Ocooch Mountains of Richland County

The Ocooch Mountains are a place name for the Western Upland area of Wisconsin also known as the Driftless Region, meaning un-glaciated, lacking glacial drift or the Paleozoic Plateau. The lack of glaciated terrain accounts for the high hills, bluffs, and ridges.

The  LaCrosse, Kickapoo, Baraboo,Lemonweir, Pine, Wisconsin, Grant, Platte and Pecatonia rivers and their many tributaries created deeply eroded valleys that contrast the nearby peaks. One dramatic example is Wildcat Mountain State Park in Vernon County. The Baraboo Range anchors the east eastern edge where the Wisconsin River turns and runs through the area to the Mississippi River. The Baraboo Range in Sauk County is a monadnock, originally a Native American term for an isolated hill or a mountain that stands above the surrounding area, typically by surviving erosion. This is where Devil's Lake, a National Natural Landmark, formed 1.6 billion years ago.