Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area

Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area
Wisconsin State Natural Area
Trempealeau Mountain from the Trempealeau River
Country  United States
State  Wisconsin
County Trempealeau
Location Trempealeau
 - coordinates 44°01′17″N 91°29′39″W / 44.02139°N 91.49417°W / 44.02139; -91.49417Coordinates: 44°01′17″N 91°29′39″W / 44.02139°N 91.49417°W / 44.02139; -91.49417
Area 90 acres (36 ha)
Founded 2002
Owner Wisconsin DNR
Location of Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area in Wisconsin

Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area is a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources-designated State Natural Area consisting of a 425-foot conical rock mound surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi and Trempealeau Rivers. It is one of only 3 solid rock mountains along the entire Mississippi River.[1]

Location and access

Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area is located in western Trempealeau County approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) southwest of Trempealeau within Perrot State Park. Access is via the Mississippi and Trempealeau Rivers.[2]

Description

Trempealeau Mountain is mostly wooded, dominated by black and white oak and basswood. In a hollow on the southeast-facing side, red oaks are found mixed with patches of interrupted ferns. On the cooler northeast-facing slopes, sugar maple and basswood dominate. The dry south-facing slopes contain small patches of dry prairie with big blue-stem, needle grass, side-oats grama, hairy grama, white and purple prairie-clover, prairie larkspur, and partridge pea. Numerous Native American mounds, burial sites, and habitation sites make this a rich archeological site. French explorers were among the first Europeans to explore the area and the name Trempealeau comes from the French, “la montagne qui trempe à l’eau” meaning “the mountain whose foot is bathed in water”.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area". Wisconsin DNR. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  2. Trempealeau Mountain State Natural Area (PDF) (Map). Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
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