Two Spring Days in the Driftless Area (Iowa / Illinois)
In the backyard, the forsythia was finally pushing out yellow blooms - always the first sign of spring! And pink flowers were blossoming on the magnolia for the first time in a couple of years. Suddenly, the urge to get out in the woods to see what was blooming there hit hard. Fortunately, I had signed up for two Driftless Area hikes with the QC Women's Outdoor Club - one in Bernard, IA and one across the river from there in Galena, IL. Around here most campgrounds are closed until May, but Swiss Valley Campground in Peosta, IA was open for winter camping. I decided to make an overnight trip of it. A bit of a shakedown for the season ahead.
With just 90mins of drive time on Friday, 2 hours on Saturday, and one night away from home, this felt like such an easy, quick getaway. I was home for Saturday date night! And you can choose-your-own adventure in terms of how outdoorsy you want it to be. Feel like staying at camp and enjoying some quiet? Cool. Want to go in town for a bakery or brewery? Easy. And with so many hiking, biking, and paddle trails through the loop, it’s definitely something I can see myself doing again and again.
If you’re interested in putting together a trip in the lower Driftless, I have a map of hikes and towns within 90mins the QCA here. This is what my route looked like this time:
Hike #1 - Bowstring Wildlife Area
We met our favorite Dubuque County naturalist, Kaytlan, for this hike and per usual, she was a wealth of knowledge about the community / historical significance of the property. She pointed out natural features and explained the oddest feature of the preserve - the resident. If you go out there, be aware you do have to walk straight through someones actual homestead, which is strewn with old vehicles, boats, and all kinds of other things. I wouldn’t linger, but don’t let it scare you off either.
We were able to hit all of the trails there, which are each named for parts of the bowstring truss bridge on the property. Although it was early, little signs of spring were around, like the bloodroot popping up and a goose nesting. She sat on a rock outcrop over Lytle Creek with her mate nearby. Kaytlan told us this a great lesser known spot to come back for a paddle, so I’m definitely adding it to my to do list!
Afterwards we ate lunch on the bridge and enjoyed watching the water pass below us. The sun felt so good on our winter skin! The other women were heading back to the QC, but I was so happy that my adventure was really just beginning.
Hike #2 - Swiss Valley Nature Preserve
Turning out of Bowstring, I came upon a huge bald eagle snagging a squirrel from the side of the road. We have eagles in the QC over the winter, taking advantage of the Mississippi, but this felt kind of wild.
Arriving at Swiss Valley, I took a quick lap of the interpretive center. I know these things are usually more geared towards kids, but I love learning about the ecology of our area, so I always take a look around. And use the facilities.
Hopping on trail, I chose to head UP the Ridge Trail. I can always tell a trail hasn’t been traveled much in a day when I startle animals on it. Within the first couple of minutes I had come within feet of a large doe, stepped over a garter snake (thinking I was stepping over a stick), and scared the heck out of a groundhog. All of this added to making this property feel like a little woodland fairytale. It was a nice walk through the woods at this point, with green buds on the shrubs and vines and rue anemone (a spring ephemeral) poking up through the leaves. Hello again, friends.
The trails crisscrossed back and forth over Catfish Creek, which was so clear in spots I could watch the trout swimming below. Many times I took the fishing access trails just to spend another moment next to the water.
If I had to recommend just one of the hikes I did on this trip, it would be this one.
About a mile down the road is where I found the park and campground. Transparently, the campground has no privacy and not much nature, but it was an easily accessible spot with a shower house for only $23/night. I’d certainly consider it again if it was right for my itinerary. Only 30% of the spots are reservable in advance, so there is a good chance you can get a walk-up spot and you self-register at the kiosk (bring cash).
The full moon was gorgeous. I had worried a lot about the cold overnight temperatures, but my blankets were sufficient and I was pretty comfortable all night. The lowest I clocked was 37 feels like 32. The next morning I woke to the sun shining and a bunch of robins out my window plucking their juicy worm breakfasts out of the ground. Spring is really the time that I value being outdoors the most. The obvious reason is that I’ve been stuffed inside all winter, but the bigger reason is that I get to see changes happen gradually and I’m starting to learn (and love) the patterns. Knowing what spring ephemerals come next after the bloodroot and anemone motivates me to get out and hike so I don’t miss them. Dutchman’s Breeches, Trillium, Merrybells..I’m looking at you!
My drive took me through Dubuque took me somewhere new. Usually I drive straight through downtown Dubuque and across the bridge to Wisconsin, but on this day it was more like a U-Turn to take the bridge that goes from Iowa back into Illinois.
I popped into Galena very quickly on the way to the hike. Galena Bakehouse is at the end closest to the highway, so you barely have to get off route and don’t have to navigate the crazy parking or tourists at all. I grabbed an empanada for myself and granola to bring home to Matt and hopped back on the road. It was a sweet little backroads drive through farms, including one with lots of sheep.
Hike #3 - Casper Bluff Nature Preserve
I joined back up with the group for this hike. Though hike was a bit of a misnomer. It ended up being more of a bird walk. We spent a lot of time listening to calls and looking for birds, which did pay off in a couple spottings of pileated woodpeckers. This is a very interesting preserve because it is the home of some Native American burial mounds, including a very special Thunderbird Mound, which they choose not to advertise. Prayer flags marked the spot, otherwise you might never know since the shapes of burial mounds aren’t really visible from ground level. There were beautiful sweeping views of the Mississippi and we made plans to come back and bike here from Galena. There are trails leading up from the bike path on the water and it would be a great spot to lunch.
This preserve also houses a modern ‘natural cemetery’. They do spreading of ashes, ash burials, and natural body burials. It’s definitely a unique and special place.
It was only 11:45am but we were ready for a beer and lunch, so we went to Galena Brewing. This was the first truly spring-feeling day and it showed with a crazy amount of tourists on the streets and all parking spots taken.
I had a lot of pent up energy and decided to look for more hiking options before I headed home. I opened AllTrails and found one just across the river from where I was sitting and another one that would be on my way out of town.
Like many tourist destinations, Galena is an amazing location for outdoor adventures and probably 1% of people who come here actually take advantage of them. So even though the town was teeming with people, I only saw 1 person on each of my next two hikes!
Hike #4 - Buehler Preserve
It only took a couple of minutes to drive to Depot Park. As I began my hike, a train traveled along the tracks on one side of me and the Galena River flowed on the other. It slowly progressed into a ‘back channel’ feel and ended with a lollipop hike around Buehler Preserve.
I really enjoyed the solitude and nature. The frogs were loud and I spotted some trout lily coming up.
As I got back closer to town, the river was shimmering in the sun the spires of the churches in Galena were looking idyllic behind it. It felt like a little European town, especially as I passed through Grant Park and under the walkway bridge that connects the park to the shopping district.
Hike #5 - Horseshoe Mounds
I was out of time, but I figured what’s one more 1 mile hike on my way out?! If I had any pent up energy left, this was the hike to exercise it. It was basically one looong descent down one side of the burial mound and one steeeeeep hike back up the other side.
Once again, there were great views and I didn’t really mind the work. It felt so good to stretch my legs and this hike brought me to a total of 14 miles between the two days. By the end of the summer I may be doing that in one day, but for early in the season I was pretty proud of that.
I took the Illinois way home, through Savanna, even though it is a bit slower. In 2020 I rode my bike through this area on the Great River Trail, so a lot of the towns were familiar to me. I spotted a huge flock of pelicans near Thomson and suddenly remembered I’ll be coming back next month to camp and paddle at Thomson Causeway and revisit the sand prairie. After such a greta couple of days, I’m excited that I already have plans to return this way soon.
Future Itineraries
Paddling Lytle Creek (Bernard, IA)
Biking Galena River / lunch in Casper Bluff Preserve
Horseback riding near Galena
Paddling Galena River (also known as Fever River) near Depot Park
Paddling and trails at Mines of Spain (Dubuque) <—I have only done a couple of the trails here, but want to do more!
Apple River Canyon State Park
Chestnut Mountain Ski Resort (I haven’t been since I was kid and rode the alpine slides)