From the Military Ridge, the view north extends toward Mazomanie in the Wisconsin River Valley, with the higher Baraboo Hills visible thirty-five miles away on clear days beyond the Wisconsin River bluffs. The Baraboo Hills contain some of the oldest rock on the continent, while the younger river bluffs of even height are capped by hard Prairie du Chien dolomite and are remnants of an old peneplain worn flat by long erosion. Below, contour strip farming demonstrates an important soil conservation method in the hilly, erosion-prone landscape of southwestern Wisconsin, where light soil was originally blown by winds into this driftless, unglaciated area and is also protected through methods such as minimum tillage. Brigham Park also preserves one of the rare mature sugar maple forests in southern Wisconsin, where fertile soil and ample moisture allowed the trees to mature, and where frequent fogs and a north-facing slope created damp conditions that protected the forest from prairie fires before settlers arrived. Within the forest, the dense, heavily shaded trees modify temperature, moisture, light, and wind, producing a distinct air-conditioned micro-environment in summer.