Seek Solitude in Wild Winneshiek County Nearly 1,000 Acres of Little-Used Coon Creek Wildlife Management Area Beckon Backpackers and Birders

Home , Ruffed grouse

Lost in iowa BY BRIAN BUTTON PHOTOS BY CLAY SMITH perfect day: seek solitude in wild winneshiek county Nearly 1,000 acres of little-used Coon Creek Wildlife Management Area Beckon Backpackers and Birders

“Get off the beaten path and go where few venture,” says Larry Reis, a Winneshiek County naturalist. Bushwhack or hike forestry roads in the Coon Creek Wildlife Area. Better yet, make it a rugged backpacking trip and spend a night in the wild. “There is good bird watching on rugged, steep primeval woodlands,” he says. Get lucky and see a bobcat or ruffed grouse.

thrush

7:15 Grab a big Ronnie’s 8:03 Bump along cinnamon roll at Ruby’s Coon Creek gravel 8:38 Hike along lush bottomland forestry road adjacent Coon in Decorah. road to parking lot. Creek. View American redstarts perched on creekside branches.

24 Iowa Outdoors • july / august 2008 LUNDY BRIDGE RD.

CANOE RIDGE RD.

LOCUST RD. RIVER RD.

COON CREEK COON CREEK RD.

DRAKE HILL RD. WEST RIDGE RD. RIDGE WEST 52 VER WA RI O I R E P P COON CREEK U RIVER RD. WILDLIFE AREA 285TH ST.

143RD AVE.

138TH AVE. Decorah Burr Oak

OLD STAGE RD. Bluffton 9 52 OLD STAGE RD.

COON CREEK 9 WILDLIFE AREA Decorah Ridgeway

9 52

Calmar

Ossian

Festina

WINNESHIEK COUNTY

scarlet tanager dur b i n 10:19 Find raccoon and opossum tracks in mud y ji m y puddles. Escape the sun—scramble into steep 12:05 Sit among northern lady and maidenhair fern and upland forest. Look for century-old oak and hickory snack on deli sandwiches packed from Ede’s Gourmet in ages b ages stands to spy scarlet tanagers, Acadian flycatchers, Decorah. Find sunlit, open areas for raspberries. Keep an thrush and ovenbirds. eye out for blue-winged and Kentucky warblers. ird i m b ird

www.iowadnr.gov 25 Lost in iowa

american redstart

3:15 Explore stands of aspen for ruffed 2:00 Soak tired toes in Coon Creek. Find crayfish grouse, woodcock, eastern towhee and under rocks. Cast for trout in deep pools. uncommon yellow- and black-billed cuckoos.

26 Iowa Outdoors • july / august 2008 ovenbird sa n ders v i n y ke y ages b ages i m m d strea n d b ackgrou a n d ater w

6:10 Sneak into Decorah for “The Regular” pizza at ; legs i n legs ; local icon Mabe’s. Top off with a Boston Sundae at the Whippy Dip. 10:30 Gaze at stars in dark

dur b i n skies, hear barred owls hoot and coyotes howl. y ji m y 5:13 Drive to west access, hike half mile to prairie hillside, pitch tent among black-eyed Susan and ages b ages red admiral butterflies. Gaze for hawks. View Upper 8:30 Watch sunset paint the skies and valleys below. Iowa River Valley in distance. ird i m b ird