Lower Wisconsin Riverway
The lower Wisconsin River, from Sauk Prairie to the Mississippi River, retains much of its natural, wild character and in many ways probably closely resembles the landscape seen hundreds of years ago. Very few roads, and only occasional houses and villages, can be seen from the river. Although upstream dams reduce scouring and the flushing of nutrients out into the floodplain, the lowland forests and marshes remain largely intact. The valley sides are dominated by mesic to dry forest of oak, maple, and red cedar. Bluff prairies are scattered along the south-facing slopes and harbor many rare species. Although not visible from the river, many large sand prairies occur throughout the floodplain. The Riverway encompasses more than 79,000 acres of bluffs, bottomlands, islands and sandbars along the lower 92 miles of the Wisconsin River.
