Root River Bottoms
This is a car pool event. Meet at the Festival headquarters at 6:30 to
coordinate group travel to this site. This 600 acre property borders the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge. It supports a diverse mix of agriculture fields, weedy fence rows, ponds, shallow marsh, willow thickets and bottomland hardwoods. Its location adjacent to the Mississippi River makes this site particularly attractive to migratory birds. Hiking will be on level terrain along access roads and levees.
Day & Time: Friday morning at 7:00am - 11:00am.
No Fee
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Directions:
Take USH 53/STH 35 south to La Crosse. Stay on USH 53 (splits from STH
35) into downtown La Crosse until you come to USH 61/14/16 (Cass
Street). Turn right (heading west) to La Crescent, Minnesota. You'll cross
the Mississippi River and associated backwaters as you approach La
Crescent. At the first set of stoplights in La Crescent take Hwy 16 south
(left) heading toward Brownsville. At the fork of Hwys 26 and 16, stay on
Hwy 26. Proceed for approximately 1 mile, and turn left on a gravel
road BEFORE you cross the Root River (if you cross the river, you've gone
too far). Continue ahead until you see a small machine shed on your
left. Park in front of the shed.
Drive Time: 40 minutes