Day Trips From Winona

Winona makes a good base for exploring both sides of the Mississippi. All of these are within about an hour. Drive times are from the campground. 

• Pickwick Mill, Pickwick, MN (about 10 minutes). A six-story limestone gristmill from the 1850s, powered by Big Trout Creek, with much of its original equipment. Open seasonally. 
• Lock and Dam 7, Dresbach (about 20 minutes). Watch barges lock through from the observation deck. Free. 
• Apple Blossom Drive and La Crescent (about 25 minutes). Ridge-top views, orchards in late summer and fall, and a short overlook trail. 
• Trempealeau, WI (about 35 minutes). The Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge has a wildlife drive and observation deck. Perrot State Park has river overlooks and a canoe trail. 
• La Crosse, WI (about 40 minutes). Drive up Grandad Bluff for a view about 600 feet above the city, then walk the riverfront at Riverside Park. 
• Wabasha (under an hour up US-61). See resident bald eagles at the National Eagle Center. 
• Whitewater State Park (under an hour). Bluff trails, trout streams and a visitor center in the Whitewater River valley. 

Drive times are approximate. Check hours and seasons before you go, since several of these are seasonal. Winona KOA Holiday sits six miles south of Winona on US-14/61, an easy starting point for every trip on this list. 

Photo: Kirs10, via Wikimedia Commons, CC0.