Birds & Blooms: Spring in the Mississippi River Valley

Program Registration: After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived.

At a local restaurant.

Orientation: 7:00 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Our expert naturalists who also serve as Group Leaders will provide educational content. We will travel to/from field trips in 15-passenger vans or mini-van. The trails we will explore are unpaved, crushed rock walking trails that are relatively flat. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Next, we will have an introduction to the program and the natural history of the Mississippi River in spring, bird migration, and the presence of spring wildflowers in the deciduous forest. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel, hop into the vans, and set out on a field trip with our expert naturalists to explore the floodplain of the upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge and Whitewater State Park. The Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge lies between four states along nearly 250 miles of floodplain along the Mississippi River: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. Whitewater is a mini Ozarks with limestone cliffs, caves, bluffs, clear, spring-fed trout-filled waters and a diverse forest bursting with spring ephemerals. We will identify emerging wildflowers and migrating waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds.

At a park in the field, we will make our lunches with all the fixings.

We will ride to the National Eagle Center and see live bald and golden eagles up close, view wild eagles along the river, and examine the interactive and informative displays on these majestic creatures. Center interpretive staff will lead our exploration. We’ll then ride to lunch.

At a local restaurant.

We will ride on to our hotel and check in. The remainder of the evening is at leisure.

At the hotel.

We will take the vans for a full-day field trip to explore Wisconsin’s lush Trempeleau National Wildlife Refuge and its wetlands. As we go, we’ll look for waterfowl, shorebirds and songbirds, in addition to wildflowers along the forest carpet.

At a park in the field, we will make our lunches with all the fixings.

We will continue exploring beautiful Trempeleau National Wildlife Refuge and the Mississippi River Valley. We’ll then ride back to the hotel with some time to freshen up before going out do dinner.

At a restaurant in Wabasha.

After returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure.

At the hotel.

We will get into the vans and set out on a field trip to explore the unique features, birds, and flowers of Weaver Dunes Scientific and Natural Area. We’ll ride to lunch after our field trip.

At a diner in Kellogg, Minnesota.

Our next field trip will take us to explore Weaver Bottoms floodplain and the wetlands of the Zumbro River at McCarthy Lake Wildlife Management area. This is a complex of both dunes and wetlands creating a variety of habitat where we might find some very special flowers and birds. We’ll then ride back to the hotel with some time to freshen up before going out to dinner.

At a local restaurant.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel, board the vans, and ride to Lake Pepin, the last natural lake on the Mississippi River and birthplace of water skiing. We’ll explore Frontenac State Park, a hotspot for migrating warblers with incredible views of Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River Valley.

At a park in the field, we will make our lunches with all the fixings.

We’ll continue exploring, birding, and flower finding at Frontenac State Park. More than 300 bird species have been recorded here. Birdwatching in the Red Wing, Minnesota area, encompasses 72 miles of shoreline governed by the National Park Service. We’ll ride back to the hotel with some time to freshen up before going out to dinner.

We will ride to a historic restaurant.

We’ll ride on and check in to our hotel. The remainder of the evening will be at leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

At the hotel.

We’ll check out of the hotel and begin our return journey to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. On our way, we will make a number of stops to view the birds and flowers including Hastings Coulee Scientific and Natural Area.

At the Hastings Coulee Scientific and Natural Area.

We will stop in the Minnesota River Valley National Wildlife Refuge to explore and look for birds and wildflowers. We’ll also visit some local holding ponds that typically have waterfowl. We expect to arrive and check in to the hotel at approximately 5:00 p.m.

At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Returning to the Inn, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

At the hotel. This concludes our program.

If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!