Surrounded by the Mississippi and Trempealeau Rivers, the steep-sided Trempealeau Mountain is one of only three solid rock islands along the entire stretch of the Mississippi River. Standing 425 feet high, the mountain was used as an early navigational device by steamboat captains and other river travelers. The name is Trempealeau comes from the French, “la montagne qui trempe à l’eau” meaning “the mountain whose foot is bathed in water”. Trempealeau Mountain is owned by the DNR, as part of Perrot State Park and was designated a State Natural Area in 2002. Photo: Thomas A Meyer/DNR