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| The top of Mount Charity delivers on autumn views. |
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.
To reach the trailhead, 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.
Mount Charity
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.
Mount Charity is one of three rocky bluffs in the area that rise above 500 feet. During the 1850s, steamboat captains relied on them to navigate the Mississippi. They named the bluffs Faith, Hope, and Charity.
In addition to being charitable with autumn colors, the bluffland is rich in wildlife, some of which you’ll be able to see now that summer’s green foliage has thinned. Among the mammals are coyote, fox, opossum, squirrels, raccoons, and white-tailed deer. Peregrine falcons and bald eagles grace the skies, though you’ll have the best chance of seeing them once you reach the blufftop.
In large part, the bluff was simply too steep for development, so was saved for the Driftless Area’s wildlife. Thank park namesake John A. Latsch, a local businessman, for ensuring it was open to the public. In 1925, he purchased the bluff and persuaded an adjacent landowner to donate with him about 350 acres to the state for a park. Latsch was fairly familiar with the the three bluffs, as he often fished the river below them. A few years later, he also donated land that became Perrot State Park, downriver in neighboring Wisconsin. The Minnesota park has since expanded and now totals 450 acres.
There are a couple of lookout points along the way where you can rest. The step’s rise does range from five inches to a foot, so be sure to watch your step.
At Mount Charity’s top, hikers are treated to an impressive view of the river below, a blue ribbon through a landscape wrapped in gold leaves. Harvest hues fill the bluffsides on both sides of the river. Lock and Dam No. 5 can be see to the southeast with barges lazily making their last trips of the season through it.
Floodplain gold
At this spot on the Mississippi, almost all of the floodplain sits on the Wisconsin side. Green ash, silver maple, and river birch dominate the sloughs and river valley. All turn similar hues of yellow in autumn.
Green ash is among the first trees to change colors in autumn, often the first week of September. A common ash species, it quickly takes over old fields and other disturbed sites. It grows up to 82 feet high with a trunk diameter of up to 24 inches. Young green ash has smooth bark, but it becomes thick and fissured with age. A major concern for green ash is the emerald ash borer, an invasive species. Minnesota’s green ash has no protection against it.
Silver maple is one of the most common trees in the United States but not found in the west-central part of Minnesota. Highly adaptable, it often can be spotted along waterways and in wetlands. The silver maple also is fast-growing; a 10-year-old sapling can stand up to 26 feet high, making it the best bet for future NFL lineman in the woods. It tops out, though, at 82 feet. It used to be a favorite in urban landscaping, but because its roots crack sidewalks and old pipes, as well as because it resprouts quickly, many cities now ban its planting.
River birch, also known as black birch or water birch, usually grows in floodplains and wetlands. It can reach a height of 100 feet. The base of the river birch usually consists of several slender trunks, each of which can grow up to 60 inches in diameter. The bark of young river birch consists of loose layers of curling scales and often looks as if it has been damaged, but that’s not the case. As the tree matures, those scales form hard plates.
After taking in the views, return the way you came; a path does briefly lead away from the blufftop into the woods, but it quickly dissolves into a deer trail with little to see. If children are with you, make sure they stay away from the edges at the blufftop.
To reach the trailhead, 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.
Mount Charity
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.
Mount Charity is one of three rocky bluffs in the area that rise above 500 feet. During the 1850s, steamboat captains relied on them to navigate the Mississippi. They named the bluffs Faith, Hope, and Charity.
In addition to being charitable with autumn colors, the bluffland is rich in wildlife, some of which you’ll be able to see now that summer’s green foliage has thinned. Among the mammals are coyote, fox, opossum, squirrels, raccoons, and white-tailed deer. Peregrine falcons and bald eagles grace the skies, though you’ll have the best chance of seeing them once you reach the blufftop.
In large part, the bluff was simply too steep for development, so was saved for the Driftless Area’s wildlife. Thank park namesake John A. Latsch, a local businessman, for ensuring it was open to the public. In 1925, he purchased the bluff and persuaded an adjacent landowner to donate with him about 350 acres to the state for a park. Latsch was fairly familiar with the the three bluffs, as he often fished the river below them. A few years later, he also donated land that became Perrot State Park, downriver in neighboring Wisconsin. The Minnesota park has since expanded and now totals 450 acres.
There are a couple of lookout points along the way where you can rest. The step’s rise does range from five inches to a foot, so be sure to watch your step.
At Mount Charity’s top, hikers are treated to an impressive view of the river below, a blue ribbon through a landscape wrapped in gold leaves. Harvest hues fill the bluffsides on both sides of the river. Lock and Dam No. 5 can be see to the southeast with barges lazily making their last trips of the season through it.
Floodplain gold
At this spot on the Mississippi, almost all of the floodplain sits on the Wisconsin side. Green ash, silver maple, and river birch dominate the sloughs and river valley. All turn similar hues of yellow in autumn.
Green ash is among the first trees to change colors in autumn, often the first week of September. A common ash species, it quickly takes over old fields and other disturbed sites. It grows up to 82 feet high with a trunk diameter of up to 24 inches. Young green ash has smooth bark, but it becomes thick and fissured with age. A major concern for green ash is the emerald ash borer, an invasive species. Minnesota’s green ash has no protection against it.
Silver maple is one of the most common trees in the United States but not found in the west-central part of Minnesota. Highly adaptable, it often can be spotted along waterways and in wetlands. The silver maple also is fast-growing; a 10-year-old sapling can stand up to 26 feet high, making it the best bet for future NFL lineman in the woods. It tops out, though, at 82 feet. It used to be a favorite in urban landscaping, but because its roots crack sidewalks and old pipes, as well as because it resprouts quickly, many cities now ban its planting.
River birch, also known as black birch or water birch, usually grows in floodplains and wetlands. It can reach a height of 100 feet. The base of the river birch usually consists of several slender trunks, each of which can grow up to 60 inches in diameter. The bark of young river birch consists of loose layers of curling scales and often looks as if it has been damaged, but that’s not the case. As the tree matures, those scales form hard plates.
After taking in the views, return the way you came; a path does briefly lead away from the blufftop into the woods, but it quickly dissolves into a deer trail with little to see. If children are with you, make sure they stay away from the edges at the blufftop.
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| Riverview Trail map. Click for larger version. |
