Kame-Esker Bog: Under Construction
Kame-Esker Bog Park is currently under construction! We share your excitement about this new park, but it is currently a construction site so please do not enter and explore the property. It will be worth the wait!
Portage Park District worked with conservation partners to acquire 215 acres using state grant funds in 2015. The property was prioritized for acquisition because of its conservation value, including protecting the balance of the bog that is contiguous with the Cooperrider Kent Bog State Nature Preserve to the north. The Park District’s mission centers on conservation, and the state grants limit development, so park development focuses on low-impact opportunities for recreation and outdoor environmental education.
Uses of the property over the last 50 years include sand and gravel mining, oil & gas wells and limited agriculture. The sand and gravel deposits and boglands are both remnants from the last ice age glaciation in the region over 10,000 years ago. The bog formed on top of Kame-Esker complexes. Kames are mounds or piles of glacial sand and gravel deposits and Eskers are ridges of glacial sand and gravel deposits. The property includes multiple diverse habitats including forest, meadow, bog and the Plum Creek riparian corridor. All park amenities have been laid out to minimize site disturbance while connecting park users to the land, its natural beauty and its history.
Amenities planned include:
- 75-stall parking lot with entrance from Howe Road
- Entry Plaza with: Flush restrooms and water fountain, Information kiosk, Group meet-up space, and Barn stone seating
- Paved accessible trail which passes through meadows and evergreen forest
- Nature play area with small open-air shelter
- Large open-air picnic shelter with adjacent lawn
- Overlook rest area near Plum Creek