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Sixmile Creek drains Dane County's second largest wetland (Waunakee Marsh) before passing through the Village of Waunakee. Downstream of the marsh, the stream retains its original slow, meandering channel. Lower Sixmile Creek and Dorn Creek are also bordered by extensive wetlands, and much of this area is public hunting and fishing land. The two streams retain join less than a mile from Lake Mendota. Waunakee is growing rapidly, as is the Town of Westport, which contains most of the lower Sixmile and Dorn Creek watersheds. Sixmile Creek was considered "somewhat impacted" by pollutants in a 1989-91 survey of Dane County streams. The upper areas of this sub-watershed are primarily farmland. There have been several incidents in which cannery wastewater leaked from a field irrigation/disposal system, polluting the stream and causing low oxygen, high bacteria counts and fish kills. Sixmile Creek contributes about 15% of the surface water input to Lake Mendota while Dorn Creek contributes 7%. Together they drain 22% of the watershed. A shorter ride (16.5 mi.) is noted at mile 6.3. The shortcut rejoins the tour route at mile 20.4

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Distance: 28 miles. Difficulty: moderate to hard, many hills.

1. Governor Nelson State Park [entrance S side of Cty M between Cty K and Oncken Rd. An entrance fee is charged for cars, but not bikes]. Providing shoreline access to Lake Mendota, Governor Nelson Park encompasses wooded drumlins, wetlands, Native American effigy mounds and restored prairie. The prairie-oak savannah was the predominate landscape in Dane County at the time of settlement. Fires maintained the open prairies; fire resistant bur oaks were able to establish themselves in the otherwise open grasslands. Five conical mounds and a large panther effigy mound (ask for park guide map) represent two distinct periods of Native American mound building. The conical mounds are 1500-1900 years old, predating the effigy mounds, built 800-1350 years ago. Remnants of an 18th century Winnebago village and corn fields were found nearby.

2. Lower Sixmile Creek is wide and bordered by extensive wetlands as it crosses the flat, lacustrine plain near Lake Mendota. Though navigable here, it becomes snag-choked and impassable not far upstream as it passes through dense woods.

3. Public hunting and fishing ground footpath beginning on L side of Woodland Dr. 1/2 mi. N of Cty M. Wisconsin DNR has acquired land along the lower Sixmile Creek, protecting important buffer wetlands and prairie savannah. The creek and a northern pike rearing pond are 1/4 mile down this trail. The hill visible just ahead to the left is a good example of a glacial drumlin. The wetlands have been partially drained, allowing growth of shrubs such as red osier dogwood and alder.

4. Golf course and wetland area bordering Sixmile Creek (west of highway 113, north of highway 19). Erosion control structures may be seen near the new housing on the east side of the golf course or in other areas around Waunakee where the village is expanding. Another practice, wetland mitigation consists of constructing artificial wetlands to replace those destroyed by development. Acre-for-acre, construction sites near storm sewers have the greatest potential for polluting with eroding soil into waterways. Currently, about 1/4 of the sediment and 1/5 of the phosphorus contributions to lake Mendota come form construction sites-even though these sites make up only about 0.2% of the watershed. Good site planning and enforcement of erosion control ordinances can greatly reduce this.

5. Springs and a prairie restoration site (N of Easy St. between Hwy 113 & Madison St) can be seen here, along a waterway which drains to Sixmile Creek. The prairie is being restored by the Dane County Natural Heritage Foundation.

6. Look to your right as you come into Dane, and notice the distinct way the land slopes away to the north. Waters separated on this divide meet again in southern Illinois, at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers.

7. Hyslop Road at Stevenson Rd. As you go up the hill to approach this intersection, look to your right to see an excellent example of a terrace and diversion (see Introduction), which appears as a long, low, earthen barrier following the contour along the base of the steepest part of the hill. Water flowing off the steep hillside is slowed and diverted to gaps in the barrier that lead to grassed drainage swales. At the top of the hill, there is a terrific view to the south of the Capital and Lake Mendota, and to the north of Lake Wisconsin and the Baraboo Hills. As you go down the hill (past Stevenson Rd.) watch for another good example of a terrace, visible on the left.

8. The wetlands on the right side of the road drain west and into the Waunakee Marsh, while those to the left drain east directly to Six Mile Creek. During glacial times, this area was part of a drainage system originating near Norway Grove that carried meltwater underneath the ice sheet to the southwest. Short-lived lakes and ponds may have existed along these drainages. Deposits of fine, poorly drained material helped wetlands to form. Popular among waterfowl for breeding, this area cleanses runoff from surrounding farms. One Priority Watershed practice supports re-establishing small wetlands that have been drained. Even decades after being drained, wetland soil characteristics remain . By simply plugging drainage tiles, a wetter "water regime" is set that will support wetland plants. This done, nature completes the restoration. Used in conjunction with good nutrient management planning on the surrounding farmland, restored wetlands high in the watershed can greatly improve water quality down stream by trapping sediment taking up nutrients and slowing down stormwater runoff, while supporting wildlife and a diversity of wetland vegetation.

9. Waunakee Marsh State Wildlife Area. Dane County's second largest wetland is a shallow marsh that acts as a sediment and nutrient trap for the surrounding agricultural uplands. While this certainly protects water quality downstream in lower Six Mile Creek and Lake Mendota, long-term effects on the marsh are a concern. Adding sediment or nutrients to wetlands tends to change the kinds of species present and reduces species diversity.

10. Dorn Marsh public hunting area [wetlands border Dorn Creek from W of Cty Q to Cty M, S of Cty K and N of Oncken Rd]. Wetlands in the Dorn Marsh Public Hunting Area, being contiguous with the lake serve an important role as spawning areas for fish while also protecting the lake from nutrients and contaminants.

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