Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area
Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area is a 8,700-acre property located 12 miles west of Phillips in Price County. The property is known for its highly diverse habitat mix on a large scale. Thousands of acres each of grasslands, hardwoods, conifer bogs and various wetlands are arranged throughout the property. About 2/3 of the property is actively managed for wildlife production and public usage.
Though Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area is large in size, it has excellent access via a seasonally open road running from Price Lakes Road to Up River Road. This road has seen extensive recent upgrades that will enhance public access throughout the fall and early winter. The South Fork of the Flambeau River is also accessible from the southeastern area of the property.
Because of the wide variety and size of habitat available on Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area, consumptive and non-consumptive uses are numerous. From turkey hunting in the spring, foraging in the summer, ruffed grouse hunting in the fall, or snowshoeing in the winter there’s always something to do on this property.
Find Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area by taking County Highway W west of Phillips for 12 miles, then north on Up River Road, or 16.5 miles and then north on Price Lakes Road.
Management Objectives
This wildlife area dates back to 1945 with the purchase of the original 1,600 acres of land as part of the "deer yard" program, which was developed to save and manage overwinter deer habitat. It was known then as the Price Creek deer yard. In 1963, the DNR received a gift of 5,240 acres near the deer yard from the Kimberly-Clark Corp. This is when the property became known as Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area. Since then, supplemental purchases have increased the size to 8,881 acres.
This wildlife area has three nesting pairs of osprey and an active eagle nest. A unique part of this property's history is that osprey chicks from this area were relocated to Iowa to help bolster their recovering osprey population. A small remnant sharp-tailed grouse population lives on the property and surrounding lands. In the early 1990s, this wildlife area had the second highest population of sharp-tailed grouse in the state.
Today, this property is primarily managed for a wide variety of wildlife species. Prescribed burning is used to maintain about 4,000 acres of early successional habitat for elk, deer, turkey, bear and the remaining sharp-tailed grouse. Over 17 miles of firebreaks have been created and several small flowages are maintained for waterfowl and wild rice production. The remaining acreage is managed for timber resources.
For more information on master planning for this and other wildlife areas around the state, visit the property planning page.
Recreation
The Kimberly Clark Wildlife Area offers many recreational opportunities:
- Auto travel (from Nov. 1st until breakup)
- Hiking
- Birding
- Boating (non-motorized)
- Canoeing
- Cross-country skiing (no designated trail)
- Fishing
- Hiking (no designated trail)
- Hunting (noted for: deer, ruffed grouse and wild turkey)
- Kayaking
- Snowshoeing (no designated trail)
- Trapping
- Wild edibles/gathering
- Wild rice harvesting
- Wildlife viewing
Note: Users of the property are not to enter the closed gravel pit area. The closed area around the pit is signed.
Amenities
- Bathroom - none.
- Parking lot - there are six parking lots throughout the property.
- Campground and size - none.
- Trails, Types and Lengths - no designated trails, but there are several miles of gated hunter walking trails.
Maps
Download [PDF] a general map of this property.
Download [PDF] a detailed road and trail map of this property.
If you are interested in exploring this property further, you can access an interactive map.
