Bubolz Gordon Nature Preserve

Beautiful and quiet. Has an extensive network of well maintained trails. Lots of birds around. Little gazebos scattered here and there provide shelter when the sky opens up as it so often does in Wisconsin.

I grew up in Appleton and in the Appleton Girl Scouts and Bubolz was a place I had been too many times in my life. And now my nieces attend an environmental charter school and also spend a lot of educational time at the nature preserve. When I was younger my sisters and I were all graduating from different schools and we had a combined family graduation party there. We rented one of the cabins and it had a fire pit outside. So we used the cabin as the food hub and plenty of lawn chairs to sit outside. The most recent trip was to get a family picture taken for my mom for Christmas. If you enjoy bird watching it is a great place and if you want some quiet serenity to walk and think the trails are a delightful option. Plus you are surrounded by nature!

This place is most reminiscent of other quality wetland habitats that I have been to in the state of WI. I hit the trails in winter, with mostly ice on the trails. Slowly, I could see the biodiversity and the welcome to nature that the area has to offer. Wide paths, really a luxury. At the nature center, which is covered with plants, stocked full of most imaginable stuffed animals from the area, I was greeted by knowledgeable staff. As a newcomer to the area, it was good to see the signs indicating the entrance, along Lynndale, along the way. Many events. This is where I can find Marsh Marigolds, my sign of spring.

A perfect, sunny brisk morning in snow covered Appleton brought me to Bubolz Nature Preserve to try out my ski legs. See, usually I like to take advantage of gravity while skiing and zip through the slopes vertically. But hey, we’re talking Wisco here and anyone who has skied out west is spoiled in regards to the downhill type. Enough complaining, I glided at a brisk pace cross country style (classic) through the beautiful Bubolz nature preserve, got a workout, and had a blast doing it!
The Nature Preserve rentals are run strictly by volunteers, which all were very friendly and eager to help. My friends and I rented skis, boots, and poles for $ 15 per person. The equipment looked and felt pretty new. The boots were fleece lined and warm. A volunteer handed us a map on the way out and off we were on our adventure!
Our group glided around the Wilderness Trail, which took a little over 2 hours including a couple picture ops. There were already ski tracks present, making classic skiing a lot easier. I could count the number of other skiers we passed on one hand; the bulk of the time it was peace and quiet with no one in ear shot. The scenery on the trail is gorgeous, bringing you through wooded areas, around a pond, and across a large field. The preserve snips the large branches that overhang the trails preventing a lot of skiers from doing the limbo.
I would HIGHLY recommend checking out Bubolz on a beautiful day. If you can walk, you can cross country ski and if not snow shoeing is also an option. FYI $ 1 is tacked on to credit card users.

I love this place. Granted I haven’t explored it nearly as much as some people, but every time I’m here I get a good dose of nature and peace and quiet. Perfect!
There is a small nature center with info on Wisconsin animals and plants. The day we visited we saw their birdfeeders busy with at least 6 different species of birds from chickadees and a purple finch to a very persistent woodpecker and a couple others I couldn’t identify.
Lots of trails and different habitats make up the center. It’s a great place for a little peace and quiet.

I like this place… nice nature center… helpful information about local WI plants and animals. Variety of trail ecosystems/​types/​lengths to walk through. My favorite is the White Tail trail… but it all depends on the season.
Though I haven’t taken any, the variety of classes seems really cool.

They rent ski’s and shoeshoes in the winter, and have a wonderful maple sap program in the Spring.