Welcome to McGilvray Road and its Historic Bridges
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McGilvray Road is located in Northwest La Crosse County, Wisconsin, in the Van Loon Wildlife Area. Located on a former vehicular road is a unique combination of five rare bowstring arch truss bridges and one low truss bridge. They represent two styles of bridge construction popular in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries which are quickly being replaced due to deterioration or inability to meet today's greater traffic requirements. Currently the McGilvray Road and its bridges are open only to pedestrian traffic.
In 1989, the Friends of McGilvray Road was formed to rescue the deteriorating Bridges from demolition by the State of WI. Through much time and expense, the trail and bridges were rescued from ruin and have since been maintained by the Friends of McGilvray Road and the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources. Please consider supporting our work by joining the "Friends," by a donation, or by any contribution of your time. Thank you!
The Van Loon Wildlife Area (exit to DNR) contains about 6000 acres of land, much of it former farmland, along and through the Black River and its backwater. The purpose of the area is to provide fishing and hunting for waterfowl, upland game and deer.
Van Loon is a WBCI Important Bird Area noted for Yellow-crowned night-herons, Acadian flycatchers, cerulean warblers, and prothonotary warblers that breed there. The site also supports red-headed woodpeckers, blue-winged warblers, and field sparrows. Waterbirds congregate in late summer and thousands of landbirds migrate through, particularly in the spring. Van Loon is also featured in the Mississippi - Chippewa River Region of the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail.
Van Loon is a WBCI Important Bird Area noted for Yellow-crowned night-herons, Acadian flycatchers, cerulean warblers, and prothonotary warblers that breed there. The site also supports red-headed woodpeckers, blue-winged warblers, and field sparrows. Waterbirds congregate in late summer and thousands of landbirds migrate through, particularly in the spring. Van Loon is also featured in the Mississippi - Chippewa River Region of the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail.
The trail entrance is located on Wisconsin Rustic Road #64.
