Sax Zim Bog is about 300 square miles of bog, aspen uplands, rivers, lakes, meadows, farms and even a couple towns! It is not just a giant bog, but rather a mix of habitats that boreal birds love. The Sax-Zim Bog is prime habitat for bog specialists like the Great Gray Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher and Connecticut Warbler. Bobcat, Lynx, Pine Marten and Fisher also use this habitat. Mature bogs are important wintering habitat for the Great Gray Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, White-winged Crossbill, Pine Grosbeak, Common Redpoll and Hoary Redpoll. The land is laced with many dirt and paved roads. In fact, most birding is done from the road but there are also many hiking trails, snowshoeing trails and bog boardwalks.

The best time for winter wildlife is mid December through late February. Migrant warblers move through the bog around the middle of May and breeding birds are in full song during June and July.

Your first trip to Sax Zim Bog should start at the Welcome Center where you can get an updated map of the best areas. The address is 8793 Owl Avenue, Toivola, MN 55765

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A MAILING ADDRESS…but put this address into Google Maps or Apple Maps instead of just “Sax-Zim Bog” which takes you to the middle of nowhere. We found this out the hard way!