One of the top birding locations in the state of Minnesota, this expansive conifer bog is located 10 minutes south of Eveleth and about 45 minutes northwest of Duluth. It is easily accessible to birders who frequently find Sharp-tailed Grouse, Great Gray Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Boreal Chickadee, Sedge Wren, Connecticut Warbler, and Le Conte's Sparrow throughout the area. Much of the bog can be viewed by automobile.
Habitat
Sax-Zim has long been known to birders as an excellent spot to see northern wildlife. The habitat consists of a mix of spruce, tamarack, and northern white cedar bogs, plus alder swamps and upland deciduous woodlands. There are also lowland hardwood species such as black ash, as well as isolated hayfields and sedge meadows. You can see these from various township and county roads or you can venture out into the bogs themselves. The bog is a mixture of state, county, and private lands, plus the Cloquet Valley State Forest, Whiteface River State Forest, and both the Sax and the Zim Wildlife Management Areas.
Birds of the Bog
The Northern Goshawk, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Ruffed Grouse, Great Gray Owl, Black-backed Woodpecker, Black-billed Magpie, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, and Red-breasted Nuthatch are just a few of the permanent residents found year round in the bog. Birds to look for in the winter include Rough-legged Hawk, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Northern Shrike, Snow Bunting, White-winged Crossbill, and both redpolls. Some species breeding here in the summer months are Upland Sandpiper, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Alder Flycatcher, Winter Wren, Sedge Wren, Golden-winged Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Connecticut Warbler, and Bobolink. Black bears are not uncommon and pine martens, moose, and timber wolves have also been spotted here.
Area Towns
The name Sax-Zim comes from two old towns in the vicinity, both being situated along St. Louis County Road 7: the village of Sax, (which used to be called Wallace), was named for Solomon Saxe, an Eveleth landowner. Zim was named after a Mr. Zimmerman who managed a nearby logging camp. Meadowlands is the usual starting point for visitors. Other place names in the bog include Kelsey, Elmer, Dumblane, Cotton, Melrude, Central Lakes, Fens, Toivola, Casco, Fermoy, and Payne.
Directions
From Duluth go about 40 miles north on U.S. Highway 53 to County Road 133. This interesction is the approximate southeastern corner of the bog. You can turn left on County Road 133 and begin heading west toward the town of Meadowlands or continue up U.S. 53 for six miles to the town of Cotton, then head west on County Road 52 (Arkola Avenue). This east/west road is at about the midpoint of the bog.
Text heavily modified from Iron Range.org