Horicon Marsh

Horicon Marsh (see information under the slide show)

The Horicon Marsh is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance as both a globally and state-important bird area. It is also a unit of the Ice Age Scientific Reserve and is the largest freshwater cattail marsh in the United States, measuring over 32,000 acres. It provides habitat for endangered species and migrating Canada geese and ducks, which often number more than 200,000.

Nature observation has grown throughout the years and people are fascinated and want to be educated about wildlife.

Birds are the attraction to the area.

The Horicon Marsh is a shallow peat-filled lakebed gouged out by the Wisconsin Glacier about 12,000 years ago and is located on the west branch of the Rock River in Fond du Lac and Dodge Counties.

The Northern 2/3 of the marsh is federally owned and known as the Horicon National Wildlife Refuge.
The southern 1/3, known as the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area, is controlled by the DNR. The area to the north of Highway 49 is in the Town of Oakfield.

The marsh is available for:

  • hiking,
  • fishing,
  • wildlife viewing,
  • canoeing,
  • etc.

There are numerous marked trails and visitor centers.

One of the main attributes of the wetland is its ability to filter water as it seeps through the porous soil down to the aquifer from where we get our drinking water.