Top fall hikes in southwest Wisconsin, Part I

Nelson Dewey State Park

There’s no better way

to experience autumn colors in southwest 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 across southwest Wisconsin to hike. Some are right out your back door, while some are a day trip that you can do in an afternoon.

Buffalo County
Day hikers can see ancient fossils on a spectacular vista that one time sat at the bottom of the sea. The 0.22-miles round trip Buena Vista Overlook Trail marks a must-see for anyone traveling the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi River. Located in Alma’s Buena Vista County Park, it’s an easy walk and a spectacular one in autumn. From the vista, a rainbow of leaf colors lead downhill to large swaths of gold around the Mississippi River. From Wis. Hwy. 35 in Alma, turn east onto County Road E; known as North Street in town, it curves and becomes Second Street then curls again as ascending the bluff. Near the top, turn left/north onto Buena Vista Road. The road dead ends at the park entrance.

Crawford County
Day hikers can head through a wooded blufftop that ends at a goat prairie offering fantastic views of the Mississippi River below on the Sugar Creek Bluff Nature Trail. The 1.5-mile round trip trail sits in the Sugar Creek Bluff State Natural Area. After passing through a small prairie, the trail enters a dry-mesic forest of red and white oak, shagbark hickory, white ash, and basswood. About 0.7 miles in, the trail reaches a goat prairie with the Mississippi below. During autumn, the land surrounding the river below turns into a sea of yellow as silver maple, green ash and river birch rule the sloughs and river valley. From Ferryville, go south on Wis. Hwy. 35. Turn left/northeast on North Buck Creek Road. In about a mile is a small parking area with a Mississippi Valley Conservancy kiosk.

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Hikers can enjoy autumn colors at La Riviere Park in Prairie du Chien. Covering 300-acres, the park sits in the bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. The 1-mile A-Dan La Riviere Trail loops through the park’s woods, where each autumn leaves turn yellow, tan and russet. From downtown Prairie du Chien, head south on U.S. Hwy. 18/Wis. Hwy. 35. Turn left/northeast onto Vineyard Road. Go Left on Public Road to the parking lot. The trail is shared with mountain bikers.

Grant County
Day hikers can see effigy mounds towering above a vast sea of yellow leaves during autumn in southwest Wisconsin. The 1.2-mile round trip Mound Point Trail sits in Nelson Dewey State Park overlooking the Mississippi River. Though the trail crosses a blufftop prairie, whose grasses turn amber then brown each autumn, that’s just the opening act for the hike’s real star: Unobstructed views of the sparkling Mississippi River from 500 feet up. Every autumn, across the horizon stretches a sea of yellow with spots of orange at the bluff’s base, on the islands amid the river’s backwaters, and along the opposite shore in Iowa. From Wis. Hwy. 133 in Cassville, drive northwest on County Road VV. In about a mile, the park entrance is on the right with the Stonefield Village Historic Site on the left. Follow the park road to its intersection with the road leading to the Family Campground. Go straight/west past the campground and park in the small lot where the road loops back on itself. The trail heads southwest from the parking lot across North Ridge.

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Day hikers can explore an oak savanna that’s nearly 300 feet above the Wisconsin River at the Boscobel Bluffs State Natural Area. In autumn, the bluffside lights up in an array of colors. The 3-mile round trip trail climbs 400 feet on an old logging road along the Lower Wisconsin River valley’s south flank. After passing through a globally rare dry prairie, the trail reaches a savanna offering the yellow to brown leaves of bur oak, the rich gold of shagbark hickory, and the maroon of American hazelnut. From U.S. Hwy. 61/Elm Street in Boscobel, turn east onto Mary Street, which becomes Freemont Street and then County Road MS. Just past Oakes Street, a parking lot is on the left/north.

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Yellow, orange and russet leaves await hikers at the 45-acre Oakwood Nature Park. Of the four trails there, try the 1.25-mile Oak Valley Trail, which weaves in and out of a small oak-dominated woods. From downtown Fennimore, take U.S. Hwy. 18 east. Turn left/northeast onto County Road Q. Immediately after south on Bronson Boulevard, go right/south into the parking lot. Walk south across the lawn and head east on the paved path.

Jackson County
Fantastic views of a surrounding hardwood-pine forest awaits on the Castle Mound Lookout Trail at Black River State Forest. A dry pine forest lines the southeast side of the 2-mile loop while a wet boreal forest full of gold birch and aspen and orange to brown oak dominates the northeast side. A spur trail heads to the top of Castle Mound, which rises 180 feet about the surrounding sand plain. From Black River Falls, take U.S. Hwy 12 east. Turn left/south to the Black Forest State Forest headquarters.

Day trail heads to Wisconsin sand caves

Big Sand Cave at Wisconsin's Wyalusing State Park.

Sand Cave Trail and Little Sand Cave Loop map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can explore a sand cave at Wisconsin’s Wyalusing State Park.

The 2.4-miles round trip Sand Cave Trail and Little Sand Cave Loop are a pair of new trails that take park visitors to a few previously unreachable sights. It partially replaces an older trail that went to one of two sand caves; the new trail follows the contour lines of comparably gentle slopes and use switchbacks so that the walk is never more than a 10 percent grade.

To reach the trailhead, from Prairie du Chien head south on U.S. Hwy. 18. After crossing the Wisconsin River, turn right/west onto County Hwy. C. Next, go right on County Hwy. CX to the park entrance. Once there, turn right/north onto State Park Lane. Park at the Paul Lawrence Interpretive Center. From the center, take the Walnut Springs Trail southeast.

At the first junction, turn left/east onto the Sand Cave Trail. The wide, single-track trail passes through a verdant hardwood forest alongside a steep hill. To the trail’s left/north is a deep ravine; beyond it is the Wisconsin River.

A fern grotto and a small waterfall appears at about 0.1 miles from the trailhead. Wildflowers blossom here in spring.

The trail next descends to a stream bed. Though usually dry, flat rocks have been placed in the stream bed to make crossing it easier when water does run.

Big Sand Cave
Once the trail turns south, you’re actually walking atop a sand cave. At points on this section of the trail, when the leaves are trees and shrubs are thin you can look down and see the cave.

In about 0.6 miles, the trail reaches a spur. Go left/west onto it. This brings you to Big Sand Cave, which has been carved out of sandstone and is the cave walked atop earlier on the trail.

The sand was set down about 500 million years ago in the Cambrian era when this part of the state was under a shallow tropical sea; the sand is sediment deposited on that sea floor. Rich in quartz, the sandstone is poorly cemented together and so easily erodes when exposed to wind, rain, spring water and the freezing-thawing cycle. Such erosion created this overhang cave by hollowing out the soft sandstone that sits below a harder limestone layer.

In the past, the cave used to be much larger. Erosion washed out enough supporting sandstone, however, that the ceiling collapsed. The large rocks in front of the cave used to be the roof.

Big Thunder Point
After taking in the cave, retrace your steps back to the junction. Once there, go left/northeast onto the main trail.

At the next junction, continue left-straight/northeast. You’re now on the Little Sand Cave Loop.

The trail soon arrives at Big Thunder Point, the hike’s northernmost point; it is about 0.8 miles from the trailhead. From the point, hikers can enjoy a grand view of the Wisconsin River Valley to the east and Prairie du Chien to the west. During summer, foliage can obscure the view.

Leaving the point, the trail hairpins, going southwest. On the trail’s right side is a plunging ravine, Wild Ginger Hollow, while on the left are limestone outcroppings that overlay sandstone. White-tailed deer and wild turkeys sometimes can be spotted in the hollow.

Little Sand Cave
Little Sand Cave is about 0.6 miles from Big Thunder Point; the cave is new spot park visitors couldn’t see before the new trail. During spring or following wet weather, a small waterfall flows in front of the cave. Because of the steep drop-off and delicate nature of the sandstone, no trail heads to the cave and hikers, are discouraged from bushwhacking to it.

From the cave, continue left/northwest on the trail, following the hill’s contour. The hill’s crest marks the trail’s highest point.

The loop then comes back to Sand Cave Trail (this is the junction skipped earlier). Follow it back to the interpretive center.

Be sure to don insect repellent in summer when mosquitoes can be a moderate nuisance.

Tour heads through Wis.’s largest onyx cave

Interesting rock formations fill Eagle Cave, Wisconsin.

Hikers can explore Wisconsin’s largest onyx cave – the popular Eagle Cave near Richland Center.

The tour at the commercially-operated cave heads through 3000 feet of passageways on four different levels.

To reach the cave, from Richland Center take County Hwy. Q west out of town. Go left/south on County Hwy. E then left/west onto Eagle Cave Road. At Cavern Lane, turn right/west and park in the lot at the road’s end. Walk to the gift shop for tour tickets.

Two hunters discovered the cave in 1849 when a bear chased them during winter. As the entrance was easy to find, once news about the cave spread, it became a popular destination. Almost a century later, in 1937, it became Wisconsin’s first commercially owned and operated cave.

Several large rooms and formations can be seen on the tour. Always be sure to look up, though, as you’re likely to see onyx.

Onyx forms when a liquid solution of limestone rehardens as it dries out. It looks a lot like milky glass and can be several inches thick as it clings to the ceilings and formations such as stalactites, stalagmites, soda straws, and ribbons.

Like others in the region, the cave formed when hard shells were deposited at the bottom of a sea floor. As covered by more shells and sediment, the layers over millions of years hardened into limestone. Natural acids in the groundwater dissolved the limestone, creating passages and rooms. A testament to the power of acidic groundwater are the cave’s several large limestone blocks – some as massive as 50 x 10 x 12 feet – that have fallen from the ceiling. The acidic water created fractures that weakened the underlying blocks’ connection to the ceiling, gravity did the rest.

The cave is a constant 52 degrees, so a sweatshirt or jacket is needed

Tours are offered Memorial Day to Labor Day from Thursdays through Saturdays. An entrance fee is charged. The operator also offers an in-cave camping program that is popular among youth groups.

Trail rambles across Mississippi River bluff

The Mississippi River Valley below Nelson Dewey State Park shines in
yellow and hold each autumn.

Mound Point Trail map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can see effigy mounds towering above a vast sea of yellow leaves during autumn in southern Wisconsin.

The 1.2-mile round trip Mound Point Trail sits in Nelson Dewey State Park overlooking the Mississippi River. The best time to see the autumn colors is from early to mid-October when leaves usually change in that part of Wisconsin.

To reach the trailhead, from Wis. Hwy. 133 in Cassville drive northwest on County Road VV. In about a mile, the park entrance is on the right with the Stonefield Village Historic Site on the left. Follow the park road to its intersection with the road leading to the Family Campground. Go straight/west past the campground and park in the small lot where the road loops back on itself.

The trail heads southwest from the parking lot across North Ridge.

Though the trail crosses a blufftop prairie, whose grasses turn amber then brown each autumn, that’s just the opening act for the hike’s real star: Unobstructed views of the sparkling Mississippi River from 500 feet up. Every autumn, across the horizon stretches a sea of yellow with spots of orange at the bluff’s base, on the islands amid the river’s backwaters, and along the opposite shore in Iowa.

River valley trees
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. The most common ash species in southern Wisconsin, 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; in Wisconsin, the insect is suspected of having doubled the tree's mortality rate since 2011.

Silver maple is one of the most common trees in the United States, though not found in northern Wisconsin. 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 sidewalls 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.

About midway along the trail, a path heads northeast through an oak woods to a parking lot. Continue walking straight/southeast. An effigy mound sits on the trail’s right side just a few feet past the intersection.

An effigy mound is a raised pile of earth, typically built in the shape of a stylized animal, symbol, human, or other figure. Usually it contains one or more human burials. About 20 mounds – each of them long and round – can be found on the trail. They variously date to 600-1300 AD.

Stonefield village
Next the trail passes North Point. This is a prime bald eagle viewing spot. Riding the thermals as fishing, eagles soar over the Mississippi River all year long.

The trail ends at another parking lot. An effigy mound can be seen on the trail’s left side just before reaching the lot. This marks a good spot to turn back.

The 756-acre state park was part of what was once the farm of Wisconsin’s first governor, Nelson Dewey, and so is named for him. When done hiking, be sure to stop at neighboring Stonefield, a recreated Victorian-era historical village, also built on Dewey’s former estate.

Note that some of the Mound Point Trail comes right up to the bluff's edge. If children are with you, make sure they are not afraid of heights and that you securely hold them.