Yikes, it's been a while since I got a trail run posted up here. Travel and work have kept me busy. This past weekend I visited Minnesota and Wisconsin for the wedding of two dear friends. The wedding was in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on the banks of the Mississippi. Being my first time to the area, I scoped out some local trails and squeezed in a 4.5 mile run before the festivities!
In a Nutshell
- Trail Surface: Soft dirt sections, hard packed sections, and a few rocky stretches
- Bathrooms/water: Pretty clean porta-potty at the trailhead had TP and hand sanitizer. Bring your own water.
- Dogs: Must be leashed.
- Difficulty: Moderate
Route
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| Here's me running along the Hickory Trail. |
Starting at the lower
parking lot, I ran along the dirt access road to the upper parking lot and then
past the golf course. At the first trail junction, I turned left onto the Gully
Trail. It was uphill from here, through a dense green forest and along a very
narrow singletrack. Shortly, the trail connected to the Hickory Trail and
traversed over to the Bicentennial Trail. I continued uphill and the trail
opened onto a meadow where the road was visible. The trail traversed again
passing a sign with a map. I knew I wanted to get up to the Lookout, so
followed the trail downhill and back into the woods. The trail wound its way up
again and opened to a viewpoint. In the distance, forested bluffs and the City
of La Crosse were visible. After enjoying the view for a few moments, I headed back
into the green forest and downhill along the Sumac Trail and then back to the
parking area. The forest was very dense and very green. Quite a different trail
experience than LA!
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| View from Lookout Point |
If You Go
Hixon Park has a really nice online map with mileages and difficulty for its interconnecting trails. After taking a look at the trail map, I was a little nervous about remembering which trail turn offs to take. Fortunately, there are trail signs and maps posted along the way.
