Winter activities abound at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center

Outdoor learning and recreation at the center, which is surrounded by over 1,000 acres of woodlands and prairies, doesn't stop when the snowflakes begin to fall. The following activities can be enjoyed at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 4500 Sioux River Road, in the wintertime. 

Hiking 

Hiking is among the most popular wintertime activities at the nature center, according to Naturalist Kari Sandage. 

"We have about three miles of trails and, then, the trails do connect to Stone State Park, so you can always extend your hike in that park, too," she said. "Sometimes, we'll do hikes led by a naturalist."

Sandage said you'll definitely want to wear snow boots that are preferably water-proof or water-resistant, since the trails aren't shoveled or groomed. 

"It's pretty rugged out there," she said. "It happens that some people do get lost, and they call us. We also have trail maps at the visitors center that people can take with them."

Sandage also recommends dressing in layers, with a base layer that is made of moisture-wicking fabric. That way, if you get too warm, you take a layer off. Also, don't forget to bring along a bottle of water. 

"Our trails are fairly short, but, it's always good to have water with you just in case," Sandage said. 

Birdwatching 

Feeders located outside the nature center, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., attract a lot of birds during the winter months, including cardinals, woodpeckers and white-breasted nuthatches. 

Sandage said can you sit on nearby benches outside, birdwatch from the center's windows or view footage from cameras placed by the feeders. While inside the 14,000-square-foot building, take some time to view the  interactive prairie, wetland and woodland exhibits and live native reptile and fish exhibits. 

"Binoculars do help. The birds are pretty tame, so you can just sit at the benches and watch them," Sandage said. "Another cool thing that we just added to our visitors center is we put cameras on all the bird feeders. There's a little screen on the inside of the building where you can toggle back and forth and look at all of the birdfeeders on the screen." 

Snowshoeing

Snowshoeing might be the perfect way to extend walking, running and hiking into the winter. If you can walk, you can snowshoe.

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center offers snowshoeing events. To snowshoe, there has to be roughly a 4-inch base of snow on the ground.

"Our trails are really great for snowshoeing," Sandage said. "A lot of people come out and bring their own snowshoes and just snowshoe on our trails. The more snow, the easier it is to snowshoe on." 

In years past, Sandage said the center has offered snowshoes for rent. However, last year, she said those rentals were not made available amid the pandemic. For the latest update to date information about snowshoeing, Sandage recommends visiting the center's social media pages, as well as its website: woodburyparks.org/dorothy-pecaut-nature-center/ 

"You just kind of have to watch our social media and our website to know when those (events) are going to be," she said. 

Traditionally, snowshoes were made of wood bent frames and leather lacing for the decking. While you can still buy or even make your own traditional-style snowshoes, today's snowshoes are constructed with aluminum frames and synthetic decking made of cold-resistant rubber, such as neoprene, or a plastic-type material. Modern snowshoes can be purchased at most sporting goods stores and even big-box stores.

Call 712-258-0838 for more information.