Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood Forest Back Roads

This maze of gravel forest roads winds through 200,000 acres of restored hardwood forest in Minnesota’s driftless bluff country. The main spine follows County Road 1 from Wabasha to La Crescent, with dozens of forest roads branching into hollows and up ridgetops. Forest Road 3182 climbs to the King’s Bluff overlook, while FR 3164 drops into Trout Valley where cold-water springs feed Class A trout streams. The route crosses dozens of limestone creek bottoms and climbs sandstone ridges that rise 500 feet above the Mississippi.

Moderate difficulty requiring high clearance for washouts and seasonal mud holes. Any time except winter when roads are unplowed, but spring turkey season and fall deer hunting see heavy traffic. No permits needed for driving, but hunting requires licenses. Fuel available in Wabasha, Winona, and La Crescent—carry extra for the forest roads. This is the closest thing Minnesota has to Ozark-style bluff country, with wild turkeys, timber rattlers, and some of the state’s best hardwood forests growing back from the clear-cut wasteland of the 1930s.