Together with you, we protect rare plant communities, threatened wildlife species, top-notch cold-water trout streams, archeological resources, scenic beauty, and land for sustainable agriculture – many of the best features of the southwestern Wisconsin landscape. Our nature preserves provide opportunities for people to get outdoors, connect with nature and develop healthy habits of good exercise.
Things to Know About Public Access at the Nature Preserves
Everyone is required to follow the Recreational Use Policy guidelines on all Conservancy-owned properties, as well as all federal, state, and local laws. Partner-owned nature preserves are subject to each partner’s rules or policy.
Respect neighboring property lines and avoid trespassing
Hunting is allowed on most preserves (subject to local ordinances, state and federal laws and regulations)
See Recreational Use Policy for specific hunting/trapping information for each property
Stay safe during hunting season by wearing bright clothing
Stanley A. Ledebuhr, a retired Winona teacher, donated a 20-acre, Buffalo County bluff directly across the river from Winona to Mississippi Valley Conservancy in 2008.
Apple Valley Bluff consists of 26 acres of Mississippi River Blufflands east of the Mississippi River in the Township of Onalaska, east of County Road SN.
This 52-acre property, protected thanks to the generosity of Dean and Phyllis Dempsey and Albert L. Miller, is located in the Town of Campbell near the confluence of the Mississippi…
Borah Creek Prairie includes 181 acres of scenic remnant prairie, a rare glimpse into the rolling grasslands that were prevalent throughout the area 200 years ago.
The Holland Sand Prairie sits atop an expansive Mississippi River Terrace, created about 12,000 years ago during the last ice-age, that stretches nearly 30 miles from south La Crosse to…
If you didn't get a spot on this year's cave tour, you can enjoy a video tour anytime at this link. Kickapoo Cavern’s 83 acres includes mature oak and hickory…
The acquisition of this 17-acre parcel creates an 18-mile stretch of protected land along the Kickapoo River, creating a critical wildlife corridor for native birds, aquatic plants and animals, insects…
Mississippi Valley Conservancy and the City of La Crosse formed the La Crosse Bluffland Protection Program to provide scenic preservation and ensure that the beauty of the City’s landscape is…
TRAILS CURRENTLY CLOSED DUE TO HIGH WATER. The La Crosse River Conservancy project is located in the La Crosse River valley east of Highway 16 and south of Interstate 90…
Little Bluff is a 19-acre nature preserve in the heart of Trempealeau, Wisconsin, a Mississippi River town. The property is owned by the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church ELCA, maintained by…
Plum Creek Conservation Area is a 1,611-acre parcel of rugged land located just north of Wauzeka in Crawford County. The property includes over five and a half miles of frontage…
Along the east branch of the Kickapoo River in Vernon County sit multiple spectacular Conservancy-protected properties, including Tunnelville Cliffs State Natural Area and the adjacent Kings Point Farm Tract.
Water’s Edge Woods is MVC’s first nature preserve in Jackson County, the result of a donation from Gil and Jon Homstad and a partnership with the Friends of the Black…
This 89.14-acre property is Mississippi Valley Conservancy’s first nature preserve in Monroe County. The site was protected for its nearly half-mile stretch of the meandering Kickapoo River, diverse sedge meadows…
Woodman Floodplain State Natural Area (SNA) consists of nearly 200 acres of floodplain forest, marsh and meadow along the Wisconsin River in Grant County, Wisconsin. It was acquired and permanently…
