Situated on Wisconsin's western border along the Mississippi River, Perrot Park offers many recreational opportunities, including 102 campsites, a canoe trail and hiking, from easy river trails all the way to challenging hikes to Brady's Bluff or the Perrot Ridge. Though the area is filled with natural and geological wonders, be on the lookout along those ridge trails for goat prairies, an ecosystem unique to southwestern Wisconsin's blufftops. In spring and fall, witness the spectacle of bird migration, as the park is located along one of four main flyways, the Mississippi Flyway.
Along with the natural history of Perrot Park, it has a rich human history. Its location along a riverway marked with distinctive landmarks such as Trempealeau Mountain has made it a natural setting for travel along the river. Nicholas Perrot, who wore many hats as a French diplomat, trader, soldier, explorer and businessman, used this area to establish a fur trading post. You will begin your exploration of the park much as early fur traders might have, stopping at the site where his fur trading post was located. Today, there is a large historical marker here, and you'll do a simple field puzzle to determine where to look for the modern day treasure found here, a WGA State Park geocache.
Find the brass plate mounted on a rock.
A - Dedicated September 6, what’s the second number in that year.
B - Number of words in the last line.
C - Number of letters in the month it was dedicated.
D - Add the first number and the last number of the year it was dedicated.
E - Add the first and the second number of the year the remains were discovered.
F - Number of words in the second line from the bottom.
Now go take a hike and find the cache at:
44 00.ABC
091 28.DEF
Along with all the natural wonders that are Perrot Park, there are many, many geocaches here, including on your way to find this one.
Mississippi and Chippewa Rivers Biome
The Driftless Region serves as home to these two rivers, and many, many more, and is in a deciduous forest biome. Most of this part of southwestern Wisconsin was not touched by the last glaciers and displays a very rugged landscape dominated by limestone bluffs rising above the two main rivers. Valleys carved by smaller rivers and streams abound, but anything resembling a lake is the result of human intervention. The predominant vegetation is mixed hardwoods such as oak, aspen, and maples. With the abundant spring fed streams in every valley, the trout fishing in this biome is world class. The big river is one of the main flyways for bird migration and plays host to birds using that flyway, including huge concentrations of Tundra Swans in the spring and fall. Timber Rattlesnakes are timid venomous snakes that inhabit those rocky bluffs.
WISCONSIN GEOCACHING ASSOCIATION
The Wisconsin Geocaching Association (WGA) is a group of geocachers dedicated to promoting and protecting geocaching within the state of Wisconsin. The WGA organizes geocaching events, works with land owners/managers on geocaching policies, educates the public at large about geocaching, and facilitates communication between WGA members. To learn more about the WGA visit:
www.wi-geocaching.com
2013 kicks off the beginning of the Wisconsin Geocaching Association State Parks series. It is our goal to place a geocache in every state park in the state of Wisconsin so watch out for more in this series that encourages geocachers to explore the natural resources in this beautiful state of ours.
This a WGA STATE PARK SERIES geocache:
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to Lois Larson, Park Manager. Geocaches placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resouce managed lands require permission by means of a notification form.