View from Wyalusing State Park

Hiking opportunities in Southwest Wisconsin abound!

Five large parks (three state parks, one national monument, and one public reserve) are located between the Prairie du Chien area and the northern end of the Kickapoo River. As the proverbial crow flies, this is a distance of about 60 miles, but taking the crooked, winding roads of the Driftless Area would require about 80 miles and two hours of driving. The good news is that all of that driving will be along scenic rural roads with little traffic and with pleasant surprises along the entire route.

Just to the southwest of Prairie du Chien, in Iowa, lie Pike’s Peak State Park and Effigy Mounds National Monument. At Pike’s Peak you have easy access to the best overlook along the upper Mississippi River. This overlook stands 400 feet above the Mississippi and looks east at Wisconsin’s Wyalusing State Park and at the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. Seven miles north of Pikes Peak is Effigy Mounds National Monument. Along with great bluff trails Effigy Mounds offers a very informative Visitor’s Center that explains the history of Native Americans in the upper Mississippi Valley.

Wyalusing State Park on the Wisconsin side of the river boasts of twenty miles of hiking trails, great Mississippi River overlooks’ and even a gathering place for amateur astronomers to view the dark skies of the rural area.

Horseback Riding at Wildcat Mountain State Park

From Prairie du Chien find your way east to State Highway 131 and drive north through the Kickapoo Valley. You will not need to leave your car to enjoy constant rural beauty as the highway winds its way along the Kickapoo River and through a half dozen small river villages. Toward the north end of the Kickapoo Valley, just north of the Village of La Farge, you will find the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. The Reserve offers more than 8000 acres of public land that stretches along a 15 mile section of the Kickapoo River. The terrain is typical Driftless Area – a constant succession of wooded bluffs and small valleys. The Kickapoo Reserve is bordered to the north by Wisconsin’s Wildcat Mountain State Park. Together these park areas offer more than 50 miles of hiking, bicycling, mountain biking, and horse trails.

It would take the average person weeks to explore all of this area’s hiking trails. During your stay in the area you will find great food, unique shopping opportunities, and comfortable lodging. This is a great destination for a weekend or a week.

Only four hours northwest of Chicago lies a rural landscape full of scenic beauty. There lies the Driftless Area, a ruggedly sculpted land that is home to an increasing number of organic farms, artists, and nature enthusiasts. The Kickapoo River Valley lies at the heart of the Driftless Area. The Kickapoo River winds its way for almost 120 miles as it flows southward into the Wisconsin River. These two rivers are fed by hundreds of cold water trout streams that flow alongside pastoral fields, rugged limestone bluffs, and sleepy villages having fewer than 1000 residents.

For us, this is where we want to spend most of our “alone” time. This is where nature surpasses man. This is where we can take stock of ourselves, or goals, our life plans.

Snowshoe or cross-country ski in Wildcat Mountain State Park or at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. After your invigorating time outdoors, soak in a whirlpool and sip some locally made wine at your rural B&B. Dine at the Optimo Cafe a great new bistro in Viroqua, or at Eddie’s Irish Pub in Prairie du Chien. After dinner make a cup of hot choicolate and walk a few of the B&B’s paths. Enjoy a star show more brilliant and clear than you will ever find in a city, a star show just for you. Simple, quiet, beautiful time alone.

Here are a couple of great places for hiking in Southwest Wisconsin. They are only a half hour’s drive north of our B&B, the Inn at Lonesome Hollow, www.lonesomehollow.com, which is located near Soldiers Grove, WI.

Riding in Wildcat

Just south of Ontario, WI is Wildcat Mountain State Park. If you are looking for undeveloped, natural hiking then you’ll like Wildcat. The park has 3600 acres of very hilly Driftless Area terrain, 25 miles of hiking trails, 15 miles of horse trails, and a neat 1.3 mile interpretive trail. Much of the park is forested, including areas of large pine and hemlock trees. There are ferns throughout Wildcat Mountain’s forest, including walking and maidenhair ferns.  Mount Pisgah State Natural Area is included in the park. The website offers much information - http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/parks/specific/wildcat/.

Canoeing in the Reserve

The Kickapoo Valley Reserve is hosting its annual Winter Festival on Saturday, January 10th.   There are many interesting activities planned, including a chain saw sculpture demonstration, a natural ice cave guided hike, horse drawn bobsled rides, tri-state Malamute Club Sled Dog Race,  three presentations by the Ho-Chunk Nation about their prehistoric life and traditional stories, skating, sledding, and skiing.  It is a very enjoyable day, ending with a candlelight hike/ski and winter astronomy at Wildcat Mountain State Park.

On February 7th and 8th, the Snowflake Ski Club in Westby is hosting its annual ski jump competition.   The ski jump complex at Snowflake consists of 5 jumps all located in the same area of beautiful Timber Coulee. The largest is a 118 meter Olympic sized hill used for United States and International Competitions. Some of the best International and US jumpers compete on the large hill, often traveling down the jump with speeds in excess of 50 Miles per Hour flying for hundreds of feet!!! Ski jumping truly is the original extreme sport.