Looking for Mosquito-free Hikes?

Because most of our state has been in drought and experienced some very high temperatures this summer, the woods and wetlands had fewer mosquitoes. I even found myself taking a few woods and wetlands walks...which is very unusual for me.

But recent torrential rains around the Driftless brought on a bumper crop of late season mosquitoes. I answered a recent post on our local community Facebook group asking for ideas for places to hike mosquito-free. 

While midday hiking can usually result in fewer mosquitoes, it does result in increased heat as the days warm up. Morning and evening hiking in most woods and wetlands can mean hordes of skeeters.

So here are a few suggestions to try to help us avoid the worst of mosquitoes for the next month until cold weather returns and slows them down. And if you do decide to go on favorite hikes in mosquito land, be sure to armor up. One can hike in a cloud of mosquitoes, bite-free - but it isn't always cool or fun!

Mosquito-less (mostly) Hikes in the Driftless

Holland Sand Prairie - W7781 County Road MH, Holmen WI

This wide open sand prairie has mowed trails around it's perimeter and gorgeous native flowers and grasses throughout the summer and fall. The butterflies, bumblebees and other insect life is teeming here as well.

Brice Prairie Visitor's Center, Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge - N5727 Cty Rd Z, Onalaska WI

Aspahlt and gravel trails wind around the perimeter and through amazing native prairie plants and grasses. Be sure to check out the Lake Onalaska lookout and the Visitor's Center. Restrooms available.

Beaver Creek Valley State Park - 15954 County Rd 1, Caledonia, MN

There are very few mosquitoes in this narrow wooded valley with the clear Beaver Creek rushing through it. The trails along the stream out to the prairie are flat and quiet hikers will often see deer.

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

Another park with some high valley walls as well as running water in their streams keeps mosquitoes way down. The moving water makes a difference. Trails take you to fabulous lookouts and small wild remnant prairies.

Apple Blossom Overlook Park -  169 County Hwy 1, Dakota, MN

Stay up on the prairie trails for spectacular river views and awesome native prairie plants on display. If you dip down into the woods, you WILL be meeting mosquitoes, so stay high, my friends!

Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge - W28488 Refuge Rd, Trempealeau, WI

The Prairie's Edge Loop trail is a great spot to see dry sand prairie plants and avoid the mosquitoes that can hide on shadier trails. You can hike, bike or drive this loop.

Butterfly Garden and Community Prairie - 4 Ohio St, Decorah, IA

This well-maintained garden identifies plants and pollinators at the entrance. Then head out on multiple mown trail loops to enjoy the wider restored native prairie surrounded by the Upper Iowa River and nearby limestone cliffs.

Mathy Quarry - N3065 County Road FA, La Crosse, WI

Stay out of the woods and head up to the prairie and down to the quarry to enjoy prairie flowers and the quarry walls.

New Amsterdam Grasslands - W7900 Old NA, New Amsterdam, WI

The entire trail system of mowed grass trails is once again open on this 310 acre grassland prairie (most of the trails are closed May-July to support undisturbed nesting of grassland birds during their breeding season). 

In general, look for prairies or trails near running water to keep mosquito action down. There are plenty of places to enjoy bite-free! And our woods and wetlands will be great to get back to in fall!

Images - Marge Loch-Wouters

Ticks Down, Mosquitoes Up

If you’ve managed to get on the trails super early or super late in the day during this heat wave, it’s no news that mosquitoes are VERY active right now in this heat. The good news is that the tick activity decreases dramatically.

Check out this excerpt from an amazing online public health newsletter Your Local Epidemiologist. Started during COVID, this factual data-driven email newsletter (or substack) covers what you need to know (including another of today’s pieces on cyclospora). It is well worth your subscription to the email/substack (and donation if you are able).

Excerpt from Your Local Epidemiologist newsletter, July 14, 2026

Katelyn Jetelina and Marissa Donnelly, PhD

“Ticks are backing off

We’re well on our way down for tick season. Activity tends to drop off as we move deeper into the heat of summer.

Source: CDC; Annotated by Hannah Totte at Your Local Epidemiologist

Why? Ticks are prone to drying out, so in peak summer heat they retreat into moist, shaded leaf litter rather than questing (climbing grass to grab a host), which reduces host-seeking activity even if the tick population hasn’t shrunk. This dip also lines up with the tick life cycle: nymphs, responsible for most Lyme transmission, peak in late spring/early summer, then quiet down in the hottest weather before adults pick back up in fall.

Mosquitoes taking over

As ticks recede, mosquitoes take over and with them, the rare diseases they can carry. The most common one in the U.S. is West Nile.

Peak mosquito season is still about a month out, but the CDC is already flagging an unusually early surge in West Nile virus (WNV) activity this year. They have flagged 48 cases across 23 states detecting the virus, which is more than five times the historical average for this point in the season.

Source: CDC. Annotated by Hannah Totte at Your Local Epidemiologist

What this means for you: Most people infected with WNV never even know it because ~80% have no symptoms. But older adults and those who are immunocompromised can develop serious neurological illness. Start being consistent with using an EPA-registered repellent (with DEET or picaridin), dumping standing water around your home, and using screens at dusk and dawn.

Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. The YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members.” 

Stay cool and safe out there and see you on the trails.

Ditch the Itch

It's mosquito season once again. Rain and heat have resulted in a bumper crop of these pesty flying bloodsuckers. While recent cooler temps have slowed them, the mosquitoes are just beginning their summer activity. The resulting itch of the woods mosquitoes is something else.

There are a few ways to arm yourself so you can enjoy the trails itch-free. Everyone has a formula for success here - from drenching ourselves in bug spray to skipping sprays and simply smacking mosquitoes as we hike and not scratching any bites after until the itch finally quits.

Image - AZ Animals 

I'm a bit of a middle-roader here. Some chemicals, some clothes choices and a tried-and-true itch relieving gel. I'm a peace-of-mind kind of gal so prevention is high on my list of hiking comforts!

Here's the gear I rely on to keep me worry (and mosquito bite)-free.

First, the non-chemical..

Head net over my hat. Newer nets almost make you forget you have a fine mesh in front of your face. My go-to is a SeatoSummit bug net that is compact and can be carried in a pocket. With a cord at the bottom, it easily keeps bugs off you face and neck. It's a great non-chemical way to hike through clouds of skeeters.

Rynoskin long- sleeve shirts, pants and socks - I heard about these from a Canadian canoeist who did alot of spring canoe trips. You wear them under your clothes - the pants are more like light, long-undies. So no chemicals needed against your skin. They are very lightweight and have reinforced elbows and knees and have a tight band at wrists and ankles to prevent ticks and mosquitoes from getting to your skin.

I rely on these during tick season and summer evening/early morning hikes when mosquitoes are at their most active. My Rynoskins are light and white so the shirt gives me protection from the sun - and I can skip sun screen on my arms (for the win)! While pricey, I haven't had ticks on my skin or mosquito bites through my shirt after three years of hiking with them.

Chemical Means to an End
Permethrin Spray -we spray clothes we use only for hiking. The soaking lasts for about 6 weeks or 6 washes. We re-spray again after that. We also wash these in separate loads from our regular wash. The spray is very effective at deterring ticks and dampening the enthusiasm of mosquitoes. I do appreciate that I wear the permethrin clothes over my Rynoskin so no chemicals next to my skin. You can also use the spray on your gear.

Bug Sprays - Bug sprays containing DEET or picaridin are my go-to. Picaridin is less smelly and oily but I find either effective. I always spray my boots pre-hike during tick season (March-Oct). When it's too hot for the Rynoskin shirt and long-undies, I use sprays on my arms and face and hat and tuck my socks into my pants and give them a spritz too. On the trail, I carry a small bottle of bug dope in case I manage to sweat it all off .

Relief After Bites

My well-used After Bite gel.
Small enough to fit in a pocket

No matter your prep, bites happen. My absolute go-to is a product called After Bite gel. The small tube can be carried in pocket or pack. Applied immediately after a bite, it reduces swelling and itch (hurray!). I also find it relieves chigger bites when I am out in long grass or gardening. Total win!

While we have to live with biting and stinging insects on the trails, we don't have to suffer. Hope you find relief in some of these suggestions!

[Note: this post is updated from one published June 5, 2023]

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters