Fall color hikes abound in Winona MN area

Great River Bluffs State Park

There’s no better way

to experience autumn colors in the Winona, Minnesota, area 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 Winona to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Great River Bluffs State Park (Winona)
A great view of the Mississippi River awaits at the Great River Bluffs State Park on the 2.2-mile round trip Kings Bluff Trail. After heading through a forest of white pine and the yellow to maroon-colored leaves of ash trees, the trail arrives at Kings Bluff, which offers a spectacular vista of the Mississippi River valley below, a blue ribbon surrounded by the yellows of various birch and aspen. From Interstate 90 near the Minnesota-Wisconsin border, take County Road 3 north. Turn right/east onto Kipp Drive, which becomes Park Road. About two miles in, look for a small parking lot on the left/northwest. The trail heads northwest from the lot.

John A. Latsch State Park (Winona)
A beautiful view of the Mississippi River resplendent in fall colors awaits each autumn at John A. Latsch State Park. The 1-mile round trip Riverview Trail heads to the top of Mount Charity, a bluff alongside Ol’ Man River. The trail consists of nearly 600 steps that head up a deep ravine in the bluff. During the autumn, the bluffside brims with color: the yellows of birch, ironwood, black walnut, and elm; the oranges and scarlets of oaks; the golds, oranges and reds of maples; and the olive of basswood. Evergreen cedar accents the harvest hues. From Winona, take U.S. Hwy. 61 north. In about 10 miles, turn left/southwest into the park. There’s no entry fee, and the parking lot is wedged between the highway and the bluff. The trail heads south from the lot.

Perrot State Park (Trempealeau, Wis.)
Great views of the Mississippi River await at Perrot State Park. The 2.4-miles round trip Brady’s Bluff West and East trails are particularly impressive in autumn. Start up Brady’s Bluff West Trail and pause at the hill’s summit, which offers impressive views of the Mississippi River Valley, a brilliant blue ribbon through a forest of golden leaves. Descending the summit via the Brady’s Bluff East Trail heads through a woods of russet-leaved oaks. From Wis. Hwy. 35 in Trempealeau, take 10th Street west. Turn right/north onto Park Road, which becomes South Park Road. Park in the lot before the boat launch; the trailhead is on the opposite side of the road.

Whitewater State Park (Elba)
Hikers can head through and below a maple and oak forest at Whitewater State Park. The 4.5-mile round trip Dakota Trail crosses the ridge above the Whitewater River, where you walk beneath the harvest-hued canopy, then descends to the waterway for a great view of the gold, orange, scarlet and tan trees covering the hill. From Winona, take U.S. Hwy. 14 west. In St. Charles, turn right/north onto Minn. Hwy. 74. Use the Nature Store parking lot.

Great River State Trail (Midway, Wis.)
Hikers can walk alongside and cross a stream via five different bridges on the Halfway Creek Trail. The 3.4-mile trail connects Holmen to the Great River State Trail in Midway. Maple, aspen, oak and the occasional pine line the creek, making for a colorful autumn walk. Start at Halfway Creek Park in Holmen; the trailhead is on the park’s southwest side. One good turnaround spot to avoid crossing under U.S. Hwy. 53 is the connector trail to Judith Court for a 1.13-mile round trip and three bridge crossings.

Root River State Trail (Houston)
Among the most scenic hikes in Minnesota is the Root River State Trail, and that’s especially so in autumn. A range of fall colors line the trail, thanks to the great variety of trees that grow here. Riverside features black ash, willow, box elder, cottonwood and elm while the highlands boast maples, basswood and oaks. A great segment of the trail to hike begins in Houston and runs 2.3 miles west to a picnic area for a 4.6-mile round trip. From Minn. Hwy. 76 in Houston, turn north on Plum Street and park at the Houston Nature Center. The nature center as well as the International Owl Center just two blocks away are well worth a visit, and if you have little ones, they’ll love the playground near the trailhead.

Wabasha Riverwalk (Wabasha)
One of the best urban areas in the Midwest to enjoy fall colors in the small town of Wabasha. For seven weeks from September through October, the small town celebrates a harvest festival. You can enjoy the festivities and take a nice stroll on the 0.8-mile round trip riverwalk. The Wisconsin shoreline on the opposite side of the Mississippi River is lit up in golden hues, the perfect match to the streets’ autumn decorations. To reach the riverwalk, park in downtown Wabasha. Finding a spot on Big Jo Alley near Pembroke Avenue is best, as the National Eagle Center is at the corner of those two streets. The riverwalk is behind the center.

Trail crosses sand dunes formed in ice age

Sand dunes at Weaver Dunes Hiking Trail. Photo courtesy at MN DNR.

Weaver Dunes Hiking Trail aerial map

Day hikers can explore what in prehistoric times was the confluence of three major local rivers near modern Lake Pepin.

Today, the terrace where the Mississippi, Chippewa and Zumbro rivers once joined boasts 30-foot high sand dunes and serves as a nesting sight for hundreds of the rare Blanding’s turtle. Two portions of this sand prairie and floodplain are protected as part of the Kellogg-Weaver Dunes Scientific and Natural Area in Minnesota.

The 1.7-mile Weaver Dunes Hiking Trail heads through the dunes in the southernmost of the two units, which locally is referred to as the Weaver Dunes Preserve.

Shifting rivers
To reach the trailhead, from U.S. Hwy. 61 in Kellogg, Minn., take County Road 84 east. After leaving the village, the road heads south, passing the first unit. Turn left/east onto 605th Street; the blue address tag 60042 marks the road. The hike starts where the road runs out.

This is the stem to a lollipop trail. After veering straight north, the loop portion of the trail begins. You may go either direction on it.

Some 18,000 years ago as nearby ice age glaciers receded, meltwater flowed down the Chippewa, Zumbro and Mississippi rivers through this area, leaving behind sediment. Gradually, the sediment buildup shifted the Chippewa and Zumbro rivers’ confluence north. Then, over the next 4000 years, wind action shaped the sediment into dunes.

Today, the grass-covered sand dunes provide homes and food for a variety of creatures. Most notable among them is the rare Blanding’s turtle, which every June migrate here to build their nests. The turtles are easy to spot – and not just because of their bright yellow throat and high, dome-shaped carapace. They arrive in numbers, as about a thousand mother turtles trek a mile from nearby wetlands to lay their eggs here. Indeed, the American Museum of Natural History calls these dunes the most important site in the United States for Blanding’s turtles.

Come August through early autumn, the sand prairie is alive with turtle hatchlings. Volunteers often work to help the hatchlings cross a local road separating the sand prairie and wetlands.

Birds and cool bugs
With all of those hatchlings and bounty of fish that the wetlands and nearby rivers provide, the preserve also is a popular spot for raptors and migrating waterfowl. Every spring and fall, trumpeter swans flying in V-formation usually can be spotted overhead. Smaller grassland birds also like to nest in this Paleozoic plateau.

And there are plenty of cool bugs here too. The rare Ottoe skipper butterfly can be seen in midsummer. Frittilary butterflies and iridescent jumping spiders also are worthy looking for. And recently a previously unknown species of tiny moth was discovered here.

Local fauna also deliver a good show. Through the summer, the small pink blossoms of rough-seeded fameflowers open for just a few hours each afternoon. Yellow-fruited sedge stands out in midsummer. Come autumn, the grasses turn a brilliant red.

The Nature Conservancy acquired the Weaver Dunes Preserve in 1980 in an effort to preserve what is now Minnesota’s largest expanse of dry barrens prairie and savanna. Since then, they’ve removed most of the non-native pines and collected then spread seeds from the prairie plants in site.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Great hikes abound in Wabasha, Minn., area

View from Mississippi Riverwalk, Wabasha, Minn.

From walks along the mighty Mississippi River to hikes through ancient sand dunes, several great day trails can be found in the Wabasha, Minn., area.

Among them:
• Bridge Trail – This 1-mile looping trail paralleling the Zumbro River in the Zumbro Bottoms Unit of the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest is frequently used by horse riders; it and the surrounding trails in the bottoms can be busy on weekends. Access the trail from the parking lot along the Zumbro Bottoms Road just east of the Zumbro River.
• Easy Wheeling Nature Area Trail – A 0.6-mile paved loop that is wheelchair accessible twice crosses a creek feeding the Zumbro River at the Kruger Forest Management Unit of the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest. A forest road off of County Road 81 south of Minn. Hwy. 60 leads to the trail, which connects to other unpaved routes.
• Kellogg-Weaver Dunes Hiking Trail – The Kellogg-Weaver Dunes Scientific and Natural Area sits on a terrace where the Mississippi, Chippewa and Zumbro rivers once joined. This 1.7-mile trail heads through the dunes. Pick up the path at the end of 605th Street east of County Road 84.
• Malone Park walking path – Hikers can enjoy a pleasant walk alongside a Mississippi River back channel at Malone and Izaak Walton parks in Wabasha. The 0.25-mile trail sits smack dab in the middle of the small river town. The walking path leaves from the Malone Park parking lot on Church Avenue. Extend the hike by crossing Grant Boulevard to the north and following the grassy shoreline another 0.12 miles in Izaak Walton Park.
• McCarthy Lake State Wildlife Management Area walkabout – A primitive trail crosses grasslands to a marshy area surrounded by trees from a parking lot off of County Road 84 south of Newton Road. These grasslands provide an important nesting area for Blanding’s turtles.
• Mississippi Riverwalk – Hikers can learn all about bald eagles and explore an urban stretch of Ol’ Man River on the Mississippi River on the Mississippi Riverwalk. The 0.8-miles round trip walk is easy, educational and scenic. To reach the riverwalk, park in downtown Wabasha. Finding a spot on Big Jo Alley near Pembroke Avenue is best, as the National Eagle Center is at the corner of those two streets.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Eagle center, riverwalk await in Minn. town

Chief Wapasha III statue on Mississippi Riverwalk
in Wabasha, Minn.

Mississippi Riverwalk map

Hikers can learn all about bald eagles and explore an urban stretch of Ol’ Man River on the Mississippi River in Wabasha, Minnesota.

The 0.8-miles round trip walk is easy, educational and scenic. You may even want to bring along a picnic basket.

To reach the riverwalk, park in downtown Wabasha. Finding a spot on Big Jo Alley near Pembroke Avenue is best, as the National Eagle Center is at the corner of those two streets.

Make the center your start point. It offers two floors of interactive exhibits about bald and golden eagles and every day offers a variety of programs featuring live eagles. Among the exhibits are a life-size replica of an eagle’s nest and an opportunity to see the world as if you had an eagle’s eyesight.

The stretch between Wabasha and Red Wing on Lake Pepin is an eagle lover’s paradise. Every winter, hundreds of migrating bald eagles nest there because the current from the Chippewa River keeps the Mississippi River open. This offers ample opportunities for eagles to catch and dine on fish, one of their favorite menu items.

Bald eagles are impressive raptors with an average wingspan of 6 to 7.5 feet. They have incredible vision and can see an object as small as a rabbit up to three miles away. To catch their prey, they can fly up to 30 mph and dive at 100 mph.

After taking in the center’s sights, head north on Pembroke Avenue. In the circular area jutting into the river is a statue honoring the city’s namesake, Chief Wapasha III. The head of the Mdewakanton (Dakota Sioux), Wapasha signed treaties in 1851 and 1858 that ceded southern Minnesota to the United States. His band moved to a reservation on the Minnesota River and then the Crow Creek Reservation in the Dakotas.

The oldest continuous city in Minnesota, Wabasha boasts 50 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Mark Twain described it as the “City of the Healing Waters.”

From there, head northwest behind the National Eagle Center and onto the riverwalk. Here the Mississippi River narrows. The opposite shoreline are bottomlands, created as sediment brought downhill from the Chippewa River pile up in the Mississippi’s main channel. These bottomlands effectively mark the end Lake Pepin as they squeeze the Mississippi’s channel just north of Wabasha. The bottomlands are larger than the city itself.

Past the eagle center’s backside, the riverwalk passes a small park that often hosts fun children’s activities for the city’s annual harvest festival, a multiweek event that runs each September and October. A few small boat slips follow the park.

Next the riverwalk crosses under the Wabasha-Nelson bridge connecting the city with Wisconsin. The 2462-foot bridge rises six stories over the Mississippi River. It opened in 1988, replacing a 1931 bridge that included two right angles on the Minnesota side and was narrow by modern standards.

Upon reaching the bridge, the riverwalk officially ends, but you can extend your walk by continuing onto little-used Lawrence Boulevard. In short order, a small beach appears along the river, and stone steps lead from the street to the sand.

The beach can be taken past a few more small boat slips. After passing under the powerlines, you arrive at Beach Park, which has picnic tables (remember that picnic basket!), playground and a gazebo on a small point where a back channel of the Mississippi River flows off the main channel.

After playing and resting at the park, retrace your steps back to your vehicle.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.