Sardeson Forest Preserve

Getting Here

Sardeson Preserve is located on the western edge of Mineral Point, adjacent to the Cowboy Church. From downtown, take WI-39 W to Betty Lane and turn left. You can see the preserve's location in Google Maps here.

Parking

The parking area is located up a short drive beside the sign to the preserve. Please note that the parking area is still being designed and seeded after a large amount of limestone building material was recently cleared. Feel free to park there, but expect to see some changes in the future!

Trails and Other Features

Sardeson Forest Preserve features a trail system consisting of one small loop in the northern section of the property (approximate .25 miles) and a longer loop that circles the entire property (approximately 1 mile). The longer loop trail is currently closed below the stream bed crossing. The stream banks have suffered severe erosion from urban runoff and are becoming increasingly unstable. We are working to find a solution to this issue.

About 10 yards beyond the kiosk and the entrance to the trail, to the south, there is an outcropping known as Roland’s Rock that offers beautiful views of the valley below and the hills beyond, especially when there are no leaves on the trees.

Accessibility

The parking lot is spacious but has some uneven terrain. The trails are steep and rocky in places. Hiking poles may be helpful for balancing. The trail to Roland’s Rock is short and relatively flat, and offers a lovely overlook of the valley and horizon. In the future, we hope to add picnic tables in the prairie just off the parking lot.

Volunteer!

Volunteer workdays are the first and third Sundays of each month, from 10am-2pm. Anyone interested in volunteering should visit our Volunteering page or contact our Land Management Specialist Zach Pacana (zachary@driftlessconservancy.org).

What Will You Find Here?

It’s worth the hike down to gaze up at the towering sandstone bluffs. They serve as a boundary – that above, that on, and that below. Take a closer look around you as you hike the path. On top of the rock bluff are different trees, shrubs, and plants than you will see below. On the cliff face itself, there are unique plants and other life forms that live their life quietly and SLOWLY growing. Some, like the lichens, are so slow that we don’t notice them until they are decades old! 

These trails join at the base of the hill. From that location, the trail travels along the bottom of the sandstone bluff where you will be immersed in the sights, sounds, and colors of the lower valley of the Pecatonica River. In spring, peepers and other frogs are calling, and the flush of skunk cabbage and ephemeral wildflowers proclaim that winter is over. Through summer and into fall, sedge meadows and valley floodplain communities come alive with rushes, sedges, and flowers boasting their presence. In winter, snow transforms this landscape into softer hues, punctuated with dark lines of running water.

Preserve Rules

• Preserve hours are dawn to dusk. Camping and building campfires are not allowed.

• Foot traffic only. The trails are designed for hiking and snowshoeing. Horseback riding, bicycles, and motorized equipment are not permitted on the preserve.

• Stay on the trails. Hiking off-trail disturbs vegetation and wildlife, and increases your chances of encountering natural hazards or trespassing outside of preserve boundaries.

• Keep dogs on a leash at all times. Off-leash dogs can stress, injure, or kill wildlife, and may create an unpleasant experience for other visitors.

• Harvesting plants is not allowed. Restoration work is ongoing on this preserve, and populations of native plants are small. We hope to open this site to foraging in the future, but for now, please leave native plants so their populations can grow.

• Leave no trace. Carry out everything that you carry in, including garbage and pet waste.

• No hunting or trapping. This preserve is located within the city limits of Mineral Point, so per city regulations, hunting and trapping are not allowed.

This beautiful hillside came to Driftless Area Land Conservancy in 2016 from long-time Mineral Point resident Roland Sardeson. Roland was to many the embodiment of Mineral Point: he was creative, adventurous, and loved his community.

“It was 1976 when I met Roland, he was skateboarding down Commerce Street,” shared Bruce Howdle, Roland’s longtime friend and neighbor. “Roland loved this part of the state, he grew up near here, he knew its history and ecology, and he understood the value of conserving land.”

In the fall of 2016, Roland called DALC and asked that we visit him on his land. We saw immediately that this is a special piece of the Driftless, with prairie, towering rock outcrops, and views to the west overlooking a valley bottom with a sparkling meandering stream. 

During the visit with Roland, he mentioned that he was having some health challenges. Little did we know at the time, Roland was terminally ill and making plans for what to do with his land. Within weeks of our visit, Roland passed away.  He was facing his own mortality and yet had the vision and compassion to think beyond himself. In his will, Roland donated his 12-acre property to Driftless Area Land Conservancy. We’re honored that he chose to entrust us with his land legacy.

Along with many friends of Roland, we hosted a trail-opening ceremony in 2022 with a poetry hike to honor his artistic spirit. You can read more in our 2022 summer-fall newsletter here, on page 4.

Poet Erin Schneider wrote a piece inspired by Sardeson Preserve for the Writing the Land project. You can read that poem, "Outcrops," here.