Bloomfield Prairie

Bloomfield Prairie's 400+ acres demonstrate the importance of partnerships in conservation. Owned by Iowa County, the land is co-managed by Driftless Area Land Conservancy, Iowa County Recreation and Prairie Restoration, and Iowa County Land and Water Conservation. The gorgeous, colorful prairie isn’t the only draw to this property – there’s also a fishing pond and a picnic shelter!

Quick Facts

Dodgeville, WI
400+ acres
Approximately 7 miles of mowed burn breaks that serve as hiking trails
Restored prairie, converted from cornfields into the diversity you see today
Picnic shelter
Fishing pond with pier
Hunting and trapping permitted

Getting Here

Bloomfield Prairie is located west of Dodgeville on County Farm Road (which sometimes shows up on maps as County Highway CH). There is one entrance at 3151 County Farm Road, by a red barn. There is another entrance half a mile west of the barn at 3031 County Farm Road, down a long gravel drive.

Parking

There are parking areas at both entrances. The parking area by the east entrance is by the red barn, and the parking area at the west entrance is at the end of the access road into the preserve, next to the picnic shelter.

Trails and Other Features

The mowed burn breaks throughout the property are open for recreational use like hiking and snowshoeing outside of active prescribed burn windows. The pond has a large fishing pier. The picnic shelter includes a number of tables and is first come, first serve.

Accessibility Considerations

The parking lots are made of crushed gravel, and are fairly large but do not have defined accessible spaces. The trails consist of mowed burn breaks and the grass may be thick, tall, and/or uneven.

A picnic shelter and porta-potty are available at the west entrance. The fishing pier is large, but not wheelchair accessible. We hope to see additional accessibility improvements in the future.

What Will You Find Here?

Bloomfield Prairie is a prime example of what restored agricultural land can look like. The 400+ acres of highly functioning grassland habitat is divided by Laxey Creek, a Class 1 trout stream. Bobolink, Dickcissel, Upland Sandpiper, and Eastern Meadowlark are just a few of the grassland-dependent bird species you can find while hiking the prairie. Visits throughout the growing season will reveal an ever-shifting mosaic of prairie flowers, each seemingly more unique than the last.

Preserve Rules

Bloomfield Prairie is owned by Iowa County. Please consult this ordinance for prohibited activities at the site.

This land has been owned by Iowa County since 1885. For most of that time, it was rented to farmers to provide income to the adjacent Bloomfield Manor healthcare facility. In 1988, the county enrolled the property in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), planting prairie in the worn-out farmland. In 1998, when the CRP was about to expire, a group of citizens who wanted to see the land remain in prairie came together to form Iowa County Recreation & Prairie Restoration. They cared for the prairie for 20 more years and made many improvements, including the fishing pier, before DALC also joined the partnership in 2018.

The sign welcoming the public to Bloomfield Prairie.

Several yellow coneflowers in the foreground with prairie grass and other flowers in the background.

A snow-covered field with blue shadows carved by the wind. There are a few scattered trees on the horizon.

A person carrying a butterfly net walking across a prairie landscape.

A group of four students stand together with their backs to the camera, looking at plants in a brown autumn prairie.

A rolling prairie landscape with dry, golden grass in the foreground and a long stripe of black, burned ground in the distance.

A large bumblebee flying above purple monarda flowers, with a hand holding the flowers still.