12 Great Spring Hiking Destinations

Bloodroot twins

Now that spring is starting to pop, April and May are great months to hit the trails for the very earliest wildflowers and emerging/migrating wildlife. I am always eager to catch this season of fleeting delights.

What kinds of trails are on my go-to hike plans for the next two months? Pretty much everything all the time:

• wetlands where I can find bright pops of marsh marigolds, migrating waterfowl and warblers, awakening turtles and the sound of frog's mating calls
• woods where the fleeting, delicate spring ephemerals festoon trailsides in a succession of blooms, songbirds (including warblers) are easy to spot before leaf-out and spring mushrooms lurk in leaf litter
• prairies where early hardy plants like Pasque flower, prairie smoke, hoary puccoons, lupine and wild indigo bloom in profusion

Here is a list of my most visited spring spots.

Prairie Smoke

MINNESOTA

Great River Bluffs (MN) State Park 43605 Kipp Drive, Winona MN (off Hwy 90)
East Overlook and ridge trail along the road to the campground is moderate for elevation gains and has many early spring ephemeral wildflowers and Mississippi views. Kings Bluff trail rewards you with wildflowers along the trail and expansive prairie and stunning views of the Mississippi at its end Approximately 1.5 miles on out and back for each. Pit toilets and well-marked trails. Park map

Beaver Creek Valley (MN) State Park, 15954 County 1, Caledonia MN
Cross the bridge and look for the trail marker for Switchback Trail. Cross the creek and head steeply upward through a succession of amazing ephemerals. This trail is challenging but worth it. Or continue past this trailhead and stay on the main trail through the valley on an easy flat trail next to the trout stream (filled with native wild trout) for approximately 2-3 miles on grass trails (can be out and back or use loops to return). A hidden gem. Park Map

Whitewater (MN) State Park, 19041 MN-74, Altura, MN

Woods, wetlands and prairies are all on offer at this state park which features a trout stream, incredible rock formations and easy to challenging trails. Bluff top trails offer glimpses of fossil stromatalites beneath your feet as well as wild, flower-filled prarie remnants. If you hike here in mid-May, be sure to visit nearby Carley State Park where a breathtaking profusion of bluebells (along with ramps and other spring wildflowers) by the Whitewater River will awe you.

Vetsch Park, 722 N. 2nd St, La Crescent MN 

This park’s trails can be confusing. The lower slopes past the pollinator gardens by the parking lot are full of ephemerals. But, if you can find your way to Stoney Point (admittedly a challenge!), the early ephemerals are stunning. Ruth Nissan and Betsy Knowles, two La Crescent naturalists created a guide to the wildflower guide that is mounted on the city website. Can you find them all?

A lupine in the dew

WISCONSIN

Holland Sand Prairie, W7781 County Road MH, Holmen
Fairly flat with some rolling hills on grass/dirt trails for views of a beautiful sand prairie with abundant wildlife and wildflowers. There is a 1.3 mile boundary trail and a shorter .5 mile trail through the center of the property. Mississippi Valley Conservancy Map 

Perrot State Park  W26247 Sullivan Rd., Trempealeau WI

Local hiker Sue Knopf recommends that hikers look "from somewhat beneath the little shelter (below where most of the wooden steps stop) to the park road which is filled with shooting stars, Dutchman’s breeches, wild ginger, and anemones, and then when you get to what I call the gorge, if you’re there at the right time (end of April, beginning of May depending on the year) the rock walls are filled with trillium, yellow bellwort, ferns, and more." Also recommended is the Riverview trail at the park!

Sugar Creek Bluff State Natural Area, N. Buck Creek Road, Ferryville

You’re almost on the blufftop of this beautiful mixed savannah/oak prairie and mixed hardwood trail (1.5 miles out and back) that leads through an ephemeral-filled forest and out to beautiful prairie with great high views of the Mississippi River and MN/IA bluffs. There are slight elevation gains on this grass and dirt trail. Mississippi Valley Conservancy Map

Duck Egg County Park, Vernon County, Irish Road

The spring ephemerals along these trails are stunning - profuse and varied. Worth the sweat on the steep trail at the Upper Trailhead and just as good along the flat streamside trail accessed at the Lower Trailhead. Forest Map

Lytle's Landing, W8582 Lytle Rd, Holmen 

This is a spring birder's paradise. Migrating waterfowl, eagles, raptors and many many migrating sonbirds can be found in March through May. This old railroad right of way, part of Wisconsin's Great River Bike Trail, invites bikers, hikers and birders to wander along its length, cross numerous bridges and enjoy the sloughs and wetlands of the Black River floodplain. Dragonflies, butterflies and turtles are also much in evidence as temps warm up. This out and back trail (the bridge 2.7 miles north of the trailhead is currently out and planned for reconstruction after a fire destroyed it) can be as long or short as you want to make it -but be sure to take your time to see all the sights.

Trillium

IOWA

Yellow River Forest Paint Rock Unit, Hwy 364 Mississippi River trailhead, Harper's Ferry IA

This riverside trailhead takes you steeply up 300 feet along a narrow ravine festooned with spring ephemerals (some at eye level). The rim trails are also great for spotting spring flora. It is a stunning display in May. Forest Unit Map . Also recommended by Sue Knopf, an avid local hiker, is another Yellow River unit, the Paint Creek unit which has carpets of bluebells and other wildflowers in the lovely forested lowlands near the park office.

Phelp's Park Trollkor's Trail, 613 Park Dr, Decorah IA

This trailhead, located by a small parking area leads you directly to a paved path (part of the larger Trout Run trail) along the Upper Iowa River that starts by algific talus slopes that host unique plant life (air -conditioned by the icy air outflowing from holes and gaps in the cliffs). Near the next trailhead, head right and climb to City Park to walk  past the CCC constructed stonework fences, walls, steps and bridges to the flower-filled woods back to the start.

Lost Canyon Valley of 13 Caves Trail,  29912 9th Avenue, Bernard, IA (near Dubuque)

This is a lovely 2.5 mile hike in spring as the ephemerals make their showing. Part of the Whitewater Canton Wildlife Area, you descend and ascend through large prairie and forested area down onto the canyon. The limestone walls encase the wide trail through a wah between them. On each side there are small and large openings and caves just begging to be explored. Follow well worn trails up to entrances and enjoy the wildflowers along your walk. Be sure to bring flashlight/headlamp to explore the cave ceilings and walls for fossilized marine remnants.

Ribbit?

If you'd like to get a peek at what flora and fauna you might expect to can be find on the trails in April, please stop here.

Let me know what's your favorite spring trail? I'll be happy to try it out!

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 75 hike descriptions and lists of hikes to try!

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Image - Diane Palm

You can read my quarterly column on seasonal hiking suggestions in Inspire(d) Driftless Magazine available online or pick up a free copy at businesses and organizations around the Driftless areas of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa.