Tiffany Bottoms Train Ride

Tiffany Bottoms State Natural Area is a small portion of the most extensive river delta in the Midwest and contains a representative portion of the larger Tiffany Bottoms floodplain forest. The site captures the transition between the typical floodplain forest of silver maple, river birch, ashes, and basswood in the southern portion and the more oak-dominated forest in the northern part (swamp white, bur, and black). Soil types also change, from sandy outwash in the north to sand with accumulations of silty alluvium in the south. The bottoms abound in wildlife.

Besides the typical game species, the area contains rare and uncommon raptors, warblers as well as great-blue herons, pileated woodpeckers, and blue-gray gnatcatcher. The State Natural Area is part of an extensive 8,000-acre beaver/otter closed area, which has been maintained in the Tiffany Wildlife Area since 1956. The closed area was established in recognition of the fact that beavers are a very important habitat-altering species that can have very positive impacts on other wetland-dependent plants and animals. Maintaining this closed area is an important tool for maintaining this diverse wetland complex. Tiffany Bottoms is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 1958.