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| The summit of the bluff at the end of the Lookout Trail offers a great view of the Mississippi River and city of La Crosse, Wisconsin. |
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| Lookout Trail aerial map. Click for larger version. |
The 3-mile round-trip Lookout Trail, reached via a segment of the Sumac Trail, sits at the edge of the La Crosse metro area. The trail is exceptional during autumn when acorns and leaves cover the trail beneath a harvest-hued canopy.
To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 53 in La Crosse, go east on La Crosse Street. Turn left/north onto Wis. Hwy. 16/Losey Boulevard North then right/east onto Bluff Pass Road and right/south onto Milson Court. The road ends at a gravel parking lot. Park there.
From there, head east onto the Sumac Trail. The Hixon Forest is a dense oak and hickory woodlands with tree branches arcing over the trail. A golf course sits beyond the woodline to the right/south.
The undergrowth is heavy all the way to the top since the trail is on the bluff’s south side. Because of this, spring also is a good time to hike, as wildflowers like Jack-in-the-pulpit, violet and white trillium bloom.
When the trail splits, go left/northeast. The trail slowly climbs up the bluff’s side.
Among the trees to look for in the forest is the white oak. With scaly, ash gray bark, they can tower up to eight stories above the trail. Fall leaves in their expansive canopy range from brown and wine-red to orange-red.
Shagbark hickory
At 1 mile in, upon reaching the next junction, go left/northeast. You’re now on the Lookout Trail. The route is very steep from here on out and starts with a series of switchbacks up a narrow, dirt trail.
Shagbark hickory also is common in the forest. They often grow two stories higher than the white oak. They’re easy to identify with bark that juts from the trunk and curls outward.
During autumn, the hickory delivers two special gifts. The first is the golden leaves, which are far richer than the yellows of the sugar maple. The other is a fragrant, edible nut; it has a sweet flavor.
Red and gray squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons like the nuts, too, so you’re certain to see the first three on the trail gathering them as well as acorns. Raccoons are nocturnal, but you can bet that some are resting in the hollows of the high trees along the trail.
Summit views
Two other oaks you may spot are the red and the black oak.
The northern red oak grows about nine stories high with a trunk between 20-30 inches diamater. Their bark has ridges with which appear to be shining stripes betwene them. Each autumn, its leave turn bright red.
Black oak is comparatively shorter at up to 8 stories high but has a wider trunk than red oak. Primarily located in southern Wisconsin, the number of black oak species in Wisconsin is declining, as we remove nearly twice as much wood as is being replaced by new growth. During autumn, its leaves turn yellow to yellow-brown.
At 1.5 miles, the trail reaches the bluff’s summit. The goat prairie there allows for an excellent view of the Mississippi River surrounded by the amber leaves of the trees inhabiting its backwaters. The city of La Crosse, with its many landscaped trees, is in the foreground. Watch the skies for hawks and turkey vultures; sometimes even a bald eagle can be spotted.
The summit’s ground is dry, but plenty of interesting plants can be found there, including aster, butterfly weed, goldenrod and pasque-flowers. During autumn, the grasses turn gold.
After taking in the sights, retrace your steps back to the parking lot.
