Discover Horicon: Marsh, Nature, and History

Horicon’s appeal as a travel destination comes from its connection to the city and the Horicon Marsh. The city is known for the marsh and was also the first modern settlement on this wetland. If you’re looking for a hotel in Horicon, you can plan your stay around your interests: you might focus on wildlife watching and activities in the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area, or on the history of the marsh. The following topics offer different points of interest, from how the landscape formed to the city’s past.

The Horicon Marsh and Its Formation

The Horicon Marsh covers 33,000 acres and was formed by a continental glacier thousands of years ago. Its origins therefore go back a long way. In the 1990s, the wetland was designated an area of international importance. This gives the marsh two distinct time frames: its geological formation and its later international designation. For a visit to Horicon, this connection offers a distinctive link to nature and history, without conflating the city’s more recent history with the much older history of the landscape.

Wildlife Watching and Trails

In the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area, you can watch and photograph wildlife from observation blinds. The blinds provide a specific vantage point for wildlife watching. Access rules may change, so check the current requirements before your visit.

The Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area also has more than 5 miles of designated hiking trails. If you’d like to include hiking in your plans, this gives you a concrete sense of the extent of the designated trails. Paddling is another option: a 6.5- to 7.5-mile route passes through the Horicon Marsh Wildlife Area and ends at the Nebraska Street Boat Landing in Horicon, Wisconsin. The route’s length and physical conditions may vary slightly with water levels. For planning purposes, it’s helpful to distinguish between designated hiking trails and a paddling route with a specified endpoint. This can help you decide which type of activity you’d like to make a bigger part of your stay.

City History and Visitor Center

Horicon’s history is closely connected to the Horicon Marsh: the city was the first modern settlement on the wetland. Another specific point of reference is the year 1846. That was when a dam was built in Horicon to power the first sawmill. These two facts highlight different aspects: the first modern settlement describes Horicon’s historical relationship with the marsh, while the dam provides a dated example of the city’s early history and its purpose at the time.

The Horicon Marsh Education & Visitor Center is home to the Explorium, an interactive tour through the history of the marsh from the Ice Age to the present. This covers a period that stretches from the landscape’s geological formation to the present day. The center’s lobby also has a Marsh Viewing Area for observing the marsh. If you’re planning a visit, check current admission information in advance.

Discover more destinations: Burnett, Lomira, Beaver Dam

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