I can only assume that Axl Rose was a budding outdoorsist when he whined the words “Where do we go now?” * We have a need and a desire to be outdoors, and we try to appreciate our surroundings as well as our Nature Snacks, but other times a bigger immersion in nature is needed. This provides chance to separate ourselves from our daily lives and experience the restorative properties of nature. But how do you find such a place?
In the United States we have a vast array of publicly available land for outdoor recreation. However, often only the extremes of public land come to mind, limiting our thoughts to local parks or National Parks. However, local parks often can’t provide an extensive nature experience while few people live close enough to a National Park to visit without a great deal of planning. In between these two extremes there are lots of opportunities to find a location to experience an immersion in nature. On a national level, our National Forests operated by the USDA Forest Service provide expansive tracts of land. While some restrictions apply, National Forests are generally open for public use, including LNT dispersed camping.
If you are in the Western United States, then Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land is a great resource too. Nearly all of the BLM land is West of the Mississippi, although some small areas in the Eastern US as well. Recreational uses are permitted, including LNT dispersed camping.
Here in Wisconsin there are lots of opportunities for recreation on public land. Wisconsin has the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest which offers over 1.5 M acres of forest in Northern Wisconsin.
Many of the islands in the Wisconsin River are BLM lands. Wisconsin also can lay claim to two National Scenic Trails – the Ice Age Trail and a portion of the North Country Trail.
Wisconsin also has many State Parks, Forests and Natural Areas. State Parks are spread across the state, making them accessible. State Parks also have facilities and amenities like bathrooms, picnic shelters, campsites, and trails that can make them more accessible for visitors. State Forests are generally less developed but also have fewer restrictions on how they can be used, and the permits needed to use the State Forests. Finally, State Natural Areas often have little in the way of development and have more restrictions on use, but do protect over 400 ecologically significant areas.
All of Wisconsin’s public lands can be searched in the following interactive map.
https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/H5/?Viewer=Public_Access_Lands
A much lesser known resource for publicly accessible land for natural recreation are Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Land (MFL) and the related Forest Crop Land (FCL). In the MFL and FCL programs, landowners commit to managing their forested land in an undeveloped and sustainable manner through a 25 or 50 year plan developed by a licensed forester. In exchange, landowners get a break off of their property taxes for this undeveloped land. However, if landowners additionally agree to make their land open for public recreational use (on foot), their property taxes are reduced by 90%. This can be an attractive incentive to landowners and a benefit for outdoor recreation.
No further permission is required by the landowner to use the property for allowable activities – hunting, fishing, hiking, sight-seeing, and cross-country skiing. You do need to make an effort to not damage the trees and if an access point to the land has been designated, you should follow this landowner request.
Wisconsin’s publicly accessible MFL and FCL land can be found using the following interactive map.
https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/opfl/
Where will your next adventure be?
* “Sweet Child O’ Mine” Appetite for Destruction Guns N’ Roses (1987)
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