La Crosse River Marsh Trails (WI) Hike

With warm temperatures in the past few weeks, I was drawn back to a series of favorite hikes that take one through great swaths of the La Crosse wetlands east of the Mississippi River and surrounding the La Crosse River in the heart of La Crosse. These flat trails, many of them paved, are easy and level and provide miles of trails along the wetlands to walkers, runners, bikers and those with strollers in any season.

There are a number of trailheads in this network of trails. Riverside Park and Myrick Park are the main access points to the trails that I use. 

Leaving from near the International Gardens on the north side of Riverside Park gets you on a 1.3 mile series of paved sections. Keep to the right on the Vietnam Veterans trail and head along the La Crosse River and under the Copeland Ave overpass to a lovely section that is alive with migrating warblers in the spring. You cross a bridge and have great views of wildlife in the wetlands high above the river. 

The next section is the Willow trail which you join one under the Lang Dr overpass. It follows brushier wetlands and a floodplain forest where turtles, herons and egrets can often be spotted. The La Crosse River often floods at the end of this trail so in high water you might have to turn back. If you are good to go, you intersect at the end of this trail with the Grand Crossing, another paved section. 

Turn to the left to cross a bridge and follow it 1/2 mile past ducks, frogs, waterfowl and more in this floodplain forest section. You end at a sidewalk and can retrace your steps. If you turn to the right at the Willow intersection onto Grand Crossing, you head another 1/2 mile through a wide wetlands swath with expansive views of the WI bluffs. The trail ends by a dog park or...

... continue to the left along the south end of the wetlands to Myrick Park and pick up the unpaved section of the Cottonwood trail. Here you find open water and wildlife aplenty. There is a helpful sign identifying bluff names along the way and two viewing decks on a spur on the east side of the trail. The trail winds along the marsh for 1/2 past some benches until it rejoins the Grand Crossing trail. This unpaved trail is well-used and suffers from erosion during the freeze-thaw cycle and spring.

A final part of the trail is little used and the only challenging section - the unpaved Wood Duck trail HUGS the south end of the marsh before going under Hwy 16 and continuing. You can follow the loop and return or continue and emerge near the parking lot for the lower Hixon trails.

Doing some part of any of these flat trails is interesting in any season. While paved, I note that the1.3 mile Jim Asfoor section goes past an encampment of unhoused people during some seasons.

The Friends of the La Crosse River Marsh is an advocacy group that supports the efforts of the city of La Crosse in maintaining the marsh. They also successful advocated for decades against a proposed road planned by WIDOT to be run through the marsh. Protecting this vital wetland and educating people about it has been core principles of this group. 

THE HIKE(S)

A series of flat trails that run through the heart of La Crosse reveal the beauty and wildlife on display in the La Crosse River Marsh year-round. Approximately 6 miles of trails connect within the marshland and floodplain forest. The trails provide habitat for birds, mammals, waterfowl, and amphibians. Heavily used by the nearby college community and walkers, runners, bikers makes it a great place to greet other trail users throughout the year. Trails can be done as out-and-back or combined to make loops of any length.

The Locations - two trailhead access points. Check the map linked above for others.

• Myrick Park - 2107 La Crosse St, La Crosse - drive down toward the Nature Place parking lot on the north end of the park
• Riverside Park - 100 block of S. State St., La Crosse - enter the park and drive until just before the curve on the right. Enter the parking lot near the International Gardens and park at the east end.

All images - Marge Loch-Wouters