Though you are on a road and in a vehicle, you should consider yourself in the backcountry; in most cases you are several hours away from emergency response or advanced medical care. We only recommend leaving pavement in a 4x4 or AWD vehicle with at least 6" of clearance, with a full fuel tank, and enough drinking water for several days. In the winter roads may drift in, and during the warmer months travel can be impossible when the roads become saturated with rain or snowmelt.

The Reserve is in a region called the Glaciated Plains, and the soil contains the fine clay sediments deposited by retreating glaciers. This clay makes an extremely slippery driving surface when wet, and hardens almost like concrete as it dries. This requires keeping a close eye on the weather during your trip, and planning for extra time if it does rain. Travel over wet roads can be impossible, and local tow services will only retrieve stuck vehicles when conditions have improved.

On this page you'll find resources to help you plan your trip. The Twitter updates cover only the areas general to the PN and Sun Prairie units, and are updated as conditions change significantly. Conditions may vary widely within a few miles due to local precipitation. The webcams are located on the PN and Sun Prairie units. We recommend reading the NOAA forecasts for the area you are traveling to which are linked from this page.