Great River Road - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 579

14. Winona
Leaving Frontenac State Park, you will pass Lake City, then Wabasha, then arrive in
Winona. Built on a huge sandbar formed by the Mississippi thousands of years ago, the
town sits in the shadow of lofty limestone bluffs that afford magnificent views of the river
and Lake Winona. In this vicinity Rte. 61 parallels the Upper Mississippi National Wild-
life and Fish Refuge, a vast network of wetlands, islands, forest, and prairie that border
the Mississippi. Extending for some 260 miles through four states, this 200,000-acre pre-
serve shelters some of the finest and rarest wildlife communities in the Mississippi Val-
ley, including 292 species of birds—huge flocks of tundra swans congregate here in early
November—118 kinds of fish, and many types of aquatic plants.
15. La Crescent
The 26-mile drive from Winona to La Crescent is pleasant at any time of year, but the real
treatcomesinspringandfall,whenAppleBlossomScenicDrive(whichparallelsaportion
of Rte. 61 atop tall bluffs) brings visitors past blooming or blazing orchards. Two dozen
varieties of apples are grown here, and all of them are sold and celebrated at the annual
Applefest held during the third weekend in September.
16. Yellow River State Forest
Anyone who ever thought Iowa was all cornfields will think again when they come upon
Allamakee County. Tucked away in the northeastern corner of the state, the region is so
blessed with hills and valleys that some call it Little Switzerland. The pride of Allamakee
is Yellow River State Forest—8,500 acres of lush landscape traversed by an enticing series
of sparkling trout streams.
17. Effigy Mounds National Monument
To honor their dead, the early Indians in this area marked burial pits by topping them with
low, rounded earthen mounds. Nearly 200 such monuments—some shaped like birds and
bears—can be seen at this 2,500-acre preserve. Most of the mounds are reached by a steep
path that leads to 11 miles of trails. Take Fire Point Trail to the observation terrace for a
memorable view of the Mississippi.