The last time I posted about Levis Mounds, we were on a short out-and back-hike of 2.5 miles with a friend who was testing a rehabbed knee on the elevation and rolling terrain. There was more to explore so I headed back to check out a few more of the amazing rim and upper bluffside trails and a different trailhead during a few 4-mile hikes up and around some of the rim's features.
There are two trailheads on this part of the recreation area to access the Levis Mound rim trails:
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| The trailhead sign by the main parking lot Image - Steve Dawson |
This is my favorite way up by far. From this trailhead, it's a quick 20 minute or so hike up Dump and Bear Den trails. These narrow trails run through lovely forests and beside rock faces and take you quickly up to Northface trail. From Northface you can begin to explore the multiple routes.
High Rock Overlook - From Northface, take Clarence Trail to access High Rock overlook as well as a couple other unnamed overlooks along the trail. 
Plummer's Crack - From Northface trail, take Corkscrew for a hot minute to Toad Road trail and you are treated to a boardwalk between two huge rock formations. It's great fun!
Toad Road's Rock Faces - Continue along this trail and soon you will be treated to a huge stretch of towering sandstone features along the left-hand side of this upper bluffside trail. For me, this is one of the more breathtaking features of the Levis Mound hikes I did. You will once again run into Northface if you want to return to the main trailhead or for the Hwy 95 trailhead, follow Switchback to West Levis (logging road) or Select Cut (narrow woods trail) back to your start.
THE HIKE
Hardwood forests, multiple trails (that can be confusing - an app like AllTrails can be very helpful), gorgeous rock formations and overlooks that show endless forest lands are all in store on this 41 mile hiking/biking/skiing trail system. You can tailor your hiking explorations to do the mileage you prefer. Your elevation gain will be in the 380-400 foot range (the mounds are shorter than the Mississippi River bluffs). This is a great area to visit multiple times. Once up on the rim, there are multiple trails and rock formations to explore in any season.
Additional posts describing Levis Trow Mounds Recreation Area trails:
There are also other routes from this trailhead to get up to the rim that you can can explore, especially if you want to add additional miles to your hike. Many feature wide, grassy old logging roads. The trails are shared biking and hiking trails but on weekdays the bike traffic is light and bikers and hikers accommodating for each other.
The second trailhead is just south and around the corner on WI Hwy 95. For me, this is a slightly less interesting trailhead. The first half mile of so is through a low logged out area (with newer tree growth) quite near the highway that looks pretty rough before you finally start climbing towards the wooded hillsides of the Levis Mound.
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| The rock that beckoned us! |
Our hike from this second trailhead took us along Warmup trail to a left on Switchback. After we wound through the first scrubbier area, we finally starting to ascend the mound with its huge hardwood forested slopes. Aaaaah. One of the first rock formations we came to begged us to scramble around on it. We spotted a small trail upwards from the rock top and, after a steep quick climb, emerged at the Troll rock at the rim. Keeping on the other trail would have made for a longer hike so we were glad we explored!
The rim trails can be narrow and rocky but changes in elevation are fairly slight or rolling at most. Up here, there are plenty of incredible overlooks and amazing rock formations to explore. The views at the top overlook vast forests below, as well as the slopes of Levis Mound. You can glimpse Black River Falls in the near distance and other mounds and small bluffs, part of the ancient ocean floor farther away.
Some of my favorite features besides the Troll Rock include:
South Point Overlook - South Point trail heads off Clarence to the right and leads to a huge area of rocks and stellar views.
Plummer's Crack - From Northface trail, take Corkscrew for a hot minute to Toad Road trail and you are treated to a boardwalk between two huge rock formations. It's great fun!
Toad Road's Rock Faces - Continue along this trail and soon you will be treated to a huge stretch of towering sandstone features along the left-hand side of this upper bluffside trail. For me, this is one of the more breathtaking features of the Levis Mound hikes I did. You will once again run into Northface if you want to return to the main trailhead or for the Hwy 95 trailhead, follow Switchback to West Levis (logging road) or Select Cut (narrow woods trail) back to your start.
THE HIKE
Hardwood forests, multiple trails (that can be confusing - an app like AllTrails can be very helpful), gorgeous rock formations and overlooks that show endless forest lands are all in store on this 41 mile hiking/biking/skiing trail system. You can tailor your hiking explorations to do the mileage you prefer. Your elevation gain will be in the 380-400 foot range (the mounds are shorter than the Mississippi River bluffs). This is a great area to visit multiple times. Once up on the rim, there are multiple trails and rock formations to explore in any season.
The Locations:
The trailheads are located just about 17 miles out of Black River Falls. There are groomed ski trails in the winter. Bikers and skiers pay a small usage fee; hikers can use the trails for free.
- Main Trailhead: N1589 Fisher Ave, Neilsville WI 44.47676, -90.72377 (bathrooms/shower/campsites/covered picnic area)
- Hwy 95 trailhead: from Black River Falls, take a right on Hwy 95 44.46646N, 90.72404W. (pit toilet)
All images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters
Additional posts describing Levis Trow Mounds Recreation Area trails:
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