A Dive into the Driftless Area

Thousands of years ago a glacier carved up our state. But it missed one area, known as the Driftless Area, which offers a glimpse of the prehistoric topography of our state's past.

Author

Forrest Koslowski
May 04, 2022

Happy Wednesday! This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

This week's deposit:

  • The Driftless Area ⛰

  • Maple syrup's "banner year" 🍯 

  • Rare fern sighting 🪴 

A Dive into the Driftless Area

Everyone knows someone who says stuff like this:

"Wisconsin is so flat"

"Wisconsin has no features"

"All you got is mosquitos and beer" (Alright, this one is sorta true).

But clearly, the folks who spread this sort of blasphemy have never been to Wisconsin's Driftless Area.

Driftless wha..?: Bypassed by the last continental glacier, Wisconsin's Driftless Area lacks glacial drift and maintains its prehistoric topography, which consists of steep, rugged landscape and ancient waterways.

Driftless Area details:

  • Totals 24,103 square miles, 85% of which lies within Wisconsin

  • Composed of SW Wisconsin, SE Minnesota, NE Iowa, and NW Illinois

  • Known for its rich agriculture and high-success of organic farming

The unglaciated expanse

We hear a lot about glaciers here in Wisconsin. It's the reason why much of the state is so flat (In fact, we just wrote about the glacier that formed the Ice Age Trail).

But in southwest Wisconsin... the land looks much different from the rest of the state.

Steep hills, wooded ridges, river valleys, spring-fed waterfalls, deep caves and cold-water trout streams makeup what is known as the Driftless Area. Sounds kinda spooky.

It looks like this because, when the last continental glacier retreated some 11,000 years ago, it missed this entire area, meaning it couldn't plow over every topographical feature in its path.

While the rest of the midwest was covered during the last ice age, this area remained ice-free, spared from glacial 'drift' - the silt, gravel, and rocks left behind by a retreating glacier - that covers the rest of the state.

Natural splendor of 'The Drift'

Why'd this area get so lucky? Some geologists credit permeable bedrock, which would allow glacial runoff to escape and prevent the lubrication of a glacier to move here. Gotta grease the wheel, baby.

Other's note several major lobes that blocked the glacier, like the deep Superior basin. Regardless, it's created a topography worth reveling in.

Because the rivers were not diverted from their original waterways, they run deep and cold. In fact, this area has the highest collection of cold-water streams in the world, and with it, incredible trout fishing. We can smell the fish fry already.

The three famous rivers of the area are the mighty Mississippi River, its tributary the Wisconsin River, and the latter's tributary, the Kickapoo River.

Another notable feature is the ancient, fertile soil. Because of this, the area is known to have one of the most successful organic farming regions in the entire world.

Fittingly, the unofficial capital of the Driftless Area, Viroqua, claims to have highest density of organic farmers in the nation.  

Bluffs, bluffs, baby

Believe-you-me folks, this gem deserves a spot at the top of your summer bucket list due to its intrinsic beauty and all the things to do.

Here are a few highlights for your visit:

This is nowhere near an exhaustive list, folks. There are tons of resources out there for you to plan a weekend getaway or just a day trip.

So grab a friend, your neighbor, your neighbor's dog, etc., and get lost out in the Driftless Area for whatever adventure you desire.

All that matters is if you get out 'der!

Hipcamp find of the week ⛺️

Erin spilled the beans on the Eagle Pines On The Bad River. "[The property owner] made a map to the local waterfalls that are within walking distance of the site. It’s close to Copper Falls and not too far from Ashland/Bayfield/Apostle Islands. There was a really clean compostable toilet. There was wood on the property to burn. I caught a few creek chubs in the river which was fun."

Well Galdarn - again with the great latrine review! These campsites are getting Forrest all giddy...

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

🪴 Rare fern finds: A Wisconsin fam found a fern that hasn't been sighted in over 90 years (that's older than meemaw). Ben Redding, one of 66 rare-plant monitoring program volunteers, spotted the Maidenhair Spleenwort in the Baraboo Hills of Sauk County while hiking with his family.

🍁 Maple syrup is booming: Know who's not upset over our cold spring? Maple syrup farmers. Apparently, the maple syrup harvest has been booming due to our below-freezing nights and *sigh* barely-above-freezing days. Sweet.

🌲 'WI' love trees: We planted over 9.3 million trees last year as part of the state's goal to plant over 75 million by the end of the decade. Which has us breathing easier, literally.

Here's what Ashley said last week:

How'd we do this week?

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