If you’re someone who wants a view with your workout, the Chippewa Valley is home to gorgeous hiking trails to give you exercise and a nature fix all in one. With a beautiful view for miles, coming in first for the Best Trail for Hiking is Hoffman Hills State Recreation Area (740th Street, Menomonie). Hoffman Hills consist of 700 acres of wooded hills, wetlands, and prairies. It offers hikers 9 miles of hiking trails including a 1-mile wetland trail that is accessible for people with disabilities. The crowning glory though is Hoffman Hills’ 60-foot observation tower – with views of the countryside and treetops, making it most popular in the fall for enjoying the changing leaves. In second place is Beaver Creek Reserve (S1 County Highway K, Fall Creek). Beaver Creek provides 9-plus miles of hiking trails throughout a diverse range of habitats where hikers can explore woods, river bottom forests, wetlands, and savannah areas. When you’re not hiking you can spend time learning more about nature at the Wise Nature Center, Butterfly House, Observatory, or Citizen Science Center. In third, but definitely not any less beautiful is the Chippewa Moraine Ice Age Trail (13394 County Highway M, New Auburn). This section is 23 miles of the 1,000-mile-long Ice Age National Scenic Trail which follows the edge of the last continental glacier in Wisconsin. The Chippewa Moraine offers views of glacial kettle lakes, hummocks, ice-walled lake plains, and wildlife. This trail is a bit of a “hike” from Eau Claire – it’s near New Auburn – but is well worth the trek. –Measha Vieth