Local Adventures for Memorial Day Weekend

The first great weekend of the summer is fast approaching. Western Wisconsin offers a myriad of outdoor activities that can be perfectly tailored for a fun, long, local Memorial Day weekend. 

A Long Weekend Long River Adventure. 

For a grand adventure by kayak or canoe, float from Menomonie to Wabasha. This trip will cover very scenic and simple to paddle portions of the Red Cedar, Chippewa, and Mississippi Rivers. There are two possible starting points on this trip. One put-in location is Lake Menomin. Any of the boat landings will work. I’ve put in on the beach at Wakanda Park as I live close to the park. Once on the water, paddle towards the right side of the bridge and dam. The take-out is located where Wilson Creek flows into Lake Menomin. The short portage ends at the rock ledge, which is also a popular fishing destination. After the portage, line up to run the short section of rapids located where the river goes under the old railroad bridge and around the bend. If the water is high, these rapids can be fun and challenging. 

The other put-in location is upstream from the Highway 29 bridge. The river from this point downstream is a pleasant and scenic paddle. There are a couple of minor riffles between Menomonie and Irvington. The Red Cedar Trail runs along the west side of the river. Just below the bridge at Downsville is a landing. Downstream from Downsville, the river becomes delta-like with many bends and lots of trees (snags) in the river. It's deep and a bit slow-moving. The confluence of the Red Cedar and Chippewa Rivers is about a mile downstream from the county highway Y bridge. From this point downstream to the Mississippi River, much of the land along the river is public and part of the Lower Chippewa River State Natural Area. As such, camping is permitted on sand bars. The sandy beaches near the confluence are a good place to camp if the float was begun later in the day on Friday. 

The Chippewa is more powerful than the Red Cedar and much more open, so a bit of a wind can cause much consternation when paddling by kicking up waves or by requiring extra paddling to make progress downstream. The two main impediments to navigation are snags and sand bars. Having the ability to read current lines to follow the deeper water and avoid snags is useful on this river. Wildlife is incredibly abundant along the Chippewa. It is common to spot eagles, deer, beaver, and various waterfowl. I once canoed with a birder on the river, and he spotted three new life listers during the float. Durand is several hours of paddling below the confluence of the rivers, and there is a landing in Durand with a nice dock. A couple of hours downstream from Durand is the small village of Ella, which also has a small landing. Camping in the vicinity of Ella makes for a nice day of paddling if the previous night’s camp was near the mouth of the Red Cedar. Tiffany Bottoms Wildlife Area begins just downstream from the dripping cliffs and offers many spots to pitch up a camp. Day three of this float will consist of paddling from the near Ella campsite to Wabasha. The paddle down the Chippewa will have more of the sloughs and bottom land on the left side of the river and some river bluffs on the right side. The sloughs are full of fallen trees, shallow spots, and other impediments to navigation, so stick to the main river. 

The confluence of the Chippewa and the Mississippi Rivers forms the downstream end of Lake Pepin. The Mighty Muddy runs very deep and very powerful here. A strong wind from the wrong direction can kick up some big waves, leading to some exciting canoeing. It is also a hot spot for motorboats and their wakes. Fortunately, sticking close to the Wisconsin side of the river will keep most of the big water away from the canoe or kayak. It's about an hour of paddling to the take-out point just below the bridge at Wabasha. It takes a bit of navigating through the backwaters to reach the boat landing, but it is easy to follow the trail of the many boats taking the same course. Pro Tip: after take-out, there are several awesome restaurants including J&J BBQ and Beth’s Twin Bluffs Inn in Nelson, and Slippery's in Wabasha. If a multi-day float does not fit the Memorial Day calendar, this trip can be divided into various day trips with the numerous landings along the route. 

A Picnic in the Park

Wakanda Park offers many options for a fun day of picnicking with family and friends. The main picnic area with its large pines and oaks is a nice shady place to hang out. The playground will keep the younger kids occupied for a long time. Disc golf and pickleball are also options for the crew. A stroll through the Lions Club Zoo and the Ted Weihe Memorial trail is a good way to relax after the brats and burgers are gone. While picnicking, wandering to the Indian Mounds is a good way to acknowledge the area's history. It is possible to fish from shore in the park. A nice picnic is a great reward for staying home and working on the garden and yard the other days of the weekend. 

Quiet Bike Rides

Menomonie has a plethora of bicycling routes. The Red Cedar trail tops most biking lists. A cyclist can start in Menomonie on the Red Cedar Trail and end up in Durand, Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls, Lake Wissota State Park, or Cornell, all via trails. The county and town roads offer some great biking routes that include rides on the prairies and hills that make up Dunn County geography. 

Two of the nicest bike rides begin in Menomonie. The Lake Menomin Loop is 8.3 miles long. It's a circular route, so one can begin anywhere. I start in North Menomonie by riding east on Maple Street into Wakanda Park to miss the current construction on Pine Avenue. I weave my way around the construction, back onto Pine, and ride east to the end of Pine. A trail starts where Pine Avenue ends and runs parallel to I-94 all the way to Stokke Parkway. The route then parallels the Parkway to Domain Drive, which then curves around and becomes Red Cedar Street. Then turn on 4th Avenue, which leads to a path winding through the east side of Menomonie, with the route eventually connecting with the bike path that follows Crescent Drive. Bikers then pass by the Stout dorms and coast down the hill across the bridge. A brief pedal up the Junction Trail completes the route. 

A good spot to begin the 22.5-mile Logger Loop is the parking lot at the south end of Stokke Trail, or across Highway 29 at Riverside Park. There are Loggers Loop signs that designate the route, but there are also many options with other bike trails and routes that can be used to complete the ride. The Loggers Loop generally runs north on Stokke and then Junction trails to Cedar Falls Road. The loop then follows Cedar Falls Road to Cty BB, crosses the bridge, and then heads east and south as it meanders its way through the industrial area north of I94. Eventually, the Loop crosses I-94 on the Stokke Parkway bridge and runs south to Highway 29. This is where many of the route options begin. Bikers can cut through the east side on the same route at the Lake Loop or go south to highway 29, cross under 29 at the tunnel and then ramble their way through south Menomonie. The goal is to end up on Bongy Drive headed south to County D, and then cross the bridge and ride either the Red Cedar Trail or Paradise Valley Road back to the starting point. A map of bike trails and routes in Menomonie can be found here: https://www.menomonie-wi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/244/Menomonie-Bike-Map-PDF

Day Hiking at Hoffman Hills

The over nine miles of trails at Hoffman Hills allow the intrepid hiker to wander through the woods, prairies, and ridges that make up the State Recreation Area. The most popular hiking route starts at the first parking lot and leads hikers through the hills and ridges to the 60-foot tower on top of a ridge. The view from the tower is amazing. Hiking the other trails can be a fun exercise in randomness. Every intersection offers a change in direction, and it seems as if the hike is simply going in circles. Then suddenly, the parking lot is in front of you. 

The second parking lot offers the choice of hiking through a meadow and then wandering through the woods, or taking the trails that wind their way through the prairie and ponds that cover the western region of the Rec area. Hoffman Hills has multiple picnic areas. One is located next to the first parking lot. Another is a pack-in spot that is nestled in the woods slightly less than a half mile from the second lot. Hiking the Rec area this time of year is nice because fall is the busiest time of year when folks are climbing the tower for views of the fall colors, so a bit of solitude can be had on the hike. 

There are many outdoor adventures close at hand for this Memorial Day weekend. Pick one or several. Happy Adventuring.