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Spring onto the Trails

By Marge Loch-Wouters | Spring 2026 Inspire(d)

Spring is on its way! The sounds and sights of migrating warblers and other songbirds make it hard to stay inside. Once the ground is firmed up, you can hit the trails.

Trails slicing through the Driftless Region’s woods are especially fun to explore in the early spring. The leafless trees allow more sunlight to hit the forest floor, so fleeting ephemerals can emerge before taller vegetation out-competes them. The very earliest flower for sharp-eyed hikers appears in March – the Pasque flower. You need a good eye to spot their ground-hugging blooms. Once found, you can reliably return to the same place annually to enjoy them.

Many ephemerals open only briefly to their pollinators and then die back to await the next spring. So you have to move fast to catch them! Look for spring beauty, Dutchman’s breeches, hepatica, rue-anemone, yellow and white trout lily, Virginia bluebell, bloodroot, Jack-in-the- pulpit, trillium, shooting star, hoary puccoon, prairie smoke, and bird’s foot violet as you hike. The best time to enjoy these flowers is late March through early June, depending on your latitude in the Driftless. 

Scarlet Elfin Cup mushroom along the trail. Yellow River State Forest, Harpers Ferry, IA / Photo by Marge Louch-Wouters

After a long winter of low sun and dampness, mushrooms and fungi start popping up in the wet forest as well. A first shot of spring color comes from the tiny, delicate scarlet elfin cup whose bright red color pops out on the trail. If you’re lucky and have the eye for it, morels lurk in the leaf litter for those who enjoy an earthy mushroom treat.

If you get impatient to see these early flowers and fungi – like I often do – consider trails located in the more southern parts of the Driftless area (like the ones in Northeast Iowa on the list on the next page) to get a jump on early bloomers.

Spring woods, Perrot State Park, Trempeleau, WI / Photo by Marge Louch-Wouters

Tick Tips

Some might feel reluctant to hike in spring once temperatures hit 40 degrees due to the increased presence of ticks, especially in their nymph stage. It is right to be cautious with ticks, especially the Lyme disease carrying black-legged deer tick. But with the right gear and protection, anyone can enjoy the spring woods’ delicate and fleeting wildflowers worry-free.

Here are a few strategies I use to help avoid spring tick bites:

• Wear light colored clothing.

• Tuck pants into socks and spray boots and pants legs with a picaridin or DEET-containing insect repellent.

• For greater protection, invest in permethrin-infused gaiters (I like mine from Outdoor Research). Permethrin kills ticks on contact.

• Consider spraying a set of hiking clothes with permethrin spray. Renew the spray every six weeks or after six washes

• After hikes, toss hiking clothes into the dryer on high for a 10-minute spin to kill any ticks still on clothes.

• Check your body carefully for any tick action post-hike.

• Shower/wash hair. It usually takes time before a tick can transfer Lyme disease bacteria, so a good scrub can help dislodge them prior to attachment.

• If you do a lot of off-trailing like me, consider investing in a set of non-chemical RynoSkin protection underclothes (shirt, pants, socks). They are like ultralight long underwear with elasticized wrists and ankles. 

Trillium & ferns, Perrot State Park, Trempealeau, WI / Photo by Marge Louch-Wouters

Here are some flower-filled spring hiking trails in the Driftless Region:

Carley State Park (MN) – Large swaths of bluebells and wildflowers are prominent in May next to the Whitewater River. Nearby, Whitewater State Park (19041 Hwy 74, Altura MN) is also a spring flower paradise. Carley State Park GPS: 44.109915, -92.169425

Yellow River Forest – Paint Rock Unit (IA) – Hiking alongside a steep ravine brings carpets of wildflowers to you at eye-level. At the top, you’ll find ponds, woods, fungi, more wildflowers, and spectacular Mississippi River views. Hwy 364 Rd, south of Harper’s Ferry IA. GPS: 43.175140, -91.175609 (just beyond the boat landing sign on the right)

Hiking Bass Hollow SNA, Mauston, WI / Photo by Marge Louch-Wouters

Whitewater Canyon Area – Lost Canyon Trail of 13 Caves (IA) – A great spot to find an area lush with early wildflowers – and searchable caves. Bring your headlamp for cave peeping. 29912 9th Avenue, Bernard, IA 

Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge (WI) – Hike along the Prairie Loop and Pine Creek trails for wetlands and dry sand prairie wildflower wonders. W228488 Refuge Road, Trempealeau, WI

Wildcat Mountain State Park (WI) – The Old Settlers trail hike brings you up and down a bluff and through wetlands giving you a huge variety of wildflowers, fungi, and birds along the way. E13660 Hwy 33, Ontario, WI

Vetsch Park (MN) – While the trails can be confusing, this city bluff park boasts copious wildflowers as you wander on bluffsides and atop the iconic Stoney Point. Check out the park’s wildflower guide. 722 N. 2nd St., La Crescent, MN

Marge Loch-Wouters


Marge Loch-Wouters is a Minnesota Master Naturalist living in La Crescent MN. Her Hiking the Driftless Trails blog encourages everyone to head out on the trails all year long, no matter your age or physical condition.

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