Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge - Two Bottomlands Trail Hikes

Beaver lodge on Oxbow Dike

This huge wildlife refuge has a number of trails that are right down in the bottomlands and backwaters of the Mississippi. Migratory bird action is always significant in the Refuge and the trails give you incredible access to them. Again these gravel trails, especially on the dike portion, are good bets for later winter/early spring walks when the ground is mushy and muddy elsewhere.

This post will focus on two trails, Oxbow Dike Trail and the River Bottom Road Trail that share a trailhead at the southwestern side of the refuge off WI Hwy 35/54 at the River Bottom Access trailhead. The first 1/4 mile of each hike is shared and takes you through a dense bottomland forest stand. The trails diverge at that point.

Oxbow Dike Trail
Take a left and you will follow the Oxbow Dike into a large open floodplain lake and wetlands. The trail is an out-and-back 3 mile trail up to a set of railroad tracks. The dike trail takes you through large open bottomlands forest area and waterways that are alive with birds and wildlife. There is a bench about halfway along the dike.  You can spot beaver lodges and muskrat houses along with eagle's nests. Spring frog song and migratory birds bring a chorus of noise during the spring. There are stunning views of bluffs along this trail as well. This portion of the trail features wide views of the backwaters and bluffs.

18-20 ft. high active eagle's nest
Image - Kris Lawson

My favorite part of this part of the hike hike is getting a good glimpse of a truly massive "high-rise" eagle's nest across the water. This is what the National Eagle Center in Wabasha writes about it saying this is "the largest nest we are aware of in the region around La Crosse, WI, Winona, MN, and Wabasha, MN. It sits amid the Upper Mississippi River Wildlife and Fish Refuge and it is both very old and MASSIVE! Once again, this nest is active! There are records of this nest going back at least 30 years and it is likely even older than that. It is around 18-20 feet in height and likely weighs in the range of 2000-3000 lbs! It is an incredible feat of construction and amazing to consider that Bald Eagles are able to weave together sticks and grasses so sturdily without the use of hands."

River Bottom Road Trail

Along the River Bottom trail

This 2.75 (or 3) mile out-and-back trail meanders along waterways, bottomlands and floodplain forests. This trail brings you up close and personal with wildlife and waterfowl. When I hiked the trail recently in early March with friends, we spotted turtles, a sandhill crane, a muskrat (whose progress underwater we could follow in the clear waters), a red-shouldered hawk, flocks of pelicans and eagles.

Because this trail is further away from the highway, it was a quieter walk and birdsong and waterfowl calls were easier to distinguish. We heard the calls of trumpeters, wood ducks, Canada geese and sandhill cranes. This trail, which is quite low in some spots can be water-covered and less accessible during high waters.

Many small pools dot the trail

There are a few mini-spurs along the way. One leads you out to a boardwalk over the rushes to the water. It is on a high spot and affords you a view of the Oxbow Dike Trail and open waters and its' occupants. The other can be quite wet in spring but takes you to a nice western view and a small pond.

The trail ends at a footpath that is quite overgrown . If you want to try it (you'll be fighting alot of buckthorn) it ends at a very small pond by the railroad tracks. I turned back before then.

THE HIKE

Two beautiful bottomland trails - one on a dike heading out into the water and a lower road staying close to the wetlands share a trailhead just off Hwy 35 in Bluff Siding WI. These Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge trails are flat, gravel and grass trails that mostly hold during the spring freeze/thaw cycle. There is wildlife in abundance including eagles, muskrats, migrating waterfowl, turtles, hawks and migratory songbirds and waterfowl. The scenery is spectacular and the trails access a lovely natural area that not everyone is familiar with.

The Location

Turn right on Hwy 35/54 from Winona and drive 1.9 miles. Turn right at the first dirt road spur past Bluff Siding Park . From the Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge main entrance head back to Hwy 35/54 and turn left. Follow the road for approximately five miles and the entrance is on your left (you'll pass the giant eagle's nest shortly before the trailhead entrance.

Other Trempealeau Wildlife Refuge Hikes on the blog

Lower Division Dike and Kiep's Landing

Prairie Edge Loop trail

Pelicans wheeling

All images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters