Big Bog State Recreation Area
Spruce islands, tamarack, orchids, carnivorous plants, moss, birds, and deep peat unfold along a boardwalk into one of the continent’s great patterned bogs.
Artwork inspired by Francis Lee Jaques
The 500-square-mile peatland stores water and carbon in layers built over thousands of years. Raised bog, fen, pools, and forested islands support plants adapted to acidity, low nutrients, and saturated ground; insect-eating sundews and pitcher plants solve scarcity in striking ways.
The boardwalk provides rare access without crushing the surface, but it also leaves visitors exposed to sun, wind, storms, and insects. Bring water and repellent, scan at plant scale, and stay on the boards. The southern visitor center and northern bog walk are separate units along Highway 72.
- Peatland
- About 500 square miles
- Boardwalk
- One mile
- Hydrology
- Rain-fed bog systems
Quick guide
- Best route
- Use the Northern Unit boardwalk into open bog
- Best scale
- Kneel visually for tiny carnivorous plant details
Shrink your attention to moss, water, and nutrient strategies
- Start with
- Take the Northern Unit boardwalk far enough to reach the open bog beyond the forested margin.
- Look closely at
- Kneel visually for sundews and pitcher plants without touching the nutrient-poor habitat beside the walkway.
- Connect the story
- Notice tamarack and spruce islands as subtle changes in drainage, peat depth, and growing conditions.
- Plan around
- Confirm the correct unit and prepare for insects, weather exposure, and almost no shade on the boardwalk.
Good to know
The reviewed map point is the Southern Unit; the signature bog boardwalk is in the Northern Unit farther up Highway 72, so confirm navigation before departure.
Notice these
- Big Bog Boardwalk
- Sundews and pitcher plants
- Tamarack and spruce islands