From the Military Ridge, the view north reaches Mazomanie in the Wisconsin River Valley, the Wisconsin River bluffs, and on clear days the higher Baraboo Hills thirty-five miles away. The Baraboo Hills contain some of the oldest rock on the continent, and they are fronted by younger river bluffs of even height capped by hard Prairie du Chien dolomite, remains of an old peneplain worn flat by long erosion. Below, contour strip farming shows an important soil conservation method in the hilly, erosion-prone landscape of southwestern Wisconsin, where light soil blown by winds into this driftless, unglaciated area must also be protected by practices such as minimum tillage. Brigham Park also contains 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. In summer, the forest's dense trees and heavy shade alter temperature, moisture, light, and wind, creating a distinct air-conditioned micro-environment.