Oak Road Nature Preserve

The Oak Road Nature Preserve sits in a picturesque valley northeast of Carlsville, where Sunnyslope and Oak Roads converge among rolling hills, fields edged by woodland, and the occasional glimpse of a barn or farmhouse. But the heart of the preserve is its extensive vernal wetland — a 40-acre basin that fills with water each spring and transforms into one of southern Door County’s most alive places.

When the marsh fills, spring peepers arrive in such numbers that their chorus carries for miles. Neighbors find it hard to sleep. Locals have a name for it: Frog Town. Water from the marsh drains west off the preserve into nearby Plum Bottom, and from there down the escarpment bluff and eventually into Green Bay — connecting this small valley to the larger watershed.

This land was once the farmstead of August and Lillian Gabert, who raised 12 children here, tended an orchard, milked cows, and worked the fields. Today it is the site of a major ecological restoration. The Land Trust has planted tens of thousands of oaks, pines, and shrubs across more than 100 acres of former farm fields, and established a 30-acre native prairie — returning this working landscape to something wilder, one season at a time.

Trails

1.75 miles of looped trail traverse level terrain throughout the preserve, leading to an elevated viewing platform overlooking the wetland complex.

Viewing Platform

The platform provides an excellent vantage point for observing wetland wildlife — especially during spring and fall migrations, when sandhill cranes, a diversity of duck species, and other waterfowl stop to rest and feed in the marsh below.