Jennifer Wilson

“It is strange how little has been written about the Upper Mississippi. The river below St. Louis has been described time and again, and it is the least interesting part. … Along the Upper Mississippi every hour brings something new. There are crowds of odd islands, bluffs, prairies, hills, woods and villages—everything one could desire to amuse the children. Few people ever think of going there, however … as we form our opinions of our country from what other people say of us, of course we ignore the finest part of the Mississippi.”
-- Mark Twain, in an interview in the Chicago Tribune, July 9, 1886

You ease your kayak into butter-smooth water cloaked in morning mist. The sun peeks over craggy limestone bluffs rising above you. Birds begin the cacophony of morning song, greeting another stunner of a day on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge.

Knifing through fog down the quiet main channel, you scan the shoreline for the perfect backwater—and there are plenty among these 240,000 acres of wooded islands, marshes, and sloughs.

Established in 1924, this is the longest refuge in the continental U.S., bordering Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Although the “Upper Miss,” as it is affectionately known, hosts 1.3 million annual visitors—more than Yellowstone—its size allows for solitude and lush mystery.

Under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, every refuge must complete a comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) by the year 2012. A CCP guides management of that refuge for 15 years, and while the CCP is being drafted, there are multiple opportunities for citizens to offer their perspectives. It is always a challenge for refuge managers to find the right balance between conservation and recreation, and that balance can be even trickier to achieve at a heavily visited refuge such as the Upper Miss. Finalized in late 2006, the refuge’s CCP forms a solid foundation for management, encouraging all six of the Refuge System’s priority public uses: hunting and fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and environmental education and interpretation.

The Mississippi flowed freely until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed a series of locks and dams in the 1930s for commercial navigation. The pools in between, numbered from north to south, grow progressively deeper as the river heads south. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) manages the refuge as four districts between Pools 4 and 14: those districts can orient travelers, too.

Though driving the Great River Road is a fine way to see the Upper Mississippi, exploring under your own power provides perhaps the truest estimation of its own.

Pools 4-6 (Winona, Minnesota)
You might begin at the north end, in Red Wing, Minnesota, atop Barn Bluff, a Paleozoic remnant that reveals the Upper Miss as a wide expanse of puddles and pools. From this half-hour hike that Henry David Thoreau once made, the area unfurls around island inlets melting into a montage of blues and greens.

The river is widest around Pool 4, called Lake Pepin by vacationers who sail, swim, and sunbathe near entertaining towns such as Wabasha, Minnesota and Pepin, Wisconsin, where the Harbor View Café serves lakeside meals of a lifetime.

River access off Highway 25 between Wabasha and Nelson, Wisconsin, opens into spectacular river-bottom paddling with braided channels and calm water, surrounded by bottomland forest and marsh. In Alma, Wisconsin, a spectacular bluff overlook is postcard-perfect.

Paddle from White Water River into 4,000-acre Weaver Bottoms wetland, 15 miles south of Wabasha in Pool 5 during the spring or fall, and you are likely to see an amazing array of waterfowl from blue herons to migrating tundra swans among lily-pad fields.

On Pool 6, a five-mile paddling trail off Long Lake Boat Landing in Trempealeau works up your appetite for an iconic walnut burger at the Trempealeau Hotel.

Trempealeau is the northernmost point of Wisconsin’s Great River State Bicycle Trail, a 24-mile rail bed winding past prairies, bluffs, and backwaters in several nice parks en route to La Crosse—including some of the best birding spots along the Mississippi Flyway.

Pools 7-8 (La Crosse, Wisconsin)
Late in the fall, near Brownsville, Minnesota, you can view the awesome display of 30,000 tundra swans, ducks, and bald eagles congregating at an overlook off Highway 25 south of town.

Secluded Goose Island County Park is aflutter with wildlife from deer to ducks to eagles, viewable from a sheltered paddle trail accessible from any boat ramp, says forester Jonathan Sobiech. “I particularly go there for the fishing,” says Sobiech. “You can catch sunfish, crappies, bass, northern walleye, and everyone’s favorite—carp!”

For more solitude among similar bounty, try Long Lake Trail near Trempealeau. In fact, this is a better place to view neotropical migrants and shorebirds.

Pools 9-11 (McGregor, Iowa)
You won’t be disappointed exploring these little-disturbed pools bounded by the rugged bluffs of northeast Iowa and fascinating small towns such as McGregor, Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and Lansing, Iowa. The river and area lakes contain more than 100 fish species. “For an angler, this is paradise. You never know what you might catch or see,” says biologist Scott Gritters. “You get the double feature—good fishing, good wildlife viewing.”

An air of mystery shrouds this region, as 1,000 animal-shaped earthen mounds, or effigies, remain in Pool 10 from an ancient woodland culture. Effigy Mounds National Monument, near Marquette on Highway 76, showcases 200 graceful examples on accessible trails, near an interpretive center. At tidy Pikes Peak State Park, camp near mounds and astounding river overlooks.

A paddling trail is underway for the watery labyrinth of Reno Bottoms Research Natural Area in Pool 9, home to the refuge’s highest concentration of nesting bald eagles with 60 nests in 2007. And that’s not all. “Come fall or early spring, this place is teeming with waterfowl,” says refuge specialist Tim Loose. You can reach Reno Bottoms from the Lock and Dam 8 parking lot, but be prepared for shallow water and lots of vegetation.

Pool 10 has a pretty six-mile paddling trail adjacent to Wyalusing State Park in Prairie du Chien, offering some of Wisconsin’s best camping and hiking.

The long and wild Pool 11 has lots of paddling opportunities, with great birding on the Wisconsin side and fine overlooks around Cassville. There’s a short paddle trip off Mud Lake Recreation Area landing.

Pools 12-14 (Savanna, Illinois)
At Dubuque’s Smithsonian-affiliated National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, captain a simulated steamboat, contemplate drinking the river’s water throughout its history, or pretend to try “noodling:” a type of cat-fishing that’s equal parts repulsive and cool. Don’t miss the museum’s river eco-tours.

Across the water near Thomson, Illinois, the Grand Illinois Bike Trail is also a favorite among photographers, passing Thomson Prairie, a sand prairie with unique plants, and the 3,500-acre backwater of Spring Lake. Stop in the Ingersoll Wetlands Learning Center for a map, and to learn even more about this river’s awe-inspiring ecosystem and the amazing critters that call it home.

Visitor Information

GETTING STARTED: To get a sense of what you’ll see and feel on the refuge, try the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium at 350 East 3rd St., Dubuque, Iowa (563-557-9545, www.mississippirivermuseum.com/main.cfm). There are myriad exhibits, including fantastic eco-tours. Open daily 10-6 during the summer season, 10-5 Labor Day through Memorial Day weekend. $4-$9.95; eco-tours cost extra. Another site is the Mississippi River Visitor Center, in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota (120 W Kellogg Boulevard, St. Paul, MN 651/293-0200; www.nps.gov/miss). Park rangers answer questions about the river and help you plan.

The refuge headquarters and Winona district office are located in the Exchange Building at the corner of 4th and Center streets in Winona, Minnesota. The LaCrosse district office is at 555 Lester Ave., Onalaska, Wisconsin.

The McGregor district office is located at 401 Business Hwy 18 N, between the towns of McGregor and Marquette, Iowa. The Savanna district office is located south of Savanna, Illinois. From Savanna, head south on Route 84 for 3.5 miles, turn right onto Riverview Road. Travel 0.5 miles to the office and visitor center.

WHERE TO STAY: Camping on islands in the refuge is free. Minnesota’s Great River Bluffs State Park, 20 miles southeast of Winona, offers tent and RV camping and has hiking trails. In Wisconsin, Wyalusing State Park, south of Prairie du Chien, features camping spots 500 feet above the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. There’s also a marked canoe trail on the backwaters of the Upper Mississippi. Or camp on the Iowa side of the river at Pikes Peak State Park. A good camping choice in Illinois is Mississippi Palisades State Park in Savanna, which offers beautiful views of the river valley. For details on any of the numerous inns and motels near the refuge, contact state tourism offices.

RECREATION: The main web page for the refuge offers maps of individual districts for recreational and navigational use (www.fws.gov/midwest/UpperMississippiRiver). In Wisconsin and Minnesota, a useful site for area history and links to local tourism contacts is: www.mississippi-river.org. To find more information about lodging, entertainment, guides, etc., you also can check state or federal sites. A few helpful ones:

Wisconsin DNR: http://dnr.wi.gov/org/gmu/mississippi/visit.htm

Minnesota: www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/index.htm  

Northeast Iowa: www.visitiowa.org  

Quad Cities: www.visitquadcities.com  

Illinois: www.enjoyillinois.com  

More Information: Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge (888-291-5719; www.fws.gov/midwest/UpperMississippiRiver/)

Jennifer Wilson is a travel and features writer based in Des Moines who writes for such magazines as AAA Living, Midwest Living, Better Homes & Gardens, and Wildlife Refuge.