On a snowy Sunday in early February, I stood with three friends in the middle of an expansive field with rolling hills stretched as far as we could see. In front of us rose a massive wall, a sandy red-orange that contrasted starkly with the pristine white snow that blanketed everything. Everything except that is the shear cliff that is Medary Quarry.

Few people have heard of Medary Quarry and even fewer realize how close it is. The quarry is just a ten-minute drive up the bluff from campus, or under an hour bike ride when the roads and trail conditions are good. Once at the old quarry, you can hike the 1.5 mile loop that brings you past the quarry and out into a clearing. For a second, you feel like you’re in another country.

Medary Quarry is part of a widely unknown trail system in La Crosse called the Bluffland Trails. These trails are part of an area of nearly one thousand acres protected by the Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC) and the city of La Crosse. Starting in 2002, La Crosse set aside money each year for the MVC to preserve a natural bluff land along an eight mile stretch of the Mississippi River Bluffs that surround La Crosse. This began what is now known as the La Crosse Bluffland Protection Program.

Since 2002, the Bluffland Properties have expanded to include the striking rock faces of Medary Quarry, Miller Bluff and Cliffwood Bluff, as well as some smaller hiking areas within a mile of West Avenue which include Hass Trail, Welch Trail and Juniper Trail. These trails are much less traveled than the popular Hixon Forest Trails, yet just as scenic and even more rustic. As the weather starts to warm and the last traces of snow disappear, explore new trails and discover a new corner of your backyard!

Green Tip of the Week: Carpool. Especially when making a trip home or to another city, check the UW-L Rideshare group on Facebook for who is going where and when they are going. Save gas, money and maybe even make a friend!