Greens Coulee/Savanna Oaks (WI) Hike

A view from the north bluff
Image Marge Loch-Wouters

For those who love bluff hiking and steep slopes these two bluff gems are for you. Within this Onalaska city park are 82 acres protected by the Mississippi Valley Conservancy featuring remnant prairies and oak savannah that stretch through Greens Coulee. There are many trails to take between the two.

There are two bluffs in this city park with a trailhead running up to each bluff and connecting trails between them. The south bluff climbs to 1212 feet, one of the region's higher bluffs. The view on this bluff gives an expansive look at Onalaska, the Mississippi River and the distant MN bluffs. 

North bluff trailhead
Image - Marge-Loch-Wouters

Most of the main trails are wide old logging roads with narrower and often steeper side trails. You have to love  elevation gains on this hike. There is no switchbacking here; only gently curving trails that you head pretty much straight up or trot down! My AllTrails app indicated we had a nearly 700 ft elevation gain while hiking up and across between the two bluffs - and we started at the Cliffside Dr. trailhead at higher elevation! 

Remnant goat prairie
Image Marge Loch-Wouters

From the higher MVC Cliffside Dr trailhead at the North bluff, you can head through hardwood forests lush with ferns and along a ridgewalk to a beautiful remnant prairie full of wildflowers. Continuing on the trail ends at a stunning outlook of southern Onalaska and views of the MN bluffs.

North overlook
Image -Nola Larson

The second, lower Greens Coulee trailhead at Stonebridge starts in a bit of a wetlands and heads steeply up on a trail that brings you past a municipal water structure to a great outlook looking to the southeast. The trail continues around the south bluff to another outlook. Then head north and take various spur trails to the north bluff with views of west Onalaska.

Mushroom rock
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

While there are also quarries and interesting rock formations along the trails, it is hard to see many of them except in winter. From the south bluff heading north, there is a great ridge walk up and through a remnant prairie that continues to one of the fun rock features (that you have to walk through a "buckthorn tunnel"" to get to). Halfway along this trail you come upon a huge dolomite mushroom rock. Winter is also a good time to seek this out when leaves are down (note microspikes are a must if you come north up the ridge trail to get there).

Descending with the
rope railing
Image - Greg Watson

If returning to the Stonebridge trailhead, hikers can choose the lower loop down from mushroom rock and take a shortcut down another steep spur that has a rope anchored down it as a railing to help you keep your footing. It is a fun feature and works for this very steep spur. You have to give those that maintain the trail credit for their work!

THE HIKE

If you like steep with the reward of views and goat prairie flowers, this is the bluff hike for you. There are enough trails and spurs to let you hike anywhere from 2-4 miles up and down between the two bluffs and scrambling up and down "shortcuts" and ridgewalks - plus around loops on logging trails and narrower spurs. The views are stellar; the rocks/quarries (when leaves are off) are fascinating and the goat and remnant prairies lush during the summer and fall months. 

Location: 

Stonebridge Ave parking area: From La Crosse, take Hwy 53 North to the Main St exit. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right at the light. At the roundabout turn onto Green Coulee Rd.* Go .6 mi to Clearwater Dr. Turn right and go .2 mi to Stonebridge Ave. Turn left and go .25 mi to the trailhead and a small parking lot on the right. 

MVC Clifford Dr parking area: Follow the directions above to *. Then go 1.25 mi and turn right on Clifford Dr. The trailhead is at the Clifford Dr cul-de-sac, and you may park there from May through October.

Image - Marge Loch-Wouters