Hike to La Crosse Ridge

It is easiest to park your vehicle in the Myrick Park parking lot versus your other options. The great thing about parking in that lot rather than along the road/neighborhoods is there is a trailhead right there (and it's free). You can begin hiking this short little trail, which will lead to and be immersed in the beautiful nature of La Crosse right away (the trail starts in the NE part of Myrick- it runs along Park Drive).

The trail will wrap around and underneath the county road, and then you will come out to a dirt road, which you will take a right on, and then into a little area with trail maps, and some decisions to make (takes about 15 minutes of flat ground hiking).

Personally, my favorite part about hiking the bluffs is the options. I am able to mix it up, go up a more challenging route and see things from a different outlook, or go up one of my favorite trails and be casual/for relaxation. But the beauty of it is that you will have an amazing and memorable experience regardless of which trail you choose to take!

Once you are up to the summit (which is quite a leg burner, depending on your pace), I enjoy finding a couple of sturdy trees with a good outlook of the city and set up my ENO Hammock. It is a lovely place to relax and read a book, or talk to a good friend/close family member. Because of so many different trails and outlooks, there are rarely any more than five other people up there. Normally, I am alone up there enjoying the view all to myself.

All together, roundtrip (with about an hour of hammocking/reading) time is about three hours. Elevation of up to 800ft (1,200ft above sea level). Distance of about 3-5 miles (depending on which trail you take).

After all of that hiking, a lovely little place to grab a bite to eat/a lovely cold beer is Iguana's Mexican Cafe (1800 State St. La Crosse, WI 54601), which is about a mile from Myrick Park.