136°, -91.429499°
Hicks Wildlife and Nature Preserve
A crystal-clear stream runs through a wooded valley and pours into Lake Wissota in our newest preserve. We’re building trails through this 13-acre wooded oasis for spectacular views from the bluffs that surround the lush valley. Hunting is NOT permitted.
Location: Appx. 17500 120th Ave, Chippewa Falls, WI. Park in the cul-de-sac and walk west into the woods.
Remember to leave no trace
Plan ahead
Stay on trails, where available
Dispose of waste properly
Camping and motorized vehicles are not allowed
Hunting on Chippewa County Land Conservancy Properties
As a non-profit organization, the Chippewa County Land Conservancy (CCLC) balances public use on its properties with the protection of natural resources. Many of the properties are open to public hunting and other outdoor uses. The following rules apply to properties owned by the CCLC:
Where hunting is permitted it must be conducted in accordance with the regulations of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and of local municipalities.
No wildlife, game or trail cameras are allowed without written permission from the CCLC.
All hunting stands, blinds and structures are for day-use only, and must be removed each day. Devices must not cause damage to trees. The use of screws, spikes, nails or other items that penetrate the bark of trees is prohibited. All structures must be labeled with the name and contact information of the owner. Failure to abide by these rules will result in structures being removed by CCLC.
Foot traffic only, no motorized vehicles of any kind.
No cutting of trees, limbs, brush or vegetation.
No hunting is allowed within 30 feet of the center of a CCLC maintained trail or within 300 feet of the center of the Ice Age Trail.
All dogs, hunting and non-hunting, must be under the control of the owner. Pet waste is to be cleaned up and removed from all trails, parking lots, or other areas of intensive public use.
Any items, including litter, hunting supplies or accessories, taken onto a property shall be removed when a visitor leaves the property.
