Visitor Information
Location & Hours
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve is located at 1305 Plank Rd. in Menasha, Wisconsin west of Oneida St/Hwy 10. The Reserve is near the north side of Lake Winnebago and minutes from the city of Appleton.
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve, Inc.
1305 Plank Road
Menasha, WI 54952
920-720-9349
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve’s trail system is open 365 days/year from 6 AM – 9 PM. General admission to the Nature Center and Trails is FREE! We would appreciate your donation — feed the donation frog inside the Nature Center.
The Nature Center Hours:
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Thursday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM – 4 PM
- Sunday: Closed
Trails are open 6 AM – 9 PM every day.
The Nature Center is closed all major holidays. The building is open only to program participants the day of our Children’s Christmas Gift Workshop (December). Trails remain open on these days.
Trails
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve’s trail system is open 365 days/year from 6 AM – 9 PM. General admission to the Nature Center and Trails is FREE! We would appreciate your donation — feed the donation frog inside the Nature Center.
Special Thanks to our 2023 Trail Sponsor:
Parking
Parking space is provided in the main lot at the entrance to the Reserve. Please park in the slanted spaces. Long spaces along the west edge of the parking lot are reserved for busses. Please do not leave valuables in your vehicle. All vehicles must be out of the lot when the gate closes at 9 PM. No overnight parking is permitted. Other access roads into the Reserve are for staff only.
Let the sun charge you up! HWR provides a solar powered charging station for electric and hybrid vehicles. It takes about 1 hour to fully charge — plenty of time to take a walk on the trails! There is no fee to use this feature. Please be considerate of others who need to charge up by moving your vehicle into a regular parking space when you are charged up.
Facilities
- The Heckrodt Nature Center features a gallery with an interpretive exhibit, Discovery Den, a solarium, rental space that can be used for meetings or as a classroom, a kitchen and restrooms.
- The Memory Patio in front of the Nature Center provides a place to gather and contains commemorative bricks.
- The Wild Space children’s adventure area allows children to Play, Explore, and Learn.
- The Wetland Education Station and Lopas Pond Dock feature binocular viewers.
- Classroom buildings include the Heckrodt Learning Stations (A-frame) and the Lopas Learning Station. These buildings are open only during classes that use them.
Rules & Policies
Reserve Property Rules
- No dogs or other pets are permitted on the property (dogs aiding the handicapped are permitted)
- No bicycles or other recreational wheeled vehicles are permitted on the trails (strollers are permitted)
- No alcohol or illegal substances are permitted
- No smoking on Reserve property
- No hunting
- No collecting of plants or animals is permitted
- No dumping of pets or native animals is permitted
- No feeding animals
Winter Weather Closure Policy
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve Nature Center will be closed and all programs cancelled when any local school districts are closed due to weather. We will also close when the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has requested that motorists stay off the roads. Trails remain open 6 AM – 9 PM daily, however the parking lots, walkways, and trails may not be cleared.
Accessibility
OPDMD Policy
Heckrodt Wetland Reserve has an OPDMD (“other power-driven mobility device”) policy in place. Contact Luke Schiller, HWR’s Executive Director with questions or to obtain use approval.