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Winter 2022-2023 Snowshoe Season:

We recently added our Twilight Snowshoeing Event at the UW-Richland Foundation Smart Farm. Coming soon-our guided tour experiences schedule. Go to our TicketSpice page to purchase our Twilight Snowshoeing tickets: 

This is the fourth year of providing great snowshoe experiences in the Driftless Area of Richland County. We are excited to build on our knowledge of great event organization and continue to provide fun experiences that create memories lasting a lifetime. We are committed to making the experience enjoyable for families and friends alike! Bring your favorite group of people to Dayton Ridge-and experience the beauty of the UW-Richland Foundation-Smart Farm. We are excited to partner with the UW-Richland Foundation and have the amenities of the restored barn on the John & Mae Smart Farm available to us-it is a perfect launching point for putting on snowshoes out of the elements and an event space to warm up and gather with friends before & after your time out on the trail.  The trails are lit with a combination of solar lights, tiki torches, and full moonlight. If you have never done snowshoeing at twilight-you will absolutely love it!  

We are partnering with Christy’s Sunny Side Cafe to provide you with some delectable food & beverage options. Christy will have her new bakery soup bowls where you can warm up with soup in her tasty bread bowls. There will be cheese & charcuterie options and a variety of beverages, including a hot chocolate bar. All food & beverage sales are at the event and payable to Christy’s Sunny Side Bakery & Cafe. We thank Christy for partnering with us!

The UW-Richland Foundation Smart Farm-owned by the Richland County Campus Foundation is a beautiful jewel in Richland County.  Many are not aware of this gem with acres of farmland and forest, trails for varying abilities, and a restored barn for events. It is a quick 5 minutes from Richland Center and easy to navigate from US Highway 14. Parking is limited, please try to consolidate your group to limit the number of vehicles. Restroom access will be a portapotty out of the elements but we promise to keep it clean and warm. The Smart Farm is up on Dayton Ridge and will give you some great views, especially at sunset. Please dress appropriately for the experience-out on the trail and inside the barn. We will have some space heaters but the barn is not a heated dwelling. Protection from the wind will naturally happen inside the barn and we have chosen trail circuits to lead you down into a wooded valley. We are anxious for you to see this lovely location!

The trail opens at 4 pm and there are tickets for each time slot until 8:00 pm. The trail will be closed down at 9:00 each evening. Click on the blue ticket button above for more information.

We also do guided, group snowshoeing tours on various local trails. Included in your tour is snowshoe rental, instructions, guided assistance, various bits of local history, geology, ecology, followed by hot cocoa at the end of the trail. Expect 1-2 hours of snowshoeing over various terrain. You can specify your activity level at the time of booking and a suitable trail will be chosen for the group based upon current snow levels. We ask you to wear clothing appropriate for the weather conditions as you will be outside. Click on the red button for tour options.

Once we get back to spring and warmer weather, we will be posting our UTV tours. We have a very beautiful, 6 passenger Kawasaki Ranch edition UTV decked out in style. You will enjoy a covered roof and windshield that will protect you from the wind & elements while enjoying the fresh air as you gaze out the side windows. You will be entertained by your guide, Marty for well over an hour. During the summer, enjoy the full-sensory experience while watching for wildlife as Marty engages you with stories, tall tales, and the history of the area. We ask you to wear clothing appropriate for the weather conditions as you will be outside. We can custom design this tours to go to farms, cheese factories, wineries, and orchards as well. You will see our UTV used in many of our events coming up!

We just did a tour with Dave & Heather and here is Dave’s very gracious review:

We highly recommend Ridge and Valley Tours for a personable, unique and lasting experience of the Driftless Area.  Marty and Teri are excellent hosts and oh so knowledgeable of this special area of Wisconsin and the United States. 

We booked a Dairy Tour and were able to gain an inside look of any area goat farm that farms sustainably and supplies milk to a major craft cheese producer.  It was a special touch that we were able to taste some of the delicious cheeses that resulted due to the hard work of these farmers.  We obviously also had a day filled with postcard worthy views of the wonderful Driftless Area.  Part of the fun of boking a tour with Ridge and Valley is that you experience the area via their large ATV – a great and stress free-way to see as much as possible!   Marty is also a natural story teller and makes each and every bit of information that is shared both interesting and fun. 

 In closing, don’t hesitate to book a half day (or day) with these great people – you won’t regret it and in the end will leave the area will wonderful memories.

For more information, and design suggestions of a tour, please feel free to reach out to us at (608) 630-2452, or by email at ridgeandvalleytours@gmail.com.