Southcentral Wisconsin's top fall hikes, Pt. 2

Blue Mound State Park, Wisconsin

There’s no better way to experience autumn colors around southcentral Wisconsin than a hike.

The brilliant yellows, oranges and red

of maples to the scarlet and russets of oaks...the crisp, fresh autumn air and

the last warm rays of sunlight before winter arrives...the crunch of fallen leaves and acorns beneath your boots...stopping to enjoy a warm mug

of apple cider or a caramel apple pulled from your backpack – it all calls for an afternoon on the trail.

Fortunately, there are plenty of great autumn trails around southcentral Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Iowa County
A walk through a maple-oak forest that blazes with color each autumn awaits day hikers at Blue Mound State Park. The 1.5-mile Flint Rock Nature Trail loops up and down Blue Mound’s side as well as around and over large rocks. It ends near an observation tower that hikers can go to the top of. During September and October, hikers will be delighted by the array of autumn colors here – the yellow, orange and red hues of sugar maple as temperatures cool, the amber of basswood, the deep crimson of the red oaks, the russet of white oak, and the gold of shagbark hickory. From County Road ID in Blue Mounds head north on Mounds Park Road (maps sometimes refer to it as Mounds Road). Follow the road to the beginning of where it circles back on itself. Park in the small roadside lot on the circle’s northwest side. From there, walk west along the roadside for a little more than 100 feet to the trailhead, which goes north into the woods.

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Fall colors light up the trail to picturesque Stephens Falls in Governor Dodge State Park. The 0.5-mile round trip Stephens Falls Trail passes beneath a canopy of hardwoods before arriving at the waterfalls, which spills 20 feet over a moss-covered sandstone into a splash pool below. The hike can be extended by continuing past the falls on the Lost Canyon Trail. From Dodgeville, take U.S. Hwy. 23 north. The park entry road is on the right/east. Follow the entry road north to the Stephens Falls parking area on the right/east. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.

Jefferson County
An incredible vista of fall colors and farm fields await on Bald Bluff in the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Southern Unit. The steep 0.5-mile (one way) Bald Bluff Nature Trail heads to the summit, which at 1050 feet is one of Jefferson County’s highest points. You can extend the hike by walking another 2.9 miles (one way) to the Stone Elephant, an eratic that looks a lot like an elephant’s head. From Palmyra, take County Road H south. A parking lot is on the road’s left/east side.

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Day hikers can see a variety of autumn colors common to southern Wisconsin on the rugged Orange Loop in Kettle Moraine State Forest’s Southern Unit. The 6-mile loop heads up and down glacial geography through a hardwood forest. Part of the Emma Carlin trail system, it’s just one small sample of the more than 300 miles of trails spread across 30,000 acres in the state forest. Fall leaves range from the reds of black cherry and golds of quaking aspen to the cinnamon of northern red and yellow of white oaks. The trees all make up a classic southern dry-mesic forest. From Palmyra take Wis. Hwy. 59 east. Turn right/south onto County Road Z/Little Prairie Road. In just under a mile is a parking lot on the road’s right/west side. From the lot, go left/southeast on the trail.

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Great autumn colors await at historic Tivoli Island Natural Park in Watertown. About 0.25 miles of paths cross the heavily wooded island, located on the Rock River. Since the 1870s, the island has served as a recreation getaway for local residents. Today, wood chip paths maintained by the local Izaak Walton League pass beneath oak, maple, and ash trees. From downtown Watertown, take Wis. Hwy. 16/East Main Street east. Turn right/south on Tivoli Drive. Park along the street. A footbridge crosses to the island.

Lafayette County
Ridgetop views, an oak woods, and prairie grasses await hikers on the Windy Ridge Trail at Yellowstone State Park. The 1.7-mile trail passes through an oak grove, where leaves shine tan, red and brown overhead and oodles of acorns crunch underfoot. From Darlington, take County Road F northeast. Turn right/southeast onto N. Lake Road. Go left/northeast on the road leading tot he campground and park int the lot past the turnoff to the campground. Walk the road south back toward the turnoff; the trailhead is on the road’s left side.

Rock County
Hikers can see unique sandstone rock formations in an oak-dominated forest at Magnolia Bluff County Park. A 1-mile looping nature trail heads along the limestone and sandstone bluff, the county’s second highest point. Autumn is colorful in the forest of black, red and white oak, shagbark and bitternut hickories, American and slippery elms, black cherry, red and sugar maples, white ash, basswood, hackberry, aspen, white birch, black walnut, and butternut. From Evansville, go south on Wis. Hwy. 59 then left/south on North Croak Road. Enter the park by turning left/east and park in the lot where the road ends. Head straight-west from the lot and follow the loop south.

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A plethora of autumn colors await at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville. More than a half mile of trails wind through the 20-acre site, where 4000 varieties of plants grow in 26 garden styles. The best sections in autumn include the North Woodland Path, which runs by a pond, and the woodland walk and woodland glen areas. From the intersection of Interstate 90 and U.S. Bus. Hwy. 14, take the latter northwest. Turn left/southwest onto Palmer Drive. The botanical gardens are on the right/north.

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Beautiful views of the Rock River amid a canopy of yellow and orange leaves awaits hikers at Big Hill Park in Beloit. The 190-acre park sits on bluffs overlooking the river. A great route is the 1.9-mile round trip unnamed trail that runs through the park's south side then turns north with the Rock River below and ends at a parking lot on the Big Hill's northeast side. From downtown Beloit, take Sixth Street/South Afton Road north. Turn right/east onto West Big Hill Road then left/north onto Big Hill Drive. Park at the environmental education center and walk south alongside Bill Hill Drive; the trailhead is on the road's left/east side.

Sauk County
Mix fascinating rock formations, a clear blue lake, and fall colors, and you’ve got a recipe for an awesome hike. Devil’s Lake State Park serves up this dish on the 2.6-miles round trip East Bluff-East Bluff Woods Loop. September and October is gorgeous as harvest leaves frame the trail and neighboring Devil’s Lake. East Bluff Wood features maples and oaks with some sumac and birch mixed in. From Baraboo take Wis. Hwy. 113 south. Enter Devil’s Lake State Park by turning right/west on County Road DL. Follow it past two junctions – one for the campgrounds and the other with Old Lake Road – then turn left/south onto Park Road. Cross the road that leads to the park headquarters. Pass through the first parking lot and use the second one. The trailhead leaves from the east side of road just after it exits the second lot’s south side.

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A variety of autumn colors can be enjoyed at Ferry Bluff State Natural Area near Sauk City. The bluff rises 300 feet above the confluence of the Wisconsin River and Honey Creek. Two trails head from the parking lot, one to an overlook at 0.76 miles round trip and one to the river at 0.52 miles round trip. Along the way, you’ll traverse the bluff’s wooded slopes, covered in yellow-leaved white oak, scarlet to orange-colored red oak, amber basswood, hackberry, elm, and ironwood, and green hickory. From Sauk City, take U.S. Hwy. 12 west. Turn left/southwest onto Wis. Hwy. 60 then right/southeast onto Ferry Bluff Road.

Trail explores southern Wisconsin forest

Fall colors on the Orange Loop in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Orange Loop map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can see a variety of autumn colors common to southern Wisconsin on the rugged Orange Loop in Kettle Moraine State Forest’s Southern Unit.

The 6-mile loop heads up and down glacial geography through a hardwood forest. Part of the Emma Carlin trail system, it’s just one small sample of the more than 300 miles of trails spread across 30,000 acres in the state forest.

Fall leaves range from the reds of black cherry and golds of quaking aspen to the cinnamon of northern red and yellow of white oaks. The trees all make up a classic southern dry-mesic forest.

To reach the trailhead, from Palmyra take Wis. Hwy. 59 east. Turn right/south onto County Road Z/Little Prairie Road. In just under a mile is a parking lot on the road’s right/west side. From the lot, go left/southeast on the trail.

Black cherry
About 0.18 miles in, a side trail, the Green Loop, diverges from the Orange Loop. Go right/southwest to stay on main trail.

Along the way, look for the black cherry tree on the trail’s uplands. Eleven species of cherries grow in Wisconsin, and all are shrubs or small trees with the exception of the black cherry, which can grow quite tall. It's easy to identify in a woods, as the bark is smooth and highly colored with small broken lines; it looks somewhat like the old punch cards used to store computer data.

The black cherry delights hikers during two seasons – spring when its sweet scented white flowers open and autumn when its edible cherries ripen and its leaves turn color.

Quaking aspen
After topping the ridge, the trail ascends for about a half-mile. At 0.7 miles in, the Brown Loop breaks off to the right/north; the Brown Loop is the same as about the first third of the Orange Loop with this cut-off trail. Go left/southwest to stay on the Orange Loop.

Around 0.75 miles in, Green Loop reconnects with the trail. The Orange Loop continues heading west. In short order, you’ll reach a trail junction with the South Connector left/south. Continue walking west on the loop.

Among the trees you’ll see plenty of on the trail is the quaking aspen. It’s the most common of the 35 populus tree species – which includes poplar, aspen, and cottonwood – across North America. A pioneer species, it quickly replaced the continent’s many forests when they were logged off in the 1800s. Prevention of forest fires has allowed the quaking aspen to maintain its hold. It is the most abundant and widespread tree in neighboring Minnesota.

The quaking aspen’s flat, spade-like leaves flap at the slightest breeze. In autumn when the leaves turn amber, that makes for quite a show, especially so on trees that grow at least six stories tall and that under ideal conditions can reach 10 stories.

Northern red oak
On the loop’s western side is an excellent overlook. From it, you can see village the of Palmyra, some of Spring Lake, and in autumn a panoply of fall colors.

Another important tree in the trail's uplands is the northern red oak. The third most common tree in Wisconsin – nearly 1 in 11 of the state’s trees is a red oak – it's also enormous. Growing quite straight and very tall, the red oak can reach up to 92 feet high with a trunk diameter of 39 inches. In old growth forests, the red oak soars even taller, and some even have been measured at 141 feet high. Red oaks grown in open areas, such as lawns, tend to be stouter, though, but can have a trunk diameter of up to 6.6 feet.

A XXL tree like the red oak also produces big acorns; the acorns are the largest of all Wisconsin’s oaks, measuring 1-1/8 inches long. With acorns that size, the tree is fairly easy to spot in autumn. The thoroughly fissured bark on mature red oaks is another giveaway.

Around 4.8 miles, the Brown Loop reconnects with the Orange Loop. Continue straight-left/east on the trail.

White oak
One last tree to look for on the trail is the white oak. White oaks primarily grow in the western and central parts of Wisconsin, so it’s a rare sight in this area of the state. You easily can spot the tree because of its scaly, ash gray bark. They grow up to 80 feet tall with a massive canopy.

The tree is extremely long-lived, lasting for around 200-300 years. One white oak in New Jersey was known to be more than 600 years old before dying.

Lastly, the trail descends through the forest to a wide meadow then comes full circle at the parking lot.

Though the trail is hilly, the different faces of the trail’s ridges allows for a variety of trees and hence autumn color. Other deciduous trees common to the state’s southern dry-mesic forest that you’ll find here are bitternut hickory, black oak, bur oak, ironwood, northern pin oak, red maple, shagbark hickory, slippery elm, and white ash. Evergreens include eastern white pine and red pine.

Hiking boots definitely are needed for the trail, which at spots is strewn with rocks and roots and that also can be muddy after rain. Bicyclists travel counter-clockwise while hikers go clockwise; be prepared to step aside for them on the narrow trail. Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.

Trail heads through Washington rainforest

The Hoh Rainforest receives up to 14 feet of rain per year.

Topo map, Hall of Mosses Trail.

Hall of Mosses
Trail gives taste
of one of Earth's
greenest places

Hikers can walk among the greenest places on Earth on the Hall of Mosses Trail at Olympic National Park in Washington state.

The trail runs 0.9-miles round trip through the park’s famous Hoh Rain Forest. A popular trail, it can be crowded, even in summer when humidity levels can make the air feel thick.

To reach the trailhead, from the coastal community of Ruby Beach, Washington, take U.S. Hwy. 101 north. Turn right/east onto Hoh Valley Road/Upper Hoh Road. Park at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center where the road ends.

Nurselogs
From the lot’s northeast corner near the visitor center, go northeast on the Mini-Trail. The Hall of Mosses Trail is the first path heading left/north. Both the Mini-Trail and the stem cross two spring-fed creeks that are crystal clear.

From there, the magic begins. Moss, lichen and ferns blanket a dense canopy of giant bigleaf maples and Sitka spruces, leaving you in perpetual twilight with a green hue.

The reason for the tropical-like growth is that the Hoh Rain Forest annually receives around 14 feet of precipitation. Bring a raincoat – even if no rain is falling that day, water drips off leaves and branches.

Quite a number of fallen trees line the forest floor. Thanks to the high rainfall, the soil is nutrient rich and moist, so tree roots generally are shallow, meaning the wind easily can knock them down in storms. The dead and decaying trees become “nurselogs” by supporting new life.

Elk and banana slugs
The moss are types of epiphytes, or plants that grow upon other plants. They do not harm the trees they live upon.

Where the 0.1-mile stem trail reaches the loop, go left/northwest or clockwise. Near the top of the loop is a 400-foot round trip spur leading to a grove of maples covered in spikemoss.

A number of animals call the Hoh Rain Forest home. Among the largest are Roosevelt elk, which sometimes graze near the parking lot. On the smaller side are banana slugs, whose bright yellow shape stands out on the forest floor.

Upon completing the loop, retrace your steps on the stem and Mini-Trail and consider making a stop at the visitor center for a look at the excellent displays.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.