Leaf-Peeping Hikes in the Driftless

Great River Bluffs (MN) State Park

If you love fall colors, it won't be long before the Driftless leaf-peeping begins. While it's nice driving and looking at the changing leaves, if you want to get your boots on the ground, hiking is a great way to get to the tops of bluffs to appreciate the festival of colors.

Here are some of my favorite bluff top hikes during autumn. 

The hikes designated as Family friendly tend to be more accessible, flatter (though seldom completely flat) and shorter to get to the blufftop views.

[Note: Click on the brown titles in bold below to go to a blog post link describing the hikes listed]

Great River Bluffs State Park 43605 Kipp Drive, Winona (off Hwy 90)
This leaf-peepers dream park has moderate trails to many amazing overlooks. These hikes during the fall color season are spectacular. Easy hikes to North and South Overlooks give sweeping views of the Mississippi River and WI bluffs. East Overlook and ridge trail along the road to the campground are moderate for elevation gains have glimpses of MN bluffs AND Mississippi views. The King's Bluff trails on the north side and Kern lookout off the walk-in campsites also have amazing views and easy trails. Park website. Family friendly.

Hixon Forest Prairie Hikes, N2788 County Rd FA, La Crosse WI
This fairly easy rolling trail takes you to three prairies (Birch, Zoerb and Lookout) that give an expansive view of forested bluffsides and glimpses of the MN bluffs. You can add extra miles by continuing on to the Vista prairie as well. Family friendly.

Beaver Creek Valley State Park, 15954 County 1, Caledonia
Head up onto the rim trails - Hole in the Rock has expansive views of the west rim and northwestern rim; Steep Rock Trail and Switchback trails are both narrow and very steep but the views of the valley and park from the top of each are well worth the climbs. Park website

Sugar Creek Bluff State Natural Area, N. Buck Creek Road, Ferryville
Head south on Hwy 35 until about 1 mile south of town and turn left on N. Buck Road. Drive up about a mile until you see a Mississippi Valley Conservancy kiosk on the left. You start almost at the top of this beautiful mixed savannah/oak prairie and mixed hardwood trail (1.5 miles out and back) that leads out to a spectacular high view of the Mississippi River and MN/IA bluffs in full fall color. There are slight elevation gains on this grass and dirt trail. MVC website Family friendly.

Levis Trow “troll rock”

Levis Trow Mounds Park, N1589 Fisher Ave, Neilsville WI 44.47676, -90.72377

This is hands-down one of my favorite rim trails to hike in the autumn. The deciduous forest are saturated in color as you hike up to the rim trails. Multiple outlooks afford wide, colorful views down to forests that stretch out towards the Driftless area. 

Stoney Point Trail, Vetsch Park, 722 N. 2nd St, La Crescent, MN
Put on those serious hiking boots to scramble up to this iconic La Crescent Overlook. To reach Stoney, you get to hike a large part of the park's trails - always a good thing but you will be going steadily and sometimes steeply up. The views of nearby MN bluffs and Blue Lake as well as my city make this a special fall view and well worth the hike. Website

Apple Blossom Overlook Park, 33642 Cty Rd 1, La Crescent MN

This Winona Co park has a magnificent view of the Mississippi River, WI bluffs, the city of La Crosse, Lock and Dam 7 and the municipal airport. There are also a few outlooks to explore on this oak savannah and hardwood short 2 mile trail system. Be sure to head north after leaving the park on Apple Blossom Scenic Byway - it takes you along the blufftop for more fall color views all the way to Great River Bluffs State Park. Family friendly.

Whitewater State Park, 19041 Hwy 74, Altura, MN
Head up to the rim trails from any access point and be treated to stunning views of the colorful bluffs and valleys below. Multiple outlooks and good challenging elevation hikes are in store at this iconic Minnesota park. A must-see in fall!

Mathy Quarry, N3065 Cty Road FA, La Crosse WI
The rim trails here give some clear views to the southeast portion on La Crosse County and the fall colors can be breathtaking from the numerous lookouts around the rim. This is easy hiking with a great autumn reward. MVC website Family friendly.

Perrot Park Brady's Bluff Trail, 26247 Sullivan Rd, Trempealeau, WI
The climb is worth the reward. Sweeping views up and down the Mississippi River and over to the MN bluffs covered in a riot of color are breathtaking. Park website

Buena Vista Overlook, on Buena Vista Rd off Cty Rd E, Alma, WI
You can drive up to the top to enjoy colorful views of MN bluffs and the Mississippi River and Alma's lock and dam (family friendly) or hike up from the town below and earn the view! Website Family friendly

Frontenac State Park, 29223 Cty Rd 28 Blvd, Frontenac MN
Unbelievably wide views of Lake Pepin and the WI and MN bluffs are available at a number of lookouts near the rim parking area and trails connecting from there. Park website. Family friendly.

Yellow River State Forest, Harper's Ferry, IA
The Paint Rock unit and Luster Heights (family friendly) unit have great overlooks with spectacular views of the river and WI bluffs around Harpers Ferry area. The hiking is great as well!

Mt Hosmer Park, 271 Main St, Lansing, IA
Drive up to the top of this city park and walk along the safety fence for spectacular views of the Mississippi River and WI bluffs in a riot of color. Walk along the quiet park road to see huge pines and beautiful views. There are also a few challenging trails with significant elevation gains. Rim walk - family friendly.

Magelssen Bluff, Magelssen Park, off Hwy 30 east and right on Magelssen Bluff Rd in Rushford MN
You can hike from the bottom to the top or simply drive to the top (family friendly) and gawk at the amazing fall leaf colorama of Rushford and points southeast to southwest at three lookouts. One lookout is just above the "Rushford " letters on the bluff's south slope. But do take time to hike some or all of this well-maintained trail system to enjoy the fall woods (access from the bottom, head to Oak Grove Cemetery in Rushford and park opposite the gate near the trailhead). Rim trails/lookouts are family friendly.

Check out this Big River Magazine article for the many, MANY overlooks on the Upper Mississippi River.

Additional hikes nearby in the Driftless that give you colorful fall views along with views of cities include:

Crown Blvd, La Crosse WI
Greens Coulee, Onalaska WI
Shelby Butterfly Trails, 3701 Old Vineyard Rd, La Crosse, WI
Miller's Bluff, La Crosse WI (family friendly)
Easter Rd (Hass), La Crosse WI
Eagles Bluff Park, La Crescent MN
Grandad Bluff, La Crosse WI (family friendly)

If you don't see YOUR favorite autumn hike/outlook in the list or the Big River Magazine article, please share it in the comments. I love adding to the list and finding new places for some breath-taking leaf-peeping.

If you'd like to take a deeper dive into how and why leaves change color in fall, check out this recent "Naturalist's Corner - Why Leaves Change Color" post on the blog.

You can also keep an eye on the leaf color change forecasts at these links:

Iowa DNR map

                   -   Minnesota DNR
                   -   Wisconsin DNR
                   -   Iowa DNR

You can find fall hiking safety tips here. 

Have a great fall!

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Image - Lloyd Lorenz

Looking for more area hikes? Please stop by the web version of the blog and under the "Labels" tab on the right hand side of the blog, click on "find-a-hike". There are over 60 hike descriptions and lists of hikes to try!

Naturalist's Corner - Why Leaves Change Color

Clonal aspen stand, CO

Returning home from an extended October hiking trip in the Southwest last year, I was struck by the riot of colors that greeted me in our Driftless area. While I was impressed by the beautiful displays of gold and yellow of the aspen stands (all clones of single root systems) out west, I was worried I'd be too late to see the diverse fall colors that the Driftless area forests display.

Not to worry.

I was delighted to find that colors were just beginning to peak. Rather than large swaths of trees in the same color, we have a veritable party of different colors going vertically up the bluffs as you drive along the Mississippi River.

And it got me wondering...what sparks that change?  

It's not just one thing. The weather, the length of days and the individual tree's pigments all combine to create the color palette and timing. 

Each tree species has unique colors that depend on pigments already present in the leaf. For trees with yellow, orange and brown fall pigments (carotenoids), those colors are already in the leaves along with  the green chlorophyll during spring and summer. The chlorophyll masks these pigments during the summer. As the leaf prepares for winter, chlorophyll production slows and stops. That's when the bright yellows and oranges appear.

For trees that display more red and purple (anthocyanins), that pigment is produced in fall when excess sugar gathers in leaf cells.

This is usually preceded in August with a gradual lightening - or to my eyes, slight greying - of the deeper green colors of early summer as chlorophyll slows.

The shorter length of the day and less sunlight triggers leaf cells to start building up in the stem end, trapping the sugars and eventually sealing off the stem (when that happens, the leaf falls).

Finally the weather - sunny days and cool nights help create the most colorful leaves.  If there has been abundant rain in spring and summer to produce plenty of sugar for the trees, the colors will tend to be more brilliant. Drought and drier summers and fall, produce less sugar and can dull the colors. 

Driftless area states have "Fall Color-Finding" sites that keep you updated on the peak and past-peak times of autumn leaf changes:

• Minnesota
• Wisconsin
• Iowa

You can read more details about this process, at the US Forest Service webpage  and an interesting article from the November 1, 2024 edition of the Washington Post exploring the annual life cycle of a leaf and the effect our changing climate has on deciduous trees.

This short video produced on October 13, 2020 by Minnesota Master Naturalists for their Trail Tuesday series, goes through the process.

Check out my recommendations for favorite fall color hikes in the Driftless.

See you on the trails!

SE MN Regional Development Partnership Seeking Volunteers

Minnesota friends:

Southeast RSDP seeks applications for board and work group members

The University of Minnesota Extension Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships is seeking local residents to serve on their regional board and work groups.

Southeast RSDP is one of five regional partnerships that connect local communities with University of Minnesota resources to support sustainable development in Greater Minnesota.

RSDP has four work groups: natural resources, local food systems, resilient communities and clean energy. Members work together with University staff and faculty to make recommendations about how to support community-driven projects in each region.

Watch this short video to learn more about how they do their work! 

In particular, Southeast RSDP is currently seeking those with an interest in agriculture and natural resources. Read the full press release here

For more information and to apply, please see z.umn.edu/rsdpworkgroups. Applications are preferred by Monday, September 15th for an October 1st start date.

For questions, or to learn more about being a work group or board member, please contact either Andi Sutton, Southeast RSDP Executive Director- sutto364@umn.edu or Danielle Piraino, Southeast RSDP Outreach Specialist- pirai006@umn.edu.


Andi Sutton (she/her/hers)
Executive Director – Southeast
Southeast Regional Sustainable Development Partnership | Extension | rsdp.umn.edu
University of Minnesota | extension.umn.edu

I Spy on the Trails - August 16-31, 2025

Tall grasses dominate the prairies now
Holland Sand Prairie is no exception

I feel autumn coming. 

My "I Spy" lists of plants and wildlife are beginning to shrink rapidly. That, if nothing else, speaks of the coming fall. Our autumn equinox is just three weeks away and the signs of nature's pulling up her blanket to get ready for her winter rest are apparent everywhere. 

And who can blame her?  While she's had a wild and wonderous summer celebration of blooming flowers and lush growth, the nights are lengthening and the slowing results are everywhere as I hike. 

During the past two weeks we saw temps moderate (and air quality improve). We had one hard rain day (2.5” by us),  a sprinkle or two, a few foggy mornings and a last week of pleasant daytime temps combined with cool night temps. There was plenty of time to enjoy the last puppy days of August and observe the subtle changes going into fall.

Songbird migrations are beginning in earnest. Waterfowl migration is just beginning as well. These journeys will continue well into November on our Mississippi flyway. Recent strong north winds jumpstarted songbird migration in numbers large enough to be seen on Doppler radar. 

Remember to keep your outside lights off and curtains closed to help birds along in their nightly migrations. You can keep your eye on Cornell Lab's Birdcast to stay current on migration peaks. Also watch your bird feeders and the trees for surprise guests migrating through.

Pollen-covered 

common eastern bumblebee

on a stiff goldenrod

Nature action isn’t completely over by any stretch, though. Goldenrods, blazing stars, field thistles, false bonesets and the tall prairie grasses are coming on big time. Asters are just beginning to blossom and add their delicate colors to the landscape of yellows, pale greens and brown. 

Mushrooms and fungi continue their strong showings on the damp forest floors. Fruiting plants including roses, false Solomon's seal, Solomon's seal, Jack-in-the-pulpit and mayapple are displaying their berries and fruit along the trails. Beetles and other insects like grasshopper and cricket populations are burgeoning.

Red-legged grasshopper
on Jerusalem artichoke

But things are changing. The fields and forests have less variety in their birdsong and bright, pollinator-attracting blooms. Trees and bushes continue to show a greyish cast to their leaves as chlorophyll production continues to wane. Many of those summer pollinating plants are going to seed or showing their fuzzy seed heads. 

Bumblebees are slowing; huge bumblebee gynes (next year’s queens) are out and mating with drones. Soon the rest of the colony will die off and the gynes will enter diapause until spring, when they will  begin, by themselves, to start a new colony. 

Butterfly numbers are lessening as major pollinator plants have lost or are losing their blooms. Monarchs are beginning their migratory journey to Mexico. I am seeing these in greater numbers as they stop to nectar on pollinator flowers or rest along wooded edges in the evening. 

Graffiti lichen
Image -Tyler Barnhurst

I participated in one Nature School learning hike during the past two weeks - a Lichen Walk at Frontenac State Park led by Tanner Barnharst, author of  Minnesota Lichen Guide. Spending time in the micro world of lichens helped me really appreciate these organisms made up of fungi and either algae or cyanobacteria. It was a fun and worthwhile way to learn a lot from a lichen expert and the many Master Naturalists who attended as well. A great learning experience. I hope you take advantage of some of the interesting opportunities to hike and learn in September.

Beginning this month through the end of April, this column will switch from bi-monthly to monthly as nature slows down. But my hiking will continue at it’s usual mad pace!

See you on the trails!

Plant Observations

Flowering/mature plants:

• agrimony, tall hairy

  

  Roundhead bushclover

  
  
• alyssum, hoary
• aster, aromatic
• aster, calico
• aster, Drummond's
• aster, purple-stem
• aster, white-panicle
• beebalm, spotted
• blazing star, dwarf
• blazing star, rough
• boneset, false
• bushclover, roundhead
• cardinal flower
• cliffbrake, western dwarf
• coneflower, cutleaf
• coneflower, grey-headed
• Culver’s root
• fern, bulblet bladder-
• fern, interrupted
• fern, lady
• fern, northern maidenhair
• fern, ostrich
• fern, sensitive
• fern, spinulose wood
• flax, grooved
• fleabane, daisy
• fleabane, prairie
• forget-me-not
  
• goldenrod, Canada

  

  Jersey tea

• goldenrod, early
• goldenrod, elmleaf
• goldenrod, giant
• goldenrod, grey
• goldenrod, prairie (Missouri)
• goldenrod, showy
• goldenrod, stiff
• goldenrod, tall
• goldenrod, white flat-topped
• goldenrod, zigzag
• harebell
• horsetail, rough
• ironweed, prairie
• jersey tea
• Jerusalem artichoke
• jewelweed, orange
• jewelweed, yellow
• Joe-Pye-weed, spotted
• leafcup, small-flowered
• lobelia, great blue
• partridge pea
• poppy mallow, purple
• primrose, common evening
• rattlesnake master

  

  Great blue lobelia

• self-heal
• snakeroot, white
• spurge, flowering
• sunflower, fewleaf
• sunflower, giant
• sunflower, hairy
• sunflower, stiff
• sunflower, swamp (sneezeweed)
• sunflower, woodland
• Susan, black-eyed
• Susan, brown-eyed
• thistle, field
• tobacco, Indian
• vervain, hoary
• wild bergamot
• yarrow

Sprouts/unbloomed/past bloom:

• aster, calico
• aster, smooth blue
• aster, white heath
• aster, western silver
• bloodroot
• leadplant
• sagebrush, white
• thimbleweed, tall
  

  

  Blue Cohosh fruit

• wild ginger

Fruited:

• blue cohosh
  
• false Solomon's seal
• Jack-in-the-pulpit
• mayapple
• spikenard, American

Grasses/Sedges:

• grass, big bluestem
• grass, bottle brush
• grass, green foxtail
• grass, little bluestem
• grass, sideoats grama
• grass, smooth brome
• indiangrass, yellow
• obscuregrass, Scribner's
• switchgrass

Fungi/Moss/Lichen:

• fungus, crowded parchment

  

  Rare dog-nose fungus -
  note the “nostrils” on the left

• fungus, dog-nose
• fungus, white jelly
• ghost pipe
• lichen, asterisk
• lichen, candle flame
• lichen, graffiti 
• lichen, hooded sunburst
• lichen, hoary rosette 
• lichen, mortar dot 
• lichen, orange fire dot
• lichen, speckled shield
• mushroom, American slippery Jack
• mushroom, artist's conk
• Mushroom, bolete - bitter
  

  

  Fluted white helvella saddle mushroom

• mushroom,  bolete - chestnut
• mushroom, bolete - ruby
• mushroom, bolete - two-colored
• mushroom, bolete -weeping
• mushroom, chanterelle
• mushroom, corrugated cap cort
• mushroom, deer
• mushroom, earthball
• mushroom, saddle - fluted white helvella
• mushroom, golden bittergill
• mushroom, golden reishi

  

  Indigo milk cap mushroom - note the
  blue latex drops where it’s been touched

• mushroom, - milk cap - Indigo
• mushroom, hexagonal polypore
• mushroom, laccaria - common
• mushroom, laccaria - purple-gilled
• mushroom, lactarius (milky cap)
• mushroom, orange mycena
• mushroom, oyster
• mushroom, golden oyster
• mushroom, lung oyster
• mushroom, puffball
• mushroom, puffball - skull-shaped
• mushroom, purple-bloom russula
• mushroom, turkey tail
• mushroom, red waxy cap 

Wildlife Observations (seen, heard, detected)
Birds:

• bluebird, eastern
• blue jay
• bluebird, eastern
• catbird, grey

  

  Image -Evan Lipton Merlin Bird ID

• cedar waxwing
• chickadee, black-capped
• crow, American
• finch, house
• goldfinch, American
• grosbeak, rose-breasted
• hawk, red-tailed
• hummingbird, ruby-throated
• killdeer
• kingbird, eastern
• nuthatch, white-breasted
• redstart, American
• robin, American
• sparrow, chipping
• sparrow, field
• sparrow, house

  

  Great blue heron at
  MacGilvray's Seven Bridges

  
  
• sparrow, song
• swallow, barn
• veery
• vireo, Bell's
• vireo, warbling
• vireo, red-eyed
• warbler, chestnut-sided
• woodpecker, downy
• woodpecker, hairy
• woodpecker, pileated
• woodpecker, red-bellied
• wood-pewee, eastern
• wren, house
• yellowthroat, common

Waterfowl/fish:

• geese, Canada
• heron, great blue
• pelican American
• swan, trumpeter
• trout, brown

Reptiles/amphibians

• frog, northern leopard 
• turtle, painted

Insects/arachnids:

• bee, striped sweat

  

  Canoodling male and female walking sticks

  
  
• beetle, goldenrod soldier
• bumblebee, black-and-gold
• bumblebee, brown-belted
• bumblebee, common eastern
• bumblebee, two-spotted
• butterfly, clouded sulfur
• butterfly, eastern comma
• butterfly, pearl crescent
• butterfly, eastern swallowtail
• butterfly, Monarch
• cricket, tree
• damselfly, tule bluet
• dragonfly, autumn meadowlark
• dragonfly, 12-spotted skipper
• dragonfly, widow skimmer
• grasshopper, red-legged
• grasshopper, differential
• spider, yellow garden
• walking stick

What are YOU seeing on your hikes?

Two weeks of hikes
Hikes below in colored, bold type or underlined have links to previous posts OR descriptions/location of the trails found online

Holland Sand Prairie, Holmen WI (3);  Frontenac State Park, Old Frontenac, MN (2); Bluffside Park, Winona MN; Weaver Sand Dunes, Kellogg MN (2), Riverside Park, La Crosse WI, McMillan Marsh Wildlife Area, Marathon Co, WI

Oncoming fall's greying landscape at
Beaver Creek Valley (MN) State Park

The "I Spy on the Trails" column is a phenology (the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals) journal to chronicle year-round the weather, plant life and wildlife I observe while hiking. It is very useful in helping me compare observations from year-to-year. The column is published monthly from September through April and then twice-a-month from May through August when warm weather brings the natural world back to vibrant life.

Crossing a ravine the easy way
Image -Nola Larson

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters