To start off your snow day in Driftless Wisconsin, try a walk. Or if you prefer something more graceful than trudging through snow drifts, try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing. Wyalusing State Park across the Wisconsin River has Whitetail Meadows trail groomed for skiing, meandering across snowbound prairies and though serene forests. The Kickapoo Valley Reserve near La Farge permits snowshoeing off-trail, allowing close-up observations of the many critters out and about during winter.
On January 8, the Reserve celebrates its Winter Festival, a family event featuring skating, sledding, skiing, archery, snow sculpture, ice cave hikes, wildlife presentations, horse-drawn bobsleds, sled dog race, snowshoe exhibit, horse-drawn tours, and all things winter.
For fishing enthusiasts not willing to let six inches of ice separate you from your passion, ice fishing along the backwaters of the Mississippi River will tide you over till the spring thaw. Ice shacks and ice fishers bundled against the elements can be seen hovering over ice holes from Prairie du Chien to Ferryville to De Soto and Genoa.
If you prefer your fish hanging from a crane rather than a fishing pole, the annual “Droppin’ of the Carp” in Prairie du Chien qualifies as one strange fish story. You’ll not find a more novel celebration of the New Year west of Time Square, as Lucky the Carp descends toward midnight from high above the crowd counting down to the magic moment. December 31st kicks off with Carp Fest, including a Run/Walk, games, ice fishing, dance, and the evening bonfire.
If you have experienced our summer fun and fall colors, you might be pleasantly surprised by winter’s sublime transformation. So come; be surprised.
