Plowline Trail

Park on Huff Street on the bridge that divides Lake Winona (we parked in the lot by the Visitor Center).  Walk on Huff St. towards the highway (14/61) and turn left on W. Lake Boulevard (be careful here, it’s a busy road).  Continue on Lake Blvd. past Cty Rd. 44 .  Before the first house on Lake Blvd. you’ll see the wooded path.  Follow the path up and you’ll eventually get to Garvin Heights Pa...

Just off Highway 35, on the south side of Fountain City, you will find an easy access boat landing with ample parking and suitable ramps to launch your kayak, canoe or motor boat. Coming from central Wisconsin, we drove 95 that runs the ridges of the driftless region and offers beautiful views of the farmland - an added bonus for this excursion. As a family of four looking to enjoy the water fo...

John A. Latsh State Park is directly off of Hwy. 61 a few miles north of Winona. Begin your hike at the parking lot, following the signs for the Riverview Trail. The hike itself is a short, but steep climb on a series of steps up the side of the Mt. Charity Bluff. Winding through verdant valley forest, thick with ferns and wildflowers, the stairs eventually emerge onto a bluffland prairie scatt...

Perrot State Park, located in Wisconsin's Driftless Region, is home to many tall bluffs, including Brady's Bluff and Trempealeau Mountain. Many elevated hikes give you a wonderful view of the Mississippi River and its surrounding bluffs, but the real treasure is seeing this area from the water by canoe. This state park marks the confluence of the Trempealeau and Mississippi Rivers.   Start by r...

Whitewater State Park is at the cusp of bluff country, straddling the Whitewater River, a small tributary of the Mississippi. Spring and Autumn are the best times to visit. In Spring you'll hit wildflower season when the forest glades in the depths of the valley folds are literally carpeted with flowers. It's like wading through a sea of white and yellow and violet. Get a wildflower guide and h...

Great River Bluffs State Park follows a series of impressive bluffs along the Mississippi River just south of Winona. For those of you who think Minnesota is as flat as a pancake (and I'm not saying there aren't places in the state that are), Great River Bluffs will be a surprise. King's and Queen's Bluff are half hills, gradually rising from the valley only to end in a 500 ft cliff along the r...