The Driftless Region refers to the unique geological wonder that encompasses part of four states in the upper Midwestern United States (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois), in fact the area covers 24,000 square miles and is actually larger than the land base of the states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined . For two million years, glaciers advanced and retreated without touching this region, forming a kind of geological island. Glacier melt water dammed up around Lake Superior and Glacial Lake Agassiz eventually breached, creating catastrophic floods that filled the areas river basins like the Mississippi River Valley from bluff top to bluff top between modern day channels. The massive meltwater carved these valleys hundreds of feet deep with bluffs being undercut and collapsing to form epic, sheer cliffs that provide amazing vistas for hikers.

Ocooch Mountains are a centuries old name for the unglaciated, Driftless territory of southwest Wisconsin, northeast Iowa, northwest Illinois and southeast Minnesota. "Ocooch Mountain" first appeared on maps in the early 1800s. "Ocooch" was a transliteration by French speakers from likely Winnebago and/or Ioway First Nations people who speak Siouan. "Ocooch" has been connected to a word Hoguc, pronounced Ho-gooch. Hoguc being a name for Baraboo or Baraboo River, on the western edge of the Driftless region. There are also sources that connect the word "Ocooch" to the Ioway, whose language has many similarities to Winnebago Ho-Chunk. The Ioway reference refers to Ocooch Mountains as Snowy-Lodge Mountains, Paxoje (PAH--ko-chee) or an area of rugged beauty. The area is home to hundreds of small farms, artists, musicians and adventurers.

home page photo by: Jamie Harper