Woodland Dunes Nature Center & Preserve

Fantastic experience: Great playroom! Plenty for all ages. Nice boardwalk. Bring bugspray for the trails or visit the info desk.

Fantastic experience: Guided bird walk this morning, which was wonderful! Added several new birds to my life list

Fantastic experience: Great place to take the young children to educate them on the local birds and rodent animals. Last time we went we saw many different species of birds, a river otter, a white tail deer and a couple salamanders all while walking down a beautiful trail. I definitely recommend checking this place out if you're in the Two Rivers area!

Fantastic experience: Estuary and Marsh focused area. Nice interpretative center.

Fantastic experience: This is a great natural area with a modern visitor center. The property is extensive and has multiple egress points.

Fantastic experience: We took the grandboys here so they could try to catch frogs but they weren't around

Positive experience: I went there to get a plant ID. they were very helpful. The facility was very clean and inviting.

Fantastic experience: It's so fun to walk around the nature preserve. We got to see some eagles and their nest. Very easy trails to walk around.

Fantastic experience: Mostly we just walk through all the hiking trails and walkways, and it was just a wonderful place to explore and see the river. I’m sure there’s more to enjoy there, but it was just so pleasant to walk the trails.

Fantastic experience: We went for a short time. The center was closed but we really enjoyed the walk through the cattails. It has a cute kid's area. Will definitely be back with our grandkids.

Fantastic experience: It was a beautiful day at a beautiful place. Woodland Dunes is a sanctuary for birds and wildlife. A two hour class visit provided the beauty of a pollinator garden, a short walk where we saw birds, butterflies and even a frog. There was a presentation on bird banding and I learned the chickadee is the hardest songbird to handle! The new building and nature center is spacious with plenty of educational areas. I highly recommend a visit and allow plenty of time for a hike.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful little oasis! Nice walk and butterfly garden. Very peaceful. I will definitely return for another visit.

Positive experience: The Nature Center is closed on Saturday afternoon, but we walked through the beautiful grounds.

Fantastic experience: We were staying in Two Rivers for a mini vacation and decided to take a little hike. The boardwalk paths here are awesome! The 3 kids (ages 15-10) really enjoyed this. Beautiful scenery and very welcoming staff in the nature center. We also hiked some of the trails through the woods and they ranged from well-mowed to tall grass. We had a wonderful time and would have stuck around longer, but we failed to bring a water bottle and it was a warm one out.

Fantastic experience: Just drove by and turned around to check it out. Nice place to check out nature.

Fantastic experience: We went here for a few hours one afternoon. It is beautiful! The paths are fun to walk. We are excited to do that again when it's a little drier. The flower garden looks like it would be gorgeous during summer, so we look forward to coming back for that. There is a really awesome activity room for children! Puzzles, books, dress up materials, crafts, and some terrariums with animals. So awesome!

Fantastic experience: The nature center buildings are not open at the end of October. But the trails are and there is a cool lookout tower that you can climb and see the sites. There are some neat gardens that are educational and very pretty. We'll just have to go back when the buildings are open for a broader experience.

Fantastic experience: No at the end of October the nature center buildings are not open. But the trails are and the lookout tower is open and you can walk the small gardens they have. We didn't make time to take a trail. There are some good ideas for your home garden too.

Fantastic experience: Was a great hike, not many animals this time of year though

Fantastic experience: Beautiful walk thru here on the boardwalk...great displays in the building of animals, skeletons and furs...great learning area for the kids.

Fantastic experience: Great place to spend an afternoon (or longer). Kids had fun by the frog pond and walking the platform over the the marsh. Bring some sunscreen if it's warm out. There was also a nice shaded play/picnic area at the front. We'll definitely be back for some of the longer loops when we have more time.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful nature center. The staff is extremely nice. Their Children’s camps are amazing and keep us coming back year after year!

Fantastic experience: Amazing place for kids of all ages. I can’t believe it took over 8 years of living here to hear about this place! ☹️ Could stop here for a little while to play in the outdoor nature inspired playground or pack a lunch and spend the whole day outside, inside and exploring the trails. The indoor educational area is amazing. My toddler loved the bird sound books and painted rocks. I didn’t realize the marsh can be hands on explored beforehand so will definitely be returning with boots next time! Closest thing to a children’s museum in this area. AND FOR FREE. I am excited to add this to our list of the few free things Manitowoc has to offer for families

Fantastic experience: I love Woodland Dunes! It is a beautiful place for a hike and the people who work there are so fun and have taught my family and me so much!

Fantastic experience: Excellent staff at the nature center! Beautiful hiking trails! Will definitely go back! Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Great place to spend some outdoor time. Hiking, pond dipping, nature observing or just enjoying the peaceful garden. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: If you are a birder, like to hike, or just commune with nature, this place should be a magnet to you. This is a non-profit organization. There are miles of trails. The range of habitats is very diverse. There are wet lands, old fields, riparian areas, and wooded areas. I like Todd's Pond. Great special events, always something to do. Nature programs for kids to get them to appreciate the natural world. Whether it's observing warbler migrations, watching the banding of saw whet owls, watching osprey raise their young, or if you just want a great place to walk and leave the polluted and hectic world behind, you will want to go here. Staff is always friendly. Don't have a birding book? You can purchase one in the store that is in an older, but handsome, building that is the headquarters. There are actually three distinct areas which make for more habitats to explore. Walk the butterfly garden, climb the new observation tower, walk the boardwalk into a marshy area. It's all good! I, myself, go out there at least three times a month. If you run into me, I'll show you edible plants and help with bird identification. If you are a fan of Mother Nature you will find kindred spirits here; and you just might find a friend for life, a wonderful place. If you find yourself in Two Rivers (if you want to blend with locals say "Trivers") I highly recommend that you spend some time at the Dunes. You WILL enjoy your time there. Did I mention it's free; but leave a small donation to help keep it going. Hoka hey! This is still my favorite place to hike. The Headquarter area has an elevated wooden walkway all the way through a marshland to the West Twin River. Sedge Wrens will torment birders by appearing for seconds before disappearing .The Cattail, Goldenrod, and Willow trails are easy and adorned by natural wonders. But this update is to inform folks about other trails that are not as well known. You can catch the Conifer Trail (0.5 mi.) off of Columbus Street south of the headquarters. A little father on Columbus is a terminus of the Ice Age Trail that will take the back way to Manitowoc. Driving west down Hwy 310 will take you to a left on Woodland Drive and a left on Goodwin Road. Off of Goodwin is the Coneflower Trail (.74 mi.), a bit farther on are the Trillium (1.5 mi.), Black Cherry (0.8 mi.) and Yellow Birch (0.3 mi.) Trails. Some of these trails are elevated and accessible. Bring a bottle of wine and a lunch, and water, you'll want them. Be prepared to identify warblers and vireos. FYI, Domestic pets are not allowed on the trails; but leashed animals are permitted on the over 2 mile segment of the Ice Age Trail. No bicycles or snowmobiles, these trails are for hikers only. The trails are free; but give a donation to help this great place thrive.

Fantastic experience: This was our second stargaze/telescope event. My kid loves it. They have a pretty high end telescope, can see lots of details on planets. I recommend anyone that finds this interesting to check it out. It's usually a small amount of people....this place is a gem in the community

Fantastic experience: Only had a chance to walk 1/8 of the trails there, but the walk through the wetland part of the trail was awesome. And they've got a great kayak launch to boot. Definitely going to be an annual stop...

Fantastic experience: lots of frogs

Fantastic experience: Loved it! Very nice trails in really interesting habitats. Friendly staff and a nice nature center. LOTS of frogs and cool birds.

Fantastic experience: I stopped here with my three year old on our way home from camping, and we loved it! Beautiful area and the natural play area for kids was so much fun! My son loved looking for frogs in the pond. We will definitely stop here again if we are in the area. I highly recommend this nature preserve!

Positive experience: This place really needs to be more environmental not about meetings for boy scouts of troop 925

Fantastic experience: Love this place

Fantastic experience: Well maintained wetland. Has walkways so you can explore the marsh.

Fantastic experience: Fun place and Free to do with the family. Lots of new and exciting things happening here! Definitely will go again!!

Fantastic experience: I have been going to woodland dunes for many years. All of the trails are well kept for hiking. This year the water is high so there may be some muddy areas. Just to listen to the wildlife takes me into a peaceful world. At the Marsh Haus there is a boardwalk trail that takes you into the marsh. You can hear different wildlife enjoying their habitat. There will be teachers who will give you lots of information when the covid virus ends. There is also many things to see in the Marsh Haus. The teachers are helpful and welcoming and will tell you about the other trails.

Fantastic experience: Love this place. Nice place to go on walks and be with nature.

Fantastic experience: Perfect place to take a stroll through nature with the family!

Fantastic experience: When ever I go there I feel at peace. I almost see wild life ever time I go. The trails are really keep up. Great place to go just to think.

Fantastic experience: Great hike even in the cold weather. Several little side paths to take and we still got to see a few beautiful birds. Well maintained and it even appears there are solar lights for nighttime use. The observation tower is a must, as the view is incredible.

Fantastic experience: Great mostly unknown natural area, free and open to the public. It has about 7 miles of hiking trails that are available for snowshoeing also.

Fantastic experience: Awesome place to collect yourself. To hang out and walk with friends. They have alot of group activities, they can be found on fB.

Fantastic experience: The people there are great, knowledgeable, and amazing with kids! We try to visit every couple of weeks my kids LOVE it there and so do I

Positive experience: Nice place to visit the marsh land. Love the wooden walk way to the marshland. Thanks for doing all that work. The donation pole is behind the information board. I was wondering where to put the donation money, but finally found it.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful! A true asset to the city of Two Rivers. Love Jessica and Jim K. Trails are enough to satisfy any hiker. 1500 acres of sheer joy.

Fantastic experience: Love this place! Lots of nature. Great place for little kids to walk and hike.

Fantastic experience: Lots of cool nature trails. Educational and fun!

Fantastic experience: Beautiful grounds, and nice and quiet on a Thursday afternoon.

Positive experience: It was a nice walk but maybe a little too early in the year. Some of the areas were run down but it was still good to be in nature.

Fantastic experience: Our class visited today. Jess and Annette did a marvelous job of making the experience meaningful and fun for our 3-5 year olds. Absolutely appreciate helping children develop a love and appreciation for nature. ♡

Fantastic experience: Great nature play area for kids! Loved the boardwalk out to the river...we even saw a muskrat on our walk.

Positive experience: Beautiful short hikes, great place to watch birds.

Fantastic experience: Love this place. Great boardwalk out into marsh. And today I got lucky the woodland trails were dried out. Beautiful walk many bird's

Positive experience: Lots of information to be shared nice area with a good high platform view of river

Fantastic experience: The boardwalk trail is our favorite. They have a kayak launch with carts to wheel your kayak down the board walk.

Fantastic experience: It's a perfect walk for someone who can't walk too far. We enjoy the butterfly garden & tower. It's just an overall fun little stop for young & old!

Fantastic experience: fest is amazing!! Nature hikes, wild owls in captivity due to injuries, birds and nature. It's always a great time for people of all ages!!!!

Fantastic experience: Very nice place to get fresh air

Fantastic experience: Next to the West Twin River great trails.

Fantastic experience: lots of programs. went for star gazing. very helpful.

Fantastic experience: One of a kind nature park/ board walk buildt over Marsh area bringing walkers to view of river. Other trails can be very wet and muddy in the spring of the year.

Fantastic experience: This is a lovely ppace to go. There is a nature trail with bird watching nooks, a tower with binoculars, and a center with bathroom facilities, lots of activities for children, more binoculars inside by bird feeders, display cases, a small library fot identifying the wildlife, complimentary kid's stuff like little bug identification things, a small playgroubd with interactive activities, abd a little gift shop. Supervision definatly required and frankly, more fun. You need to bring your own food and drink and be sure it's easily cleaned up. Love this place.

Fantastic experience: Even though we went on a holiday. This place still was awesome. They have little play area that my boys loved. A look out and many hiking trails. A must do if in the area

Fantastic experience: This was a day trip for us that went wrong, we were actually supposed to go Fort Atkinson to see the dairy museum. We decided to instead explore Two Rivers since we were in Denmark, already. This nature preserve was amazing and I am so glad we stopped here, on our way into town. There is so much information to learn from what is here. We both loved the walk on the boardwalk out to the river on this wonderful day in late October. Thank you so much for being such a great place to come. We are here from the Wausau area.

Fantastic experience: What a great place for families! My almost 3 year old spent hours in the front play area stacking wood pieces, playing in the water, eating mulberries, playing in the sand, and more. A $5 donation was well worth an awesome morning interacting with nature. Can't wait to get back and take him on the wood trails!

Fantastic experience: Have things of interest for the whole community. Very friendly and knowledgeable.

Fantastic experience: Love this, was able to share photo of Osprey bringing fish to the nest.Photo taken first week of May, 2014