Maiden Rock Bluff protects one of Wisconsin's most notable limestone cliff faces on a bluff high above the Mississippi River overlooking Lake Pepin. Extending for nearly a mile, the 400-foot high bluff is especially noteworthy for the presence of a rare bird. The cliff is one of only six bluffs where they are successfully nesting on natural substrate. Representative cliff species include red cedar aged at 250 years of age, hairbell, slender lip fern, smooth cliff brake, slender cliff brake, white-flowered leaf-cup, and plains muhly grass.

The open cliff and adjacent narrow band of dry prairie provide habitat for several rare plant species. Many dry prairie species are also present including little bluestem, wild bergamot, columbine, leadplant, mountain mint, alumroot, pasqueflower and silky aster. Larger blocks of restorable oak savanna are found on the deep soils of the lower slopes and support such species as arrow-leaved aster, zigzag goldenrod, bare-stemmed tick-trefoil, round-leaved shinleaf, sweet cicely, and wild yam.

The rocky bluff provides hunting perches and habitat for a variety of other raptors including gyrfalcon, golden eagle, bald eagle, and turkey vulture. Situated along the Mississippi River flyway, an important migration corridor for raptors and neotropical songbirds, the protection of Maiden Rock Bluff will also provide important habitat for other migrating birds. Maiden Rock Bluff is owned by the DNR and was designated a State Natural Area in 2004.