Planning Your Visit

Start your visit at the Leopold Center, an educational and interpretive facility near the Leopold Shack, located on the very land where Aldo Leopold died in 1948 fighting a brush fire. Exhibits and guided tours interpret noted conservationist Aldo Leopold’s life and legacy. The Leopold Center itself is also among the greenest buildings in the nation, featuring renewable energy systems and the use of local and recycled materials. Every Saturday from Memorial Day through the end of October, education staff lead guided tours of the Leopold Shack and Farm and the green-built Leopold Center. Self-guided tours of both sites are also available, but many visitors agree that one of the most in-depth ways to enjoy a visit to our site is to participate in a guided tour program, particularly since this is the only way to access and view the inside of the Leopold Shack. Reservations are recommended for guided tours. Take a look at our calendar to help plan your visit. If you are not able to come at a time we have a guided tour, self guided tours of both the Leopold Shack and Farm and the Leopold Center are available during our open season from May through October each year. Public open hours are Monday-Saturday, 10am-4:30pm. This year, we are also offering a series of Expert Tours on select Fridays.

Reservations for guided tours are recommended. Please use our online form to make a reservation to attend.

Part of a group of 10 or more people? Click here for group tour information and rates.
Note: all tour programs are free for members of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Join now!

Tours at the Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm

A National Historic Landmark, The Shack is a re-built chicken coop along the Wisconsin River where Aldo Leopold and his family stayed during weekend retreats. It is also the site that inspired many of the essays in A Sand County Almanac. Leopold called the Shack his “refuge from too much modernity,” and this humble and rustic place still inspires many to re-discover their connections to the natural world. Each year, thousands of visitors are inspired through reflection in the same landscape that deeply moved Leopold.

Self-Guided Shack Tours

All ages: $7 per person / Leopold Foundation Members: free
Self-guided tours of the Shack are permitted from May through October, during our public open hours. The Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm is not open for recreational use, and visitors may only access the property on a formal guided or self-guided tour. Visitors must always check in at the Leopold Center first for permission to access the Shack. Self-guided visitors can explore the site with a brochure that includes a trail map, historic photos of the land, and background information on Aldo Leopold’s history and legacy. (Shack is shuttered and locked during self-guided tours.)

If you would like to visit the Shack on a self-guided tour between November and April, please contact our education staff to make a request. Typically snow cover prevents visitation for much of our off season.

Guided Shack Tours

Adults: $12 / Children & Seniors: $9 / Leopold Foundation Members: free
The land surrounding the Shack provides a living classroom for exploring dynamic ecological relationships and conservation history. Guided Shack tours last approximately two hours and are led by Aldo Leopold Foundation education staff. Come hear stories about the incredible land restoration initiated here by Aldo Leopold and his family, visit the inside of the famous Shack, and stroll along restored prairie, woods and river trails with our guide. Reservations are required for guided tours. If you are coming in a group of 10 or more participants, we request that you schedule a separate tour date and time in advance.

Register here for a public guided Shack tour.

** Shack Tour routes follow rustic trails which may have occasional obstacles such as tree stumps, exposed roots, or downed branches. The Aldo Leopold Foundation assumes no responsibility for any injury and/or accident to a person or persons while visiting the Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm.

Tours at the Leopold Center

The Leopold Center serves as both a headquarters facility for the Aldo Leopold Foundation and a visitor center for the Leopold Shack. The building was constructed to meet the highest standards in green building, to represent Aldo Leopold's concept of a land ethic. Take a guided or self-guided tour of the building to learn about how features like solar power, geothermal, and sustainable building materials make this one of the “greenest” buildings in the world. It has not only received the US Green Building Council’s LEED® platinum certification, the highest possible level, but it was more highly rated than any other building yet rated in the United States. It is also the first building ever to be certified “carbon neutral.”

Self-Guided Leopold Center Tours

During our open hours, visitors can view our photography exhibit "Changes in the Leopold Landscape: Photography Through Time," and take a self-guided tour of the building. Interpretive signage shares information on both green building features and Aldo Leopold's history and legacy. There is no charge for self-guided tours of the Legacy Center.

Guided Leopold Center Tours

Adults: $5 / Children & Seniors: $3 / Leopold Foundation Members: free
Walk through the greenest building in the country with one of our tour guides to get in-depth information about how solar power, geothermal, and sustainable building materials help this facility produce more energy than it consumes. Guided tours for the public are offered regularly from May through October each year. The Leopold Center replicates the respectful relationship to land demonstrated by Leopold at the Shack, but through the prism of the 21st century. Let this special place inspire you to explore what the term "land ethic" can mean for people today. Guided tours last about 1 hour. If you are coming in a group of 10 or more participants, we request that you schedule a separate tour date and time in advance.

Register here for a public guided Leopold Center tour.

Combined Tour
Every Saturday in our open season, we lead both the guided tour to the Shack and the guided tour of the Legacy Center.
Adults: $15 / Children & Seniors: $10 / Leopold Foundation Members: free

Reservations for tours recommended. Please use our online form to make a reservation to attend a guided public tour.

Looking for something more? Check out our Expert Tour programs for 2009!

Click here to learn more about Expert Tours

Whether you're a conservation professional, architect, engineer, or just someone who wants a more in-depth tour program, let our experts guide you! On the first Friday of every month between May and October, we've arranged for guest speakers to come out and discuss various specialized aspects of our two main interpretive resources: The Leopold Shack and the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. In addition, we've selected three Fridays this year for a special, behind the scenes look at what it took to make the Leopold Center project possible, led by Aldo Leopold Foundation Director Buddy Huffaker. Join us for one or all of the series!

Expert Tours
ALF members: $15 (non-members $25)

Special Saturday Tours in March and April:

Saturday, March 7th
Leopold Center open 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm
1:00 - Guided Public Tour of Leopold Shack
3:00 – Guided Public Tour of the Leopold Center
REGISTER HERE

Saturday, March 21st
Leopold Center open 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm
1:00 - Guided Public Tour of Leopold Shack
3:00 – Guided Public Tour of the Leopold Center
REGISTER HERE

Saturday, April 4th
Leopold Center open 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm
1:00 - Guided Public Tour of Leopold Shack
3:00 – Guided Public Tour of the Leopold Center
REGISTER HERE

Saturday, April 18th
Leopold Center open 12:00 pm – 4:30 pm
1:00 - Guided Public Tour of Leopold Shack
3:00 – Guided Public Tour of the Leopold Center
REGISTER HERE

Monday, April 27th
Leopold Center begins regular public open hours for the season, to continue through October 31.
Monday – Saturday, 10:00 am – 4:30 pm.