Before it was officially designated, the present day Cylon Wildlife Area has long been a magnet for area people. Although Western Wisconsin may seem empty to urban people, it is nearly fully developed and rural areas are mostly in private hands. Oddly enough in some Twin Cities area suburbs, there are more public lands than in rural Wisconsin which require a long drive or arrangements with private owners for hunting, hiking or fishing.

The Cylon Wildlife Area offers a refuge for wildlife, and people. In an area dotted with dairy and hobby farms, the Cylon experience is a distinct change from the norm and the visitor is immediately plunged into a wilderness with all it's attributes and hazards.

The immediate hazard for those off the trail is getting lost which makes exploration an adventure in itself. For those taking the safer route there is an extensive but unmarked trail system.

The area has seen some vast changes under control of the Wisconsin DNR, the major one is a beaver dam in the eastern half that has created a large swampy area about 0.6 of a mile long and about a 1/4 mile wide. The latest change is extensive logging and shown below are the results of the latest logging techniques.