If you are looking for a good challenging climb and don't mind trails that have seen many boots, this Mississippi Valley Conservancy/city of La Crosse Park and Rec property is for you. On a fairly short 2.8 mile out-and-back hike, you gain over 400 feet of elevation.
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| A typical rooty section of trail Image - Marge Loch-Wouters |
The trail is known as the Ridge Crest Trail in the AllTrails app and signage to that effect is now on the trail itself. The trail starts in the lower part of the bluff along a shaded, small stream. Once you cross over it on the bridge, you are on an old logging road that climbs rapidly towards the ridge top. This well-used trail has experienced quite a bit of erosion on it's old logging road sections as well as it's narrower ridge sections. The roots can make for rugged hiking.
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| Rock formations on the ridge trail Image - Marge Loch-Wouters |
The rewards though! There is an outstanding narrow ridge walk that just keeps climbing through the hardwood forests and some rocky features. You hike past 1-2 tough dolomite caps still topping the mostly sandstone formations. The sandy surface on parts of this trail speak to the primarily sandstone make-up of the bluff.
There is plenty of birdsong here and hide-and-seek peeks of the city far below that tantalize you along the trail. The trail up, and including most of the ridge walk, is well-shaded.
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| Prairie reward at the top Image - marge Loch-Wouters |
Once at the top of the ridge, you walk through a meadow alive with pollinator flowers. Mid-summer and into fall are when the native flowers are a riot of color. You can see bee balm, sunflowers, golden Alexander, Queen Ann's Lace, compassflowers, coneflowers, asters and so much more depending on the season of your hike.
In the prairie, there is a bench overlooking the river and city. You have to peek through powerlines here to get that view and a view of Cliffwood bluff and the tiniest hint of Grandad's bluff to the north.
In spring, winter, fall and early summer, there is a small, easily-accessed spur trail behind the bench that heads east-southeast through woods and a bit of prairie to another overlook featuring expansive views of a nearby valley, a Catholic shrine and and Mt La Crosse, a local ski hill. At the height of summer, this trail can be overgrown and tough to navigate (it helps to LOVE brambles and berry bushes if you want to grab this view) but the view is something else!
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| Waterford Valley Overlook Image - Greg Watson |
The woods walk has a great selection of wildflower ephemerals in spring and plenty of ferns and undergrowth in the summer, and the little creek at the beginning and end of the hike is always a special treat as well.
THE HIKE:
A 2.8 mile out-and-back trail takes you steeply up on a shaded old logging trail to a narrow ridgetop trail along the top of the bluff. The trail continues on to a meadow prairie and overlook with a bench. The overlook to the city view is somewhat obstructed by tall powerline poles. A smaller, nearby spur trail then takes you to another more spectacular outlook. This trail is not well-maintained and can be overgrown in the height of summer. The eroded, rooty trails and obstructed outlook at the top keep this off my top trails list. But if you are looking for a good aerobic work-out, this non-switchback, pretty-much-straight-shot-up may be for you!
The Location: Easter Road, La Crosse WI
From the intersection of Losey Blvd and Ward Ave, head east from the roundabout on Ward Ave to 33rd St. Turn right on 33rd and follow it south to Park Lane Dr. Turn left and go to Maple Drive. Turn right and go one block to Easter Rd and turn left. At the fork in the road, stay right and follow Easter Rd to a parking lot on the right about 1/4 mile up.
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