Hiking the Niagara Escarpment on National Trails Day: Oakfield Ledges SNA

August 1, 2023  |  Topics: Places

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By Eddee Daniel

How much do you know about the Niagara Escarpment? Like most people in the US, I’ve known about its most famous outcropping, Niagara Falls, for most of my life—I’ve even visited there more than once, most recently just last year. But there is much more to the escarpment than that signature highlight. The escarpment is a 1,000-mile long, 430-million-year-old geologic formation, extending in an arc from New York around the upper edges of four of the Great Lakes and down into Wisconsin along the southern edge of Green Bay. Visitors to Door County get one of the best views of the exposed edges of the escarpment, which forms the cliffs facing out towards Green Bay.

From Door County the escarpment continues south through eastern Wisconsin with only occasional exposed cliffs that gradually diminish in size until they disappear underground altogether at a site in the Southern Kettle Moraine called Brady’s Rocks. The Eagle Segment of the Ice Age Trail winds through Brady’s Rocks. Another of the outcroppings of the Niagara Escarpment, the Oakfield Ledge State Natural Area in Fond du Lac County, is the subject of this photo essay.

I joined a tour of the Oakfield Ledge State Natural Area that was organized by the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network and led by State Geologist Ken Bradbury. Here is the information they provided to us about the State Natural Area:

“Oakfield Ledge is one of the most significant exposures of the Niagara Escarpment in Wisconsin. Located along Horicon Marsh, the hard, erosion resistant Niagara dolomite walls form a series of prominent rock cliffs 40′ high—what locals call “the ledge.” Deep crevices have formed along fractures in the bedrock. The vegetation of the shaded cliff and boulder strewn steep slope is the most undisturbed and consists of basswood, sugar maple, slippery elm, rock elm, mountain maple, and shagbark hickory. Groundcover includes extensive patches of Canada yew and the shaded cliffs provide habitat for walking, cliff brake, and fragile ferns. Spring seeps provide a moist forest floor habitat for interrupted fern, wild sarsaparilla and pale-flowered leafcup. A diverse snail fauna inhabits the base of the ledge. Oakfield Ledge is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1983.” (Source: WDNR)

By the way, it has to be said, if you do go to this or any of the escarpment parks, be very careful at the edge! Footing can be treacherous and 40 feet is a long way to fall. Coincidentally, we learned after our tour of Oakfield Ledge that someone actually did fall off at a 15-foot height the day before, sustaining serious injuries. Watch your step!

For more information about Oakfield Ledge State Natural Area go to the DNR website.

For more information about the Niagara Escarpment in Wisconsin go to the WI Ledge website.

Related stories:

Maquoketa: Reaching Deep into the Niagara

Hawthorn Glen: A Hidden Gem Awaiting Discovery

The spectacular view from the Ledge!

Note: The tour described in this story took place in June, 2022. All photographs were taken during that tour. All are mine except as noted. Andy Holman was also on the tour that day. ~ Eddee

Eddee Daniel is a board member of Preserve Our Parks.

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