23, then east into Governor Dodge State Park. Follow park roads to parking lot east of Cox Hollow Lake, then take the White Oak hiking trail across the dam to the natural area. Pine Cliff is a southern Wisconsin pine relic community growing on several cliffs of Ordovician-age St. Peter sandstone in the unglaciated Driftless Area. The pine relic occupies the summit and sides of these cliffs and adjacent north-facing slopes. Although many pine relics are known in the Driftless Area, Pine Cliff was selected because all three species of pine native to the state are found here, disjunct from their main range.
White pine dominates the site, but red and jack pines grow on the exposed, droughty summit.
North-facing, moist sandstone cliffs provide suitable habitat for numerous ferns, mosses, and lichens. Away from the cliffs is southern dry-mesic forest composed of red oak, white oak, basswood, white birch, and black cherry. The relic pines are habitat for relic bird populations exemplified by June sightings of black-throated green and blackburnian warblers. Research Use, Group Use, Individual Nature Study, Hiking Trail. Land Control - DNR Parks and Recreation.