Kettle Hole LbNA #11554 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Puddlejumpers  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Oct 2, 2004 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Madison |
| County: | Dane |
| State: | Wisconsin |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Verona Bird Patrol |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Aug 13, 2006 |
| Status: | FFFFFOFFFa |
| Last edited: | Oct 2, 2004 |
****NOTE****Our Kettle Hole box is confirmed missing as of 3/30/07 and will not be replaced.
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This is an easy hike on flat terrain and should take just under an hour. Pets are prohibited. This hike involves going through the underpass that can get muddy at times. We recommend old shoes and a flashlight after it has rained. For those who want a shorter, less adventurous hike, read through the clues and you can find a more direct and shorter hike. Our kids, ages 6, 9 and 11 highly recommend the longer hike, something about kids, mud, a tunnel, flashlights, lions, tigers and bears!
First a little tidbit of information. Within the University of Wisconsin Arboretum we can see effects of glaciers on the landscape. This letterbox hike will take you to an interesting glacier effect called a Kettle Hole. The Kettle Hole that you will see was formed when a house-sized piece of glacier ice broke off and was buried by glacier till. When the chunk of ice melted this hole was left behind.
Start your hike in the Visitor Center parking lot. There are two ways to enter the Arboretum and access the Visitor Center parking lot by vehicle. One way is the South Mills entrance near the Vilas Zoo and the other is the Seminole Hwy. entrance. Either way will lead you to the Visitor Center parking Lots. For folks unfamiliar with Madison, we recommend taking the Seminole Hwy. exit north off the South Beltline Hwy 12-18. Seminole Hwy. will curve down around a hill and you will see the Arborteum entrance on your right. Proceed to the Visitor Center Parking lot. We recommend that you pick up an Arboretum map in the Visitor center if it is open. The Visitor Center reception area is open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 12:30 to 4 p.m. on weekends, excluding holidays.
Head to the Southwest end of the parking lot that you would access if you came in from the Seminole Hwy entrance and start your hike at Margaret's Council Ring on the north edge of Curtis Prairie. You can find a path to Margaret's Council Ring at the very southwest corner of the parking lot. You do not need to walk down the drive at all and only need to stay within the parking lot perimeter to find the path leading to Margaret's Council Ring. Follow this path until it connects with a trail and turn to the right so that you begin to walk West and Southwest along the edge of Curtis Prairie. Stay on this trail for a distance. You will see other trails going off to your left into the Prairie, but you need to stay on the path you started on until you come to the edge of the Leopold Pines Woods. This trail parallels Arboretum Drive. Note: You may notice a sign to your left pointing you South into the Prairie to access Leopold Pines and another arrow pointing you toward the direction you are going to get to Noe Woods. This may be confusing, but actually, Noe Woods is on the west side of the Leopold Pines and both trails will take you to the edge of Leopold Pines. Just be sure to stay on the trail you started on when you left Margaret's Council Ring. You will know you are in the right trail when you pass Joseph W. Jackson's Oak on your left, just before you see a sign that says Pine Forest Improvement and a trail going to the left and a trail going straight into the woods. You need to take the trail to your left. Follow this trail along the edge of the Pines and look for a trail on your right going into the woods with a C4 marker post, painted white. Take this trail to where it soon splits at marker post D8. Go left at D8 and another left at D7. Follow this path to the entrance of the underpass. The underpass can be muddy at times and a flashlight is not a bad idea. You can see the end of the underpass tunnel easily, but a flashlight helps to see where the mud might be the most troublesome.
Follow the tunnel to the other side. You are now on the Arboretum Grady Tract. Take the path to the right and you will shortly meet up with a trail where you also must go right. At this point you are on the "T" trail. Follow the "T" trail to the west past T5, T4, and T3 marker posts that all mark trails going south into the Evjue Pines. The trail narrows slightly as you progress west. The next trail you are looking for is T2 and unfortunately we could not find a marker post for T2. You will know that it is the next narrow foot path to your left after the T3 trail. If you should happen to pass the T2 trail, you will find T1 marks the beginning of the trail at the Grady Tract parking lot Trail Head. Those who want a short hike could start their hike there, but you miss out on much of the fun of the hike.
Once you are on T2 going south, you will find it to be a narrow foot path winding through the woods. We spooked a group of about 6 deer when we walked the trail the first time. Just before the path tees with another trail, you will see the Kettle Hole on your right. It is the kind of thing from which Paul Bunyan legends are made! Go to where the trail tees at marker U2. Follow the "U" trail left about 5 paces, stop and turn to your left. Spot a tall tree stump about 5 paces from the trail. You will find our letterbox inside the tall tree stump. Stamp in and hide well, making sure the box is down out of sight, but not pushed down so far that the next visitor can't pull it out again. It would be great if you noted in the log book whether you came by way of the tunnel or not.
Once you are finished, you can retrace your steps or continue to the left on the "U" trail. After a short distance, you will come to a 3 way split on the trail. Take the trail on your left. This is still the "U" trail and will lead you back to the "T" trail at T5 where you will need to turn right and then left at T6. Here you will find yourself back at the tunnel entrance where you can retrace your steps back to your vehicle.
Thanks for "joining us" on a great hike!
The Puddlejumpers
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This is an easy hike on flat terrain and should take just under an hour. Pets are prohibited. This hike involves going through the underpass that can get muddy at times. We recommend old shoes and a flashlight after it has rained. For those who want a shorter, less adventurous hike, read through the clues and you can find a more direct and shorter hike. Our kids, ages 6, 9 and 11 highly recommend the longer hike, something about kids, mud, a tunnel, flashlights, lions, tigers and bears!
First a little tidbit of information. Within the University of Wisconsin Arboretum we can see effects of glaciers on the landscape. This letterbox hike will take you to an interesting glacier effect called a Kettle Hole. The Kettle Hole that you will see was formed when a house-sized piece of glacier ice broke off and was buried by glacier till. When the chunk of ice melted this hole was left behind.
Start your hike in the Visitor Center parking lot. There are two ways to enter the Arboretum and access the Visitor Center parking lot by vehicle. One way is the South Mills entrance near the Vilas Zoo and the other is the Seminole Hwy. entrance. Either way will lead you to the Visitor Center parking Lots. For folks unfamiliar with Madison, we recommend taking the Seminole Hwy. exit north off the South Beltline Hwy 12-18. Seminole Hwy. will curve down around a hill and you will see the Arborteum entrance on your right. Proceed to the Visitor Center Parking lot. We recommend that you pick up an Arboretum map in the Visitor center if it is open. The Visitor Center reception area is open weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and 12:30 to 4 p.m. on weekends, excluding holidays.
Head to the Southwest end of the parking lot that you would access if you came in from the Seminole Hwy entrance and start your hike at Margaret's Council Ring on the north edge of Curtis Prairie. You can find a path to Margaret's Council Ring at the very southwest corner of the parking lot. You do not need to walk down the drive at all and only need to stay within the parking lot perimeter to find the path leading to Margaret's Council Ring. Follow this path until it connects with a trail and turn to the right so that you begin to walk West and Southwest along the edge of Curtis Prairie. Stay on this trail for a distance. You will see other trails going off to your left into the Prairie, but you need to stay on the path you started on until you come to the edge of the Leopold Pines Woods. This trail parallels Arboretum Drive. Note: You may notice a sign to your left pointing you South into the Prairie to access Leopold Pines and another arrow pointing you toward the direction you are going to get to Noe Woods. This may be confusing, but actually, Noe Woods is on the west side of the Leopold Pines and both trails will take you to the edge of Leopold Pines. Just be sure to stay on the trail you started on when you left Margaret's Council Ring. You will know you are in the right trail when you pass Joseph W. Jackson's Oak on your left, just before you see a sign that says Pine Forest Improvement and a trail going to the left and a trail going straight into the woods. You need to take the trail to your left. Follow this trail along the edge of the Pines and look for a trail on your right going into the woods with a C4 marker post, painted white. Take this trail to where it soon splits at marker post D8. Go left at D8 and another left at D7. Follow this path to the entrance of the underpass. The underpass can be muddy at times and a flashlight is not a bad idea. You can see the end of the underpass tunnel easily, but a flashlight helps to see where the mud might be the most troublesome.
Follow the tunnel to the other side. You are now on the Arboretum Grady Tract. Take the path to the right and you will shortly meet up with a trail where you also must go right. At this point you are on the "T" trail. Follow the "T" trail to the west past T5, T4, and T3 marker posts that all mark trails going south into the Evjue Pines. The trail narrows slightly as you progress west. The next trail you are looking for is T2 and unfortunately we could not find a marker post for T2. You will know that it is the next narrow foot path to your left after the T3 trail. If you should happen to pass the T2 trail, you will find T1 marks the beginning of the trail at the Grady Tract parking lot Trail Head. Those who want a short hike could start their hike there, but you miss out on much of the fun of the hike.
Once you are on T2 going south, you will find it to be a narrow foot path winding through the woods. We spooked a group of about 6 deer when we walked the trail the first time. Just before the path tees with another trail, you will see the Kettle Hole on your right. It is the kind of thing from which Paul Bunyan legends are made! Go to where the trail tees at marker U2. Follow the "U" trail left about 5 paces, stop and turn to your left. Spot a tall tree stump about 5 paces from the trail. You will find our letterbox inside the tall tree stump. Stamp in and hide well, making sure the box is down out of sight, but not pushed down so far that the next visitor can't pull it out again. It would be great if you noted in the log book whether you came by way of the tunnel or not.
Once you are finished, you can retrace your steps or continue to the left on the "U" trail. After a short distance, you will come to a 3 way split on the trail. Take the trail on your left. This is still the "U" trail and will lead you back to the "T" trail at T5 where you will need to turn right and then left at T6. Here you will find yourself back at the tunnel entrance where you can retrace your steps back to your vehicle.
Thanks for "joining us" on a great hike!
The Puddlejumpers