Driftless Hiking Info Program Coming Up!

Wildcat Mountain (WI) State Park
Image - Lloyd Lorenz

On Wednesday, Nov 8 from 10am-noon at Whitewater State Park, I will be presenting a free program on hiking trails in the Driftless area hosted by the Friends of Whitewater State Park's H.O.P. (Healthy Older People) series. I hope you can come! No registration is needed.

The Driftless area and Driftless-adjacent areas are full of unique and diverse hiking trails and hiking experiences. 

So what's on tap at the program?

Discover well-known as well as more obscure trails that can be found in our nearby state parks, communities and rural areas. From bluffs to prairies, from wetlands to river's edge, from paved and flat to wild, rocky and steep, there's a trail perfect for everyone to hike in our area of MN and nearby in WI. 

We'll take a look at hikes perfect for retirees; families; active bluff and goat prairie climber/hikers; people recovering from illness and injury and more. And we'll touch on the wonders of hiking year-round.

I'll be sharing information about the proposed Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail, a backpacking trail project that hopes to connect from the Whitewater area all the way to the Mississippi River. And finally, you'll get a tour of my hiking blog and how best to access the info that matches your needs as you make your hiking plans.

I hope you can join me to share your favorite hikes and discoveries you've made in the Driftless too. You're bound to leave with a "hope-to-hike" list with hikes perfect for your needs and situation! And have fun learning about things that will shock, delight and get you back into nature with renewed enthusiasm.

Something spooky on
Lost Creek Trail, Chatfield
Image - Kris Lawson

Standing atop the "spinal column" rocks
at Reno Quarry, Brownsville MN
Image - Lloyd Lorenz

I Spy on the Trails - Weeks of Oct 15 and October 22, 2023

Temperatures for these two weeks started in the balmy mid-50s and headed into the 60s for a day or two. We have had some foggy starts to the days which makes blufftop hiking particularly notable not for the obscured views but for the lovely rolling fog coiling and roiling below the high bluffs. 

This last weekend finally brought the frost I’ve been expecting (plus some snowflakes) for the past few weeks and daytime temps in the 40s. Still, I can't help but feel we are in for another record warm month in October.

The autumn colors were on full display in our neck of the woods. One of the most stunning drives to see them is along the MN bluffs as you drive Hwy 61 between La  Crescent and Winona. The leaves have progressed from stunning bright blazing colors two weeks ago to the more muted golds, browns and russets of the last leaves this week. Wind and rain tell me even these leaves won’t last much longer.

I wasn’t alone in hitting the trails often during the past two weeks to enjoy the light filtering through the golden leaves. While most undergrowth has died back, the fungi and ferns are having a glorious time. It has made the past two weeks of hikes a marvelous experience. 

Wildflowers/Plants

• Yellow coneflower

  

  Crowded parchment mushroom

  
  
• Yarrow
• New England aster
• Hairy aster
• Calico aster
• Wild blue aster
• Smooth blue aster 
• Aromatic aster
• Brown-eyed Susan 
• Zigzag goldenrod
• Spinulose woodfern
• Lady fern
• Maidenhair fern
• Interrupted fern
• Evening primrose
• Goldenrod
• Fly agaric mushroom
• Resinous polypore 
• Puffballs
• Hairy curtain fungus
• Crowded parchment fungus
• Agueweed, species of dwarf gentian
• American bladder nut
• Sharp-lobed hepatica

Wildlife (seen/hear/detected)

Wooly caterpillar in a bootprint

• Wooly caterpillar
• Pileated woodpecker
• Black-capped chickadee
• Red-wing blackbird
• European starling
• Robin
• Nuthatch
• Bluebird

What are YOU noticing on your hikes?

Two weeks of hikes:  Great River Bluffs State Park, Nodine MN; Mathy Quarry Rim Trail, La Crosse WI; Coulee Experimental Forest, La Crosse County, WI; Riverside Park-Myrick Park Marsh Trail, La Crosse WI; Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent, MN; Reno Quarry, Brownsville MN; Appleblossom Overlook Park, Winona County MN; Lost Creek Trail, Chatfield MN

Image - Kris Lawson

All images, unless noted, Marge Loch-Wouters

Coulee Experimental State Forest (WI) Hike - Russlan Coulee Trailhead

At the trailhead expansive views of the forest

The Coulee Experimental State Forest is tucked away in the rolling hills near Bangor WI. According to the WI DNR's website, "this 3,000 acre forest is used for long-term forest watershed research studies to develop land management practices. Coulee accurately describes the area, as the forest has many deep gulches and ravines."

The forest features a number of trails that primarily follow old roads around the huge property. One road trailhead, the Russlan Coulee Road, actually was used to drive between Barre Mills and Bangor. As such it features old bridges and culverts - and a trailhead at each end of the forest where people drove between the two communities! 

Old roads create wide trails
perfect for hiking/skiing

These extensive roads create wide, easily walked - and for skiers in winter - easily skiied (groomed for both classic and skate ski) trails. These ski trails and hikes are primarily at the top of the bluff.  During warmer months, the trails are often mowed. We noticed on our most recent hike that one road had been upgraded and newly graveled. 

We chose a through-hike route rather than and out and back loop for this particular hike. We left one vehicle on the westside Russlan Coulee lower trailhead. Then we dropped off the other car at the Cty Rd II trailhead (opposite Antony Rd) at the top of the bluff and hit the trail.

Peak colors!

You can follow the gravel road on the hike or zig left into the woods on an old dirt road following the North Loop trail. It winds through a beautiful hardwood forest as well as pines. The trail rolls up and down as you wind along. After about a mile and a half, you emerge into an intersection of trails - one can take you down the other side of the bluff to the east Russlan Coulee trailhead near Bangor; one can take you further along the North Loop to additional trail spurs; one can take you down to the west Russlan Coulee trailhead.

We followed the rim for a bit of exploring before turning back and heading down the steep trail back to the weat Russlan Coulee trailhead. If we had done just a straight through-hike, I would guesstimate we would have had about a 2-2.5 mile hike. Ferns and fungi were out in profusion and we hit peak color so the hike was particularly beautiful on this sunny day.

THE HIKE

Great for listening for/spotting birds, prolific plant life (oh, those ferns) and a bumper crop of fungi, you can choose your own adventure on these trails during warmer months. While we did a 3.6 mile through-hike with some exploring added in, you can add or subtract miles depending on your choices. State-provided trail maps are somewhat confusing - not all trailheads are listed on each different map they provide online. An app like AllTrails can help. This forest has hunting so wearing bright colors during small game hunting seasons is highly recommended. I would not recommend this hike during gun deer season.

Location - La Crosse County WI

I can't say it better than the WI DNR page. Just a heads-up. There is currently (10/27/23) road construction on Hwy 162 of I-90 so the western entrance way is your best bet until that clears up.

All images -Marge Loch-Wouters

Hiking Groups - Try Them, You'll Like Them!

One of the pleasures I’ve found in hiking in the Driftless is discovering the MANY groups that exist around the area that coordinate or sponsor hikes. 

Driftless Drifters Hiking club pals on 
 Mathy Quarry's Snakeroot Trail
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

While I have always done a lot of hiking, it was mostly with family and a few close friends. My first weekly group experience was with our local Driftless Drifters back at it’s beginning in 2021. Sponsored by the La Crescent-Hokah Community Ed Department, the group opened my eyes to the many trails that I had never tried locally. 

Each hike was not only a discovery of new trails but a feast of information shared by the hikers themselves. Flower and plant identification, bird calls noted and birds named and spotted, insects noted, fungi found and identified. That sharing enriched the trail for me and piqued my curiosity. It's a big reason why I went ahead and became certified as a MN Master Naturalist. I wanted to know even more.

Winona's TakeAHike club and the Driftless Drifter's
Amblers meet for a joint hike at
Great River Bluff State Park
Image - Greg Watson

I joined other groups like the Driftless area's Blufflands Hiking group and Jabberwalkers. I also began meeting people in other groups like the La Crosse-based Trek-N-Treaters and Winona-based TakeAHike group. I have hiked with some of those groups and discovered even more trails to try and friends to meet. Becoming active in conservation clubs like the Sierra Club or Friends of a local nature center, state park or outdoor area also means you will find like-minded trail hounds. Women Who Hike - MN chapter has also been a rich well of hiking adventures and hiking meet-up possibilities. 

Plus meeting so many other people with a shared love of nature, the outdoors, phenological curiosity, adventure and challenge is great fun. Those friendships on the trail developed, for me, into a great network of hiking friends who are up for hikes any time of the week and year - not just during weekly hikes. I hike a couple of times a week with friends I've met from the groups I've participated in.

On the Levis Mound trail with the 
Blufflands Hiking group
Image - Steve Dawson

If you are looking to spark up your hiking and find new people to share the trails with I highly  recommend checking into what is happening in your community. Or starting your own group of nature lovers on the trail! 

Hiking friends from the Trek-N-Treaters hiking club
in La Crosse County's Coulee Experimental Forest
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

The world outside is waiting for you - and so are your new friends!

Hiking the Drifted - North Shore/BWCAW

Over the past four weeks, I twice found myself up on Minnesota's North Shore for hiking and paddling adventures lasting a week each. I always enjoy hiking areas with different geological characteristics. And much like hiking in the southwestern US, the North Shore has a ton of great geology and challenging hikes thanks to glaciers and the pyrotechnics of the land's formation.

The first week was primarily a paddling vacation with my canoeing buddies into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) out of Ely, MN. I was testing out my shoulder after a year-long rehab to see if 6 hour paddles and portaging our Wenonah canoe were still in my toolbox. Mission accomplished - they are. 

Can still portage and paddle!

The second week, my honey and I headquartered near Grand Marais for hikes and leaf-peeping in the Superior National Forest along the Gunflint Trail, in the Sawtooth Mountains and along Hwy 61.

I had plenty of great hiking adventures throughout those two weeks. These trails feature sharp, steep inclines and winding, twisting and often-tree-root-ridden trails. The evidence of the imperviousness of Canadian Shield rock screams at you as you tackle these trails. Finding "easy" or flat trails is a completely different venture than in the Driftless area. I find this hiking good for the soul and soles.

My hikes included:

Eighteen Lake

Eighteen Lake, Superior National Forest, Tofte District

Located near Isabella, MN off Hwy 1

This 2.9 mile hikes closely follows the shore of a small lake located in the Superior National Forest. Wetlands, hardwood forests, pines, small creeks and a few steep climbs to outlooks are all rolled up in this hike. The trail is clear although a bit overgrown in low-lying areas. The two or three steep climbs are primarily in the section to the right of the small (4 sites) rustic campground. The views are so worth it! I would rate this as moderate due to overgrowth on many parts of the trail and extremely steep hills to the outlook.

Dry Lake Trail

Dry Lake Trail,  Superior National Forest, Kawishiwi District

Located near Ely MN off Hwy 116

This is a loop trail but we decided to do an out-and-back after talking to hikers who said the northwest section of the loop was very difficult due to so many large rocks and exposed roots. We hiked 2.5 miles from the Basswood Lake trailhead and back. The trail is rolling and twisty with a number of outlooks along the way that give dramatic views of Basswood Lake. There is a small waterfall that was very dry this time of year but it was definitely a fun if challenging hike with elevation gains of 275 feet. I would rate this as moderate.

View from Wolf Rock

Wolf Rock, Superior Hiking Trail, Castle Danger to Gooseberry Segment

Located near Castle Danger, on Hwy 106, off Hwy 61

While this trail segment of the SHT heads approximately 9 miles to Gooseberry Falls, we were most interested in the very first half-mile section that leads to Wolf Rock. For a quick but steep hike, the reward is expansive views of Superior National Forest, Crow Creek Valley, Lake Superior and the Sawtooth Mountains. Not bad for a mile out-and-back!  Like almost all SHT segments, the trail up and down is seriously serious - but once up on the ridge the hike is easy - and those views!

My new fascination -
rockcap ferns at Topper Lake portage

Topper Lake Portage, BWCAW, Superior National Forest, Gunflint District

Off the Gunflint Trail, Forest Rd 317 (Mayhew Lk Rd)

A small sweet trail (especially sweet without a canoe to portage!) through wetlands and mixed forest features a huge boulder strewn area with ferns, lichen and moss growing everywhere. Less than a mile but a great stretch when driving up the trail to the Chik-Wauk Museum at the end or the Trail Center restaurant in the middle of the Gunflint Trail for the best malts and shakes around.

Divide Lake

Divide Lake Trail, Superior National Forest, Tofte District

Near Isabella MN, off 600 Rd.

Tucked deeply into the forest, this beautiful canoe lake straddles the Laurentian Divide. On one side of the Divide, the waters drain to Lake Superior; on the other, the waters drain to Hudson Bay (Divide Lake's waters drain to Superior). This 2.7 mile hike was probably the flattest of all these hikes. It meandered around the larger lake on the east side of the road. The trailhead is at the 3-site rustic campground. There are a number of benches along the trail that winds gently up and down through hardwood and pine forests. There is a backpack site to peek at on a spur off the trail. 

Temperance River Loop
Image - Lloyd Lorenz

Temperance River Loop, Temperance State Park

Near Silver Bay on Hwy 61

A popular hike is best done on a cool early morning with rain threatening. It guarantees few to no people on the whole trail! This 2.5 mile hike starts dramatically following the falls and gorges of the Temperance River as you climb and clamber up rocks and rock stairs to a multitude of stone-fenced lookouts along the first 1/4 mile of the trail. The Gitchi-Gami bike path crosses the trail at the bridge. From there you continue to ascend as the river slows. Continuing on this 2.7 mile loop, you once more climb steeply to another set of falls (more difficult to see) before turning and heading through gorgeous hardwood forest to rejoin the gorge trail for the final quarter mile back to the trailhead. The iconic stone fences and amazing views and the seldom-hiked back part of the loop keeps this hike as one our favorite of the massively used state park trails on the North Shore.

All images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Plans Afoot - Backpacking Trail in Southeastern MN

 

Marty Walsh has a dream! 

While working in community development in Fillmore County, Walsh was looking over maps of the county and surrounding areas. He realized that there were many areas of public land that could be utilized - along with private land used with permission - to make a 100 mile backpacking/hiking trail between Chatfield MN and the Mississippi River near Brownsville MN.

Marty was inspired by the Lost Creek Trail (Chatfield MN) that 7 landowners developed and built cooperatively between Chatfield and Jordan Township. He also thought about backpacking trails like Ice Age Trail, Superior Hiking Trail and other trails that wind through state and national forest land and along connecting roadways and landowner and campground easements.  It could be done!

And so the Minnesota Driftless Hiking Trail effort began. 

The MDHT vision: "a 100+ mile backpacking trail across the Driftless area of Minnesota in the style of the National Scenic and Recreational Trails, supported by volunteers and operating as an independent organization."

The gray area in the proposed corridor below outlines all areas within which the trail could run, depending on landowner agreements to cross property or the use of only public land and paved roads. 

Nothing is set in stone at this point. Alot of the direction the trail will take depends on ongoing work spreading the word and connecting to agencies, working with the MN DNR, landowners and other local, state and national trail associations to see what could work in southeastern MN. At the moment, everything is in flux. The goal for the trail is to have it develop in a way that involves willing  participants and volunteers who are excited to see this trail developed and come through their area. So far so good!

This is a project that needs lots of volunteers and cooperating landowners. Over the past three years, MDHT has developed a solid leadership team of skilled volunteers, gotten agreements from 20 land owners along the corridor (with more in the pipeline), engaged with communities, nature centers, campgrounds and more to grow the network of possibility. 

Marty Walsh and Andy Petzold 
on "test run for proposed MDHT, June 2022
Image -Marty Walsh

In June 2022, MDHT folks did a "test" hike along a 25 mile segment of what could become part of the trail. They hiked only on existing trails, public lands and connecting roadways. They were looking at the possibilities for camping on the trail, water access, how the trails were - and, of course, enjoyed the incredible views, wet stream crossings and boots on these trails. The test run - to prove this trail could work  - was a success.

The MDHT board is currently engaged in filing for non-profit status. In addition, they submitted a $425,000 project to fund trail building supplies, print materials and an executive director for three years through the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund (half of all MN lottery ticket sales go to this fund)  The Legislative Citizen Committee on MN Resources has included the MDHT in their FY2024 Funding Recommendation. The LCCMR recommendation will be voted on by the MN legislature in February or March (with the money available July 2024 if the recommendation is successfully passed).  

The leadership team has also spent a great deal of time working with the MN DNR on exploring legal agreements and leases for parts of the trail that they hope to have on state lands. This work in particular is delicate because of the scope of land uses supported in the State Forest lands.

The overall goal is by 2027 to have the basic trail set and maps of the trail (including connecting roads) so people can hike. While work will need to be done beyond that date (think of this as a 20 year project), the basic plan would be in place.

Ambitious? Maybe. But if you attended Marty's update in February this year at Eagle Bluff Environmental Center in Lanesboro, you can see the steady progress being made. My notes from that February 11 presentation in Lanesboro and the more recent October 14 update in Caledonia reflect that.

You can support the work the work in a number of ways: donations; buying cool merch and signing up for the newsletter. Let your MN legislative rep know that you are in support of the MDHT project in the Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund recommendations that comes up for a vote this coming spring. If you know landowners in the corridor, speak to them and encourage them to reach out to the MDHT folks through the website. If you live in the corridor shown in the graphic above, you can also host a presentation by Marty to help spread the information about the trail to local folks in your community. 

There are also opportunities to collect data on formal trails and features: parking lots, logging roads, hunter trails - as well as informal ones like social camps, game trails etc. It helps the MDHT folks to better know the existing routes in State Forests and on private land. Maps can be mailed in.gpx format to MNDriftlessHikingTrail@gmail.com

All these ways big and small will help make this dream a reality!

from the MN Driftless Hiking Trail website

I Spy on the Trails - Weeks of Oct 1 and October 8, 2023

It’s been a long and languorous fall. We received some rain over the past two weeks (and a lot going into this weekend) which got the lawns around town pretty excited. Temperatures finally began to hit our more usual 50s-60s F and a first nip of frost here and there brought us briefly into the mid-30s. A precipitous 2 week drop! While some mourn the cooler days, I welcome the crisper temps I hope are coming. With September on record as one of the hottest months world-wide, we are seeing real-time results of accelerating climate change.

I spent some time up on the North Shore on MN this past week and was treated to some new plants and fungi. It was really pleasant driving back and forth and seeing the colors change as we headed north than back south on the 350 mile trip. 

I came across a lovely blog post from the Friends of the Blufflands this week. Written by Jon Rigden, it talks about this time of year and the profusion of asters along the trails. Each flower gets it's special time and, for asters, its now.

Also profuse this year are the acorns!  From the Driftless up through MN’s northwoods, we have been crunching over oodles of acorns on our hardwood forest trail hikes. The oaks are having a “mast” year where an oak might produce up to 10.000 acorns rather than the more usual 2000. Mast years occur in an irregular cycle about every 5 years. During mast years, the oaks slow their growth and put all their energy into seed production. What is particularly curious is that oaks across wide regions seem to synchronize their mast seeding. While people often attribute this to a coming colder winter or drought year, scientists are still studying exactly why and how this is happening. For now, let’s just say it’s a wonder of nature.

The vegetation continues to die back along the trails and the birds are more silent. Warblers appear to be flitting quickly through. We are still waiting for the bulk of the geese and swan migrations that peaks in late October and through November. 

Colors in the Driftless are just starting to peak but the frost may turbo-charge the color. Be sure to get to rim trails and overlooks these next few weeks to soak up the colors of the final party thrown by the trees. No one wants to miss that!

Wildflowers

Rockcap ferns crown a huge boulder
in the BWCAW

• Blue-wood aster
• Calico aster
• White snakeroot
• Lady fern
• Maidenhair fern
• Interrupted fern
• Rockcap fern
• Evergreen wood fern
• Spinulose woodfern 
• Long beechfern
• Lady fern
• Sweet fern
• Agueweed, a dwarf gentian
• Sky blue aster
• Smooth blue aster
• Hoary alyssum 
• Harebell
• Hairy aster
• Aromatic aster
• Yarrow
• Chicory
• Indian grass
• Big bluestem
• Heal-all
• Golden pholiata fungi
• Prickly tree clubmoss

Wildlife (seen, heard, detected)

Pelicans along the Mississippi
from Great River Bluffs State Park

• Blue Jay
• Pelicans
• Pileated woodpecker
• Northern flicker
• Black-capped chickadee
• Cardinal
• Winter ween
• Yellow-rumped warbler
• Palm warbler

What are YOU noticing on your hikes?

Two weeks of hikes:  Great River Bluffs State Park, Nodine MN; Sugar Creek Bluff, Ferryville WI; Vetsch Park, La Crescent MN; Goose Island Wigwam Slough, La Crosse, WI; Reno Quarry, Reno WI; Aldo Leopoldo Center and Ice Age Trail Baraboo segment, Baraboo, WI; BWCAW Topper Lake portage, Superior National Forest, MN; Wolf Point Lookout, Superior Hiking Trail, Castle Danger, MN; Temperance River Loop trail, Temperance River State Park, Tofte MN

Image - Lloyd Lorenz

All images - Marge Loch-Wouters, unless noted

Naturalist's Corner - Fall Spider Work

Welcome to our new, occasional column that takes a deeper look at the natural world we see around us as we hike. Our guest writer today is Tracey Koenig, purveyor of interesting tidbits. Tracey is a retired nature center director currently living in Wisconsin.  Always interested in the natural world, Tracey shares her nature knowledge to help others understand the natural world around them.

Eensy-Weensy spider - well, not so much in October!

As we begin the wind-down from fall toward winter in the upper Midwest, you may have noticed that there are spider webs and spiders everywhere you look!  They seem to have appeared out of nowhere and they are huge!  So where have they been? 

These spiders have been there all along, but they start out the year as tiny little spiders.  Suddenly, about the middle of August, you find them everywhere.  In this neck of the woods, spider life cycles are usually limited to one summer, so their life cycle is on a deadline! 

The huge spiders you see in webs at this time of year are females.  They are eating and growing in advance of making the egg sacs that will protect the spider eggs through the winter.  Where is Dad all this time?  Look closely in the web for a small spider - that’s Dad.  Some female spiders eat the male right after mating.  

A be-dewed orb weaver web

The two most common spiders we see here in the upper Midwest are the orb weavers and the funnel web spiders.  Orb weavers include the beautiful black and yellow garden spider (Argiope aurantia).  As a kid growing up in Ohio, we always called them “Zipper Spiders”.  Take a look at their web and the reason for the name will become clear.  Every year an industrious Zipper Spider would weave her web across the front door of our house.  My mom would announce that the front door was now off limits, and we should all come and go through the garage. 

Zipper spiders are fun to watch on their webs.  If she senses something nearby that concerns her, she will vibrate the web, so it swings in and out in an attempt to ward off whatever it is that she is worried about.  You can encourage her to vibrate the web if you gently blow on the “zipper”.  You can “feed” her if you capture some insects (taking into consideration the size of the web and spider.  Prey that is too big can destroy the web).  Just toss the insect into the web and stand back. You’ll be treated to a demonstration of how this spider wraps its prey in silk.  There are several species of orb weavers in this area, and all have round “marble-like” bodies and beautiful circular webs.

Funnel Spider web.
Though hard to see in this image,
the funnel descends to the right
above the twist in the lower part of the image

Funnel web spiders are also very common, though their unique web is not often seen.  They will spin a flat web for catching prey and add a funnel at a corner where the spider hides until something in the web needs attention.  You can see sheet-like funnel webs on top of grass, on top of shrubs, and anywhere the combination of flat surface and corners is perfect for web construction.  When you’re out and about, look at corners of structures to find the female waiting for prey.

What happens to the spider over winter?  Yellow garden spiders (and other orb weavers) make one to several egg sacs that survive the winter, but the female dies when her job is complete.  Male funnel web spiders die after they have mated.  The female creates the egg sac and then dies as winter is setting in.  Egg sacs of both species produce young in the spring, and the cycle begins again. 

Images - Marge Loch-Wouters

Reno Quarry (MN) Hike

The south view from the top

Located in Minnesota's Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest in the Reno Recreation area, this easily-accessed, short set of trails results in some spectacular river and bluff views and unique rock formations. 

The trailhead is near the top of the bluff about a mile off MN Hwy 26. As you head up to it, you pass a few homes and then enter the forest. There is a campground to the left but just keep heading up the road until just before a sharp left-hand bend in the road, you spot a gate with a small parking lot to the left of it. 

Fire ring and "Flintstone 
Furniture" on quarry floor

The trail begins by the gate. Head north along the old-logging road and you soon make a sharp turn (south) to the right and begin a steady ascent up to the quarry itself. The woods along this first part of the trail are alive with wild flowers and ferns through most of the growing season. Along the way on your left, you will begin to see sharp drop-offs on private land and the beginnings of the rock face of the bluff as well. 

Soon you emerge into the quarry itself.  It is a well-used area with "Flintstone furniture," a large homemade fire ring, some graffiti and some trash (I try to come prepared with a small trash bag). There are some small, steep spur trails here and there to access the rock wall, although I didn't take the time or risk to explore them much. There is plenty of room to wander and explore on the flat stone quarry floor.

The north view at top of quarry

If you continue upward on the main trail for a few more hundred feet and turn left, you end up at the top of the quarry itself with a spectacular view of the bluffs and Mississippi River to the north. The trail ends here at a fence to prevent access to the quarry top.

The money view though, in my opinion, is still to come. Head back down towards the trail but go straight rather than turn right. You quickly emerge onto a point in a goat prairie remnant with expansive views of the Mississippi River, the Reno Spillway and its floodplain forests, Wisconsin river bluffs and MN bluffs. During spring and fall waterfowl migration, it's not unusual to have swans and geese flying just over your head on their migration routes. The rocks and grass provide ample seating to give you time to soak up the incredible views.

Enjoying the views on the outlook - including swans migrating

Atop the "spinal column" rocks

Once you turn around and head back down again, you come to an intersection (where you originally turned to your right). Follow the trail north and then up towards the river. There you will find a unique rock formation that, from a distance, might remind you of a human spinal column. Made up of alternating layers of limestone and sandstone, these columns again afford a panoramic view of the river and WI bluffs. You can easily scramble to the top of these columns to soak up the views. Fifty feet or so down the trail from these, you can get great camera shots of people standing on these unique flat-topped columns.

You can follow the trail slightly further north where it descends down into the woods and bushwhack back through the woods on the faintly outlined old logging/quarry road or head back directly from the outlook on the established trail.

These trails aren't regularly maintained so summer hiking is pretty overgrown and there are deadfalls to go around or over in all seasons. Spring and fall when growth is new or dying back are ideal. This is a hunting area so be aware of MN hunting seasons and wear blaze colors as you hike.

THE HIKE

My favorite rocks on my favorite hike
Image - Lloyd Lorenz

This 2.5 mile hike has about a 250 foot elevation gain. It starts high up on the bluff so the views of the river, bluffs and rock formations make it a hike that even older kids can do. The first part of the hike up to the quarry and higher outlooks is the steepest. The trail down to the "spinal column" rocks is fairly level and great for a short amble - definitely more family-friendly as well. The trails tend to be overgrown during the summer so spring and fall when vegetation has died back or is just emerging is ideal. It's also the best time to try to catch swan and geese migration on the wing  (early mornings and evenings).

Location

Heading south from La Crescent, take Hwy 26 about 20 miles or so until you see a sign for "Reno Recreation Area" on your right. Turn right at Hillside Dr and follow that about a mile up the road until you see a gate with a small 3-4 car parking lot ringed by stones to the left of the gate (before a sharp left-hand bend in the road). The trailhead begins behind the gate.

Unless noted, all images - Marge Loch-Wouters

Brownsville (MN) Bluff Field Trip

Heading up the hill prairie's steep slope

Thanks to the Coulee Region chapter and the MN Driftless chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts, an enthusiastic group of prairie buffs had the privilege of hiking an iconic bluff behind Brownsville in late August. This steep hill prairie is privately owned. But Dave and Laurie opened up their prairie so we could hike it and hear about the planned restoration work to return this beautiful prairie remnant to its full glory.

The Prairie Enthusiasts write about these small islands of remnant prairie that exist throughout the Driftless area: "Hill prairies are island-like patches of prairie vegetation that occurring on otherwise wooded steep slopes. This prairie vegetation usually occurs only on the slopes, where a combination of factors such as the south to west-facing slope aspect, steep slope angle, dry prevailing winds, and well-drained soil result in droughty conditions. Other common names for hill prairies include bluff prairies, goat prairies, and prairie openings. Hill prairies likely never formed large, continuous belts, but were fragmented by forested ravines that dissect the uplands."

We started in a heavily wooded area and then headed up the steep prairie while learning about the history of the property, the partnerships that are happening to remove invasives and the importance of timber rattlers in the ecological balance of the prairie.

The "big" views were spectacular...

...so were the small views -
cyclindrical blazing star

Along the way we were treated to an array of prairie plants and grasses - mountain mint, prairie goldenrod, cylindrical blazing star, yellow flax, naked sunflower, mustache grass, blue flax, blooming Indian grass, leadplant and more. Hikers from both the Prairie Enthusiast chapters stopped and talked about these plants and helped identify many as we stepped carefully around them.

The hike finished returning to the woods along the blufftop where we saw an effigy mound and then continued down through the woods on old logging roads to the start.

The hike was a valuable learning experience as well as a darn good aerobic climb. My fascination with prairie remnant preservation and restoration only grows as I attend these fascinating hike-and-learn opportunities. I look forward to seeing this prairie in a few years after more restoration work is done.

All images - Marge Loch-Wouters

Let's Get Hiking - and Learning! October 2023

Great River (MN) State Park
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

It's fall and there are still plenty of learning opportunities available in the Driftless and nearby areas. What kind of events are happening that you can take advantage of to extend your learning about the natural world?

Guided Bird Hike on Sand Point Trail   Saturday Oct 7     8:00 am - 

Frontenac (MN) State Park. Meet in the Hwy. 61/County Road 2 parking lot/rest stop.. We’ll walk through the riparian forest and along the shoreline and hope to see fall migrating warblers as well as resident birds, including waterfowl, terns, gulls and shorebirds. The 2-mile loop is flat and well-maintained. This walk can take two to four hours, depending on how many birds we see, but you can leave at any time. Bring your binoculars. No need to register, but if you have questions, email janetmalotky@gmail.com. Sponsor: Frontenac State Park Association.

Prairie Stargazing Walk    Saturday Oct 7   7:00-9:00pm

Tunnelville Cliffs. Join us for an evening outdoors with a guided walk to discover the planets, stars, and galaxies of the fall evening sky on the hilltop trail at the Tunnelville Cliffs nature preserve in Vernon County. The easy short walk on a relatively flat trail will include observation of night life on the prairie and in the sky. Advanced registration by 4pm Oct 6 is required. Sponsor: Mississippi Valley Conservancy.

Hike with Naturalist Bruce Ause  Saturdays Oct 7-28    10am (sharp) - 11:00 am-ish  

Frontenac (MN) State Park. Meet for an hour-long hike by the new shower building and learn a ton  from Bruce about the changing natural word around you. He makes every hike an adventure in learning. You can read more about Bruce in this month's  Frontenac State Park Association newsletter. Sponsor: Frontenac State Park Association.

Exploring Wanhi Yukan (Grand Meadow Chert Quarry)   Wednesday Oct 11  10:00 am - noon

Whitewater (MN) State Park. Tom Trow will share about the Grand Meadow Chert Quarry Archaeological and Cultural Preserve, located northwest of Grand Meadow, MN. Among the scattered trees of this prairie site are 100 chert quarry pits, large holes left just as they were when dug by Native Americans seeking stone for making tools, between 400 and 3,000 years ago. Today, management of the site is the responsibility of the Mower County Historical Society and the Prairie Island Indian Community, with environmental assistance from the Mower County Soil and Water Conservation District and staff from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Sponsor: Friends of Whitewater State Park

Off the Beaten Path Hike   Saturday October 14    Noon - 3:00pm

Whitewater State Park. Join us on a crisp fall hike to points unknown. Whitewater has a few spectacular views that have remained hidden from even the most seasoned visitor. During this hike we will leave the trails behind us, as we venture out into a little used part of the park. No dogs allowed. Distance 3.2 Miles, Elev. Gain 350ft.  Reservations are required. Email Jeremy.darst@state.mn.us or call 507-312-2301. Sponsor: Whitewater (MN) State Park.

Tree Steward Training  Saturday, October 14        9:00am - 1:00pm

La Crescent will be hosting a Tree Steward training. Completing the training is a great opportunity to learn more about tree varieties, tree science, and tree care. You will have opportunities to volunteer within the community to be stewards of the city's tree stock - and learn a ton about how to care for your own trees! Registration required. The cost is $25.  Sponsor: City of La Crescent MN

Buckthorn Blast    Saturday October 14    9:00am -noon

Wildcat Mountain (WI) State Park. This invasive tree has taken over many natural areas in Wisconsin. Help us stomp it out at Wildcat before it can spread through our woodlands. This is an ideal time of year to spot it, as well as invasive honeysuckle, since they both keeps their leaves longer than native trees and shrubs.Meet at the Lower Picnic Area Shelter (canoe launch). Wear sturdy footwear and bring drinking water and gloves. No experience or expertise is needed, just a willingness to make a difference!

Sponsor: Wildcat Mountain State Park

Geo-Walk at Chimney Rock    Thursday Oct 19    1:00-2:00 pm

Whitewater (MN) State Park. On this hike, we will travel through time to learn about the geologic processes that formed the beautiful Whitewater River Valley. Find out how oceans, glaciers and raging rivers have shaped this landscape.Distance - 0.7 Miles, Elevation Gain 200 ft. Uneven surfaces. Sponsor: Whitewater (MN) State Park.

Crane Roosting Tour at Crex Meadows  Friday Oct. 20    4:30-7pm

Learn about sandhill crane ecology, then caravan through Crex Wildlife Refuge during sunset hours to watch thousands of cranes come to their nightly roost. Fundraiser for Bird Protection Fund. / Family Friendly. Nearest town: Grantsburg, Burnett Co. / Leaders: Lauren Finch  $33/adults; $23/Child Sponsor: WI Natural Resources Foundation Field Trips

Tips & Tricks to Mastering Waterfowl ID    Saturday October 21   9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Get to know the ducks, geese, and swans of the Mississippi River flyway. Learn tips and tricks for waterfowl identification in an indoor classroom, then venture to iconic Pools 8 and 9 on the Mississippi River to hone your skills during the peak of waterfowl migration. / Family Friendly Ages 12+ Nearest town: La Crosse, La Crosse Co. / Leaders: Brenda Kelly, Scott Kelly.  $18/adults; $8/child  Sponsor: WI Natural Resources Foundation Field Trips

Guided Forest Bathing Walk  Sunday October 29  1:00-3:00pm

Whitewater (MN) State Park. Join park naturalist and certified Nature & Forest Therapy Guide, Sara Holger, for our monthly forest bathing walk at Whitewater State Park. These gentle walks incorporate mindfulness activities and meet standards for the Walk with Ease program of the Arthritis Foundation. To sign up, email sara.holger@state.mn.us or call 507-312-2301. Sponsor: Whitewater (MN) State Park.

Hands-on Buckthorn Removal  Saturday November 4   10am -

Frontenac (MN) State Park. A hands-on lesson on removing buckthorn will be held at the park at 10 a.m. “Invasive Species Management: Buckthorn Removal” is a free, family-friendly event on removing that darned buckthorn from the wild – AND from your yard. Meet at park headquarters at 10 a.m., then we’ll hike to the work site. Please wear gloves, tear-resistant clothing and sturdy footwear. And if you own a lopper, bring it along. Sponsor: Frontenac State Park Association.

Be sure to check often with local hiking groups, universities, naturalist-interest groups, nature conservancies, nature centers and their Friends groups, state parks, US Fish and Wildlife centers and others in your area to see what is on offer to help you understand the natural world around you better.