Hiking Ideas During the Freeze/Thaw Cycle

First snow at
Apple Blossom Overlook Park

This blog post is also the January 2024 edition of  my phenology series "I Spy on the Trails." Phenology is the observation of day-to-day and week-to-week changes in the natural world and the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals.

I have weather whiplash! Snow you want? Snow you get! Bitter cold you want? Bitter cold you get! Hot you want? Hot you get! Oh and did I mention days of fog. Yes, that too!

Well, perhaps you don't want, but that is exactly what January dealt us. A week of snow and then a week of bitter cold. Followed by an extended January thaw with dense fog and overnight temperatures 20-30 degrees above normal to end the month. 

One of the five strongest El Niños since 1950 is having it's way across the nation and the Driftless region is not exempt. Tie that in with a warming climate and we get a winter (or non-winter as the case may be) like this year.

This comes on the heels of last year. 2023 temperatures were sobering. - the hottest in human recorded history. The Washington Post recently had an article on this (and if you can't access it, the Verge also discussed this worrying trend).

Excellent drifts at 
Apple Blossom Overlook Park

We depend on subzero temperatures to kill off invasive insect species larvae during the winter (think emerald ash-borer). I can't say that the polar vortex that descended for a week and kept wind chills in the minus 20s and 30s is actually going to do that bug-killing now that the thaw is extending into February and predicted to bring temps in the 40s-50s.

From my observations and experience, it was a frustrating January. While I could easily hike well into the month on the firm frozen snowless trails, a small snowstorm with "just-barely" snowshoe-worthy snow and a larger storm with awesome 6-8 inches ready-made for snowshoeing were FINALLY just being enjoyed before the polar cold slowed down outdoor play.

Ice on Halfway Creek

With current diminishing snow cover and muddy trails, I am cautious on what trails I pick to hike on. When I leave muddy prints or go off-trail to avoid wet spots, I am contributing to erosion and deterioration of the trails. Traditionally, I confine my hikes to areas that are grassy, paved or graveled during a freeze-thaw cycle I wrote about recently.

Below are some hiking alternatives if the thaw continues and you are leaving muddy prints in the Driftless area. They feature grass, gravel, asphalt or concrete trails. While the freeze/thaw period will never be my favorite hiking time, it gives me a chance to still experience the outdoors and nature while preserving trails.

• Goose Island Park along the roads near Wigwam Slough and down the slough trail south of the campground.
• La Crosse Marsh Trails (access from Myrick Park near the dog park on N. East St off  La Crosse St or by the Nature Place; or at Riverside International Garden for paved trail: [Note: this trail is closed for construction from 7th St to Lang Dr where Willow Trail begins as of January 2024. No word on when the project will be completed.])
• Chad Erickson Park, La Crosse
• Riverside Park, La Crosse
• Pettibone Park roads, La Crosse
• Lytle's Landing, Brice Prairie (or other graveled bike trails in the area)
• Apple Blossom Overlook Park, Dakota MN
• Sugar Creek Bluff, Ferryville WI
• McGilvrey 7 Bridges, New Amsterdam WI
• Halfway Creek Park, Holmen WI
• Holland Sand Prairie, Holland WI
• Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge trails (especially the dike trails), Trempealeau WI
• Lake Park Walk, Winona MN
• Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent MN

Off-trailing at Mertes Slough

I included lots of snowy pictures from the January snow adventures I squeezed in to keep our hopes up.  If you can, think SNOW so we can get out there yet this truncated winter and enjoy some true snowplay on the trails! 

Meanwhile don't let the sloppy weather keep you inside. Hit some of the above trails.

A Month of hikes: Lytle's Landing, Brice Prairie WI; MacGilvray Seven Bridges, New Amsterdam WI; Apple Blossom Overlook Park, Dakota MN; Veteran’s Park, West Salem WI; La Crosse River Conservancy, Onalaska WI; Upper Hixon Forest, Stinky/Chicanery Trails, La Crosse WI; Mertes Slough, Winona MN; Halfway Creek, Holmen WI; La Crosse Marsh trails, La Crosse WI; Riverside Park, La Crosse WI

A pileated woodpecker visits our feeder