Minnesota Scenic Drives: Bluff Country Scenic Byway

By: Melissa Arnold

Follow the panoramic Root River Valley to the Mississippi River. The scenery along the western end of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway showcases Minnesota's rich and rolling farmland, while the eastern part of the route winds toward the Great River Road along a beautiful trout stream and canoe route through spectacular tree-covered bluffs featuring limestone palisades and rich hardwoods.

This valley was untouched by the glaciers and has weathered gradually over time to create a magnificent pastoral setting dotted with small towns, quaint and historic lodgings, and a recreational bike and hiking trail.

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Archaeological Qualities of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway

The Huta Wakpa and the Cahheomonah people who were native to the Driftless Area along the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway realized its virtues as they found good hunting ground and resources for making tools. As a result, many Native American sites were once located all along the byway.

Now, many of these sites have been lost by time and nature. Still in existence is the Grand Meadow Quarry Site. This natural bed of chert provided materials for Native American arrowheads and tools for 10,000 years. Archaeological interpretation for visitors is limited to stories of the past and the occasional piece of chert that might be discovered in the forest.

Cultural Qualities of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway

Among the small Minnesota communities of the Historic Bluff area, a trail to the past defines today's cultures. Some of these cultures, such as the Old Order Amish population, have changed little since first settling here. Others have evolved and yet keep a firm hold on their heritage. The descendants of Norwegians and Germans still celebrate many of the same events that their ancestors did 150 years ago.

Little is left, however, of the Native American culture that once dominated the lands along the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway. At one time, the Winnebago and the Dakota developed celebrations and rituals around the Root River. The few nations that survive appreciate cultural sites and sacred places in Bluff Country, and archaeological sites provide a look at places that were important to these cultures.

The settlers who built the towns in Bluff Country were industrious. Towns flourished, and their downtown sections contained splendid architecture that can be observed today. The attitude of growth amid small-town life is still present in byway towns.

Meanwhile, the past is untouched in Amish communities, where people live without electricity, automobiles, and many of the cultural ideals that most Americans hold. Amish buggies can be seen near Harmony, Preston, and Lanesboro. Furniture created by Amish craftspeople can be found at shops in byway towns.

Historical Qualities of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway

When southeastern Minnesota was settled, little towns sprang up as the centers of agricultural trade and social activity. Farmers congregated to sell their crops and buy needed supplies, while grain was stored in silos or grain elevators such as the one in Preston that once belonged to the Milwaukee Elevator Company. This grain elevator is now a rest stop for travelers along the Root River Trail.

View Enlarged Image Cutting across southern Minnesota, the Bluff Country Scenic Byway will take you past the many historic and recreational sites shown on this map.

The towns profited from agricultural success, and now many of them display historic districts and buildings with elaborate architecture. Many of the buildings, including churches, libraries, and banks, are available to travelers as they explore history on the byway.

As a result of a successful farming industry, mills began to appear in Bluff Country. In Lanesboro, a dam on the river provided power for three flour mills. The commercial district thrived there from the 1860s through the 1920s, and visitors today can tour these brick buildings and the shops and restaurants inside them.

Towns along the byway also benefited from the coming of the railroad. The entire town of Wykoff was platted and settled when the railroad passed through. The old Southern Minnesota Depot in Rushford now serves as a trail center. When the railroad left, the tracks lay in disrepair for many years until they were converted to the Root River Trail.

Natural Qualities of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway

Deep river valleys, sinkholes, caves, and bluffs are all natural features of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway that travelers will want to explore. The Root River flows along the byway, calling to explorers from a tree-lined bank. The route celebrates its natural qualities with trails, parks, and places to stop and learn more about byway surroundings.

Unique habitats are found throughout the area. Labeled as Scientific and Natural Areas, these places can support unusual plant and animal species because natural features of the land remained unchanged while the rest of the state was changed by glaciers.

The caves and underground streams along the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway are a result of karst terrain, which is created when rainwater is absorbed into the ground to dissolve the calcite limestone beneath the ground. As this thick layer of limestone weakens, sinkholes form. Streams that continue to flow through the dissolved limestone create caves and caverns.

The Mystery Cave and Niagara Cave are two places where you can see the results of a few streams and a little rainwater. You may also want a good look at a sinkhole. The nearby city of Fountain is known as the Sinkhole Capital of the United States.

If you'd like to get out of the caves and enjoy nature above ground, the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway offers forests, rivers, and bluffs. The Root River and the Richard J. Dorer Memorial State Forest provide places to enjoy the greenery of trees and the sunlight as it sparkles on moving water.

Maple, oak, and birch create a setting for bird-watching, and in the fall, their colors draw audiences from miles around. As the Root River flows along the byway and separates into two branches, canoe access points allow you to get a closer look.

Recreational Qualities of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway

The forests, the trails, and the river are the central places for recreation on the Historic Bluff Country Scenic Byway. And because most of the byway goes through these places, recreation is never far away. State parks and natural areas provide places for hiking, camping, and exploring. With two caves within the byway vicinity, spelunking is a skill that every traveler will want to develop.

Most travelers like to explore places with unique names and histories. The Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park has both. Not only do visitors have the opportunity to go spelunking in the Mystery Cave, but they also are able to explore the site of one of Minnesota's oldest communities, Forestville.

Two state trails on the byway are the perfect place for bikers, hikers, and, in wintertime, cross-country skiers. The Root River State Trail and the Harmony-Preston Valley State Trail connect to provide miles of scenic trail for visitors to enjoy. Along the way, signs give information about the surrounding area.

Perhaps the most inviting trail on the byway is one made of water. The Root River is perfect for an afternoon or a day in a canoe. The Root River is not just a waterway, but also home to a population of trout. Anglers enjoy the wooded atmosphere of the Root River as they try to tempt a prize-winning fish. The Root River is central to many of the activities along the byway, but even if you stray from the riverside, you'll be sure to find something to do.

Find more useful information related to Minnesota's Bluff Country Scenic Byway:

  • Minnesota Scenic Drives: The Bluff Country Scenic Byway is just one of the scenic byways in Minnesota. Check out the others.
  • Preston, Spring Valley: Find out what there is to do in these cities along the Bluff Country Scenic Drive.
  • Scenic Drives: Are you interested in scenic drives beyond Minnesota? Here are more than 100 scenic drives throughout the United States.
  • How to Drive Economically: Fuel economy is a major concern when you're on a driving trip. Learn how to get better gas mileage.

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Highlights of the Bluff Country Scenic Byway

Traditional Midwestern farms punctuate the landscape and provide nostalgic scenery along Bluff Country Scenic Byway.

Minnesota's Bluff Country is a land of rolling hills, pastoral fields, and scenic rivers. Several places along the Bluff Country Scenic Byway highlight the beauty of a river valley or a hardwood forest. The colors of the landscape change with each season to provide rich greens, beautiful golds, and a winter white.

Each season has its own spin on the scenery, but you'll find the same scenic place whenever you drive the Bluff Country Scenic Byway. And when you aren't enjoying the scenery from your car, you can be out on the byway experiencing it.

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Historic buildings, bridges, and walls along the byway only enhance the scenery, making it one of the most picturesque corners of the country. As civilization has developed in this natural prairie, industrious cultures and families left churches, homes, and parks for future generations to enjoy. Their efforts create an added sense of pastoral perfection as the fields and forests are accented with classic buildings that stand the test of time. 

Use this itinerary to enjoy some of the distinctive geologic and historic attractions on and near the Bluff Country Scenic Byway.

Spring Valley Tourism Information Center: Begin your journey near the western edge of the byway at the Spring Valley Tourism Information Center. Here you will be able to pick up maps and additional information about area attractions, including historic sites, recreation, state parks and forests, lodging, and dining.

Mystery Cave: Mystery Cave is the longest cave in Minnesota with more than 12 miles of passageways in two rock layers and is the state's best example of karst features. In dry years the entire South Branch of the Root River sinks into the cave through gravel crevices in the river bottom. Mystery Cave is a constant 48 degrees Fahrenheit, so be sure to bring a jacket.

Forestville: While at the Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park, be sure to also tour the vestiges of historic Forestville. All eight of the remaining buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and historians will guide you through the experience, explaining in authentic real-time what life was like for the original settlers of the area.

Fountain: The town of Fountain is known as The Sinkhole Capital of the United States. A sinkhole can be seen at the entrance to Fountain near the welcome sign, and there is a viewing platform near the Root River State Trail. Sinkholes are common throughout the Historic Bluff Country as evidence of the ground water percolating through the geography, dissolving away carbonate rock, limestone, and salt beds.

Niagara Cave: Well worth the detour off the byway is Niagara Cave. From Fountain follow Highway 52 south (it will join the byway road of Highway 16 briefly) beyond the byway about four miles to the town of Harmony. At Harmony take county Highway 139 south 2-1/2 miles to Highway 30. Turn west on Highway 30 for approximately 2-1/2 miles, and follow signs for Niagara Cave. It is one of the largest caves in the Midwest with a 130-foot rock-vaulted dome, a 60-foot waterfall viewable from a bridge 70 feet in the air, a wishing well, and a wedding chapel.

Harmony: On your way back to the byway, be sure to stop in Harmony. At the Visitor Information Center near the picturesque Village Green in downtown Harmony you can pick up a free 32-page Visitor's Guide and abundant information about Historic Bluff Country, tours of the area's Amish culture, regional bike trails, and arts, entertainment, dining, and shopping venues.

Mangelssen Park: Just before entering Rushford on the north side of Highway 16 is Mangelssen Park atop a bluff offering a sweeping panorama of the city of Rushford and the Root River Valley. Mature trees, including a bur oak estimated to be 175 to 200 years old, outline scenic views.

Rushford: After returning to the byway on Highway 16, enjoy the southeastern Minnesota scenery as you head east toward Rushford. About 2-1/2 miles before you arrive in Rushford, within the Richard J. Dorer Memorial State Forest, is the Rushford Sand Barrens, a distinctive Scientific Natural Area. Thirteen rare plant species reside here with a dry-sand oak savanna and a jack pine savanna as dominant features of this environment.

Como Falls: Inspired by the bluffs and steep sides of the Root River Valley, continue east to the last of this sampling of geologic formations of southeastern Minnesota. Como Falls is a peaceful part of the quiet village of Hokah near the eastern edge of the byway. Located in Como Falls Park at the east end of Falls Street just off of Main Street, Como Falls is on Thompson Creek and signage explains the history of the falls, Thompson Creek, and Edward Thompson, the town founder who established a dam and a mill there. The forces of time and erosion are clearly visible as one views the falls.

Enjoy Minnesota's rich and rolling farmland as you travel along the Bluff Country Scenic Byway. And don't forget to get out of your car to check out a cave or two!

Find more useful information related to Minnesota's Bluff Country Scenic Byway:

  • Minnesota Scenic Drives: The Bluff Country Scenic Byway is just one of the scenic byways in Minnesota. Check out the others.
  • Preston, Spring Valley: Find out what there is to do in these cities along the Bluff Country Scenic Drive.
  • Scenic Drives: Are you interested in scenic drives beyond Minnesota? Here are more than 100 scenic drives throughout the United States.
  • How to Drive Economically: Fuel economy is a major concern when you're on a driving trip. Learn how to get better gas mileage.

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