Rophchan Memorial was a 1973 gift of Sam and Adeline Ropchan. It covers about 79 acres of land with a 1 mile loop trail.
77 of the 79 acres have been dedicated through IDNR's Division of Nature Preserves.
The preserve includes many interesting geologic features: a morainal ridge, with scattered boulders left by the retreating glaciers, a kettle hole lake and a tamarack bog. On the drier ridges is an oak-hickory - shagbark hickory, white, red and black oak and sassafras - with an understory of dogwood and hazelnut. The bog dominates the eastern portion of the reserve. Once an acidic wetland covered with sphagnum moss and cranberry plants, the bog is in its final stages towards a swamp forest. Tamarack, yellow birch and red maple grow in water with tussocks of cinnamon fern, mountain holly and winterberry.
Hover over each image in the slideshow below to read its caption.
