Great River Road
Touring the Great River - Wisconsin Itinerary
| Departure: | Northern End of Great River Road - Wisconsin, Wisconsin |
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| Destination: | Southern End of Great River Road - Wisconsin, Wisconsin |
| Time to allow: | 2 days |
The tour of the Great River Road in Wisconsin highlights several of the historical, natural, and scenic sites along the Mississippi in the great northern state of Wisconsin. This two-day tour will let you experience the relaxed, comfortable feel of life along the river.
Day 1
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Start: Northern End of Great River Road - Wisconsin
The city of Prescott marks the beginning of our tour of the Great River Road in Wisconsin. Prescott is only a half hour away from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on the Wisconsin border. Take the time to visit the historic shops in Prescott's downtown.
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Stop 1: Diamond Bluff
Directions from previous place: From Prescott, follow Wisconsin 35 for 13 miles until you reach the town of Diamond Bluff.
Distance from Previous Site: 13 miles / 20.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 19 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Traveling from Prescott through the rolling countryside and deep coulees, the Great River Road traveler encounters the settlement of Diamond Bluff located on the shoreline of the Mississippi River. A French trader named the region Diamond Bluff because of the prominent limestone bluffs that line the river.
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Stop 2: Hager City
Directions from previous place: Follow State Route 35 southwest from Diamond Bluff for approximately 6 miles past the turnoff into Hager City.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 9 minutes This small community still has the same railroad going by as it did when it was founded in 1886 by the Chicago, Burlington & Northern Railroad.
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Stop 3: Bow and Arrow Historic Marker
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 for approximately 1.5 miles southeast of Hager City to this historic wayside.
Distance from Previous Site: 2 miles / 3.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 3 minutes A State Historical Marker and parking area is located adjacent to the Great River Road affording a distant view of this mystic site.
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Stop 4: Bay City
Directions from previous place: Continue south along State Road 35 for 3 miles into the town of Bay City.
Distance from Previous Site: 3 miles / 4.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Bay City got its name from its location on a bay of Lake Pepin. The town features boat launching docks and picnic areas
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Stop 5: Maiden Rock
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 for 8 miles into Maiden Rock.
Distance from Previous Site: 8 miles / 12.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes The Village of Maiden Rock takes its name from the towering limestone bluff to the south where legend claims that a young Indian woman jumped to her death. The town features outlets on Lake Pepin and several bed and breakfasts.
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Stop 6: Stockholm
Directions from previous place: From Maiden Rock, continue along State Route 35 for 6.32 miles into Stockholm.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes Stockholm is a village backdropped by the steep bluffs on one side and overlooking Lake Pepin on the other. Historic buildings line its main street, and several artisans and craftsmen make this a true Rennaisance village.
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Stop 7: Ft. St. Antoine Historic Marker
Directions from previous place: From Stockholm, travel 2 miles southeast along State Road 35.
Distance from Previous Site: 2 miles / 3.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 4 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes This wayside provides a "closeup" view of the site of Fort St. Antoine.
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Stop 8: Pepin
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 for 4 miles past the Ft. St. Antione Historic Marker into Pepin.
Distance from Previous Site: 4 miles / 6.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Pepin is proud to boast the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the popular "Little House" book series. The town sports several attractions related to the historic author, along with Lake Pepin access.
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Stop 9: Nelson
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 for 8 miles into the village of Nelson.
Distance from Previous Site: 8 miles / 12.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 11 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes The Village of Nelson is the "gateway" to a causeway extending into the vast Mississippi River backwaters and to an intra-state bridge to Minnesota. Campsites, specialty food shops, and authentic Amish furniture stores await you.
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Stop 10: Beef Slough Historic Marker
Directions from previous place: From Nelson, follow State Road 35 for 8 miles to this historic wayside.
Distance from Previous Site: 8 miles / 12.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Let your imagination recreate the sights and sounds of this area during the logging 'heydays' of the mid 1800s.
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Stop 11: Alma
Directions from previous place: Continue along State Road 35 for 0.5 miles from the wayside into Alma.
Distance from Previous Site: 0.5 miles / 0.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 1 minute Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Built by Swiss settlers, picturesque Alma is nestled in a narrow corridor between the Mississippi River and Twelve Mile Bluff. The entire city, with its turn-of-the-century commercial buildings and elegant homes, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
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Stop 12: Cochrane and Buffalo City
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 from Alma south for approximately 8 miles to enter the town of Cochrane. For a side tour to Buffalo City, travel 4 miles and turn right on County Road OO and continue into Buffalo. From Buffalo, follow 10th street east into Cochrane.
Distance from Previous Site: 8 miles / 12.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Cochrane was established in 1884 when the Chicago, Burlington, and Northern Railroad relocated its tracks out of the neighboring river town of Buffalo City. Both of these riverside towns feature extensive parks and historic sites.
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Stop 13: Merrick State Park
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 6 miles southeast of Cochrane to reach Merrick State Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes This 320 acre State Park has a Nature Center, 73 campsites, and access to the Mississippi River and its backwaters. Firewood and drinks are also available.
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Stop 14: Fountain City
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 for 3 miles south of Merrick State Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 3 miles / 4.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes This river town clings to the base of the 550 foot Eagle Bluff and Indian Head rock, featuring several historic houses and breweries.
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Stop 15: Centerville
Directions from previous place: Folllow State Route 35 for 15 miles southeast of Fountain City to reach the city of Centerville. In Centerville, turn right to continue along State Route 35.
Distance from Previous Site: 15 miles / 24.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Centerville was named for its location at the heart of the broad Tremplealeau Prairie.
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Stop 16: Perrot State Park
Directions from previous place: Travel south from Centerville on State Route 35 for 4 miles to reach Perrot State Park
Distance from Previous Site: 4 miles / 6.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 6 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 1 hour This 1,400 acre State Park is named after French explorer Nicholas Perrot who built a trading post at this location in 1685. Trempealeau Mountain rises from the river valley floor, and Perrot State Park provides all sorts of outdoor activities.
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Overnight Point: Trempealeau
Directions from previous place: From Perrot State Park, travel south for 0.5 miles along State Road 35
Distance from Previous Site: 0.5 miles / 0.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 2 minutes This village was named after neighboring Trempealeau Mountain - a navigational landmark used by early French fur traders. For campers, nearby Trempealeau State Park features several campsites, and Trempealeau has some lovely lodging opportunities.
Total Distance Traveled in Day 1: 97 miles / 155.2 km
Day 2
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Stop 1: Nicholls Mound
Directions from previous place: Travel south along State Road 35 for 1.5 miles.
Distance from Previous Site: 1.5 miles / 2.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 3 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes Nearly 90 feet wide and 11 feet high, Nicholls Mound may be the largest Hopewell Indian mound in Wisconsin. A bike trail leads to Nicholls Mound directly from Trempealeau.
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Stop 2: Holmen
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 south for 11 miles from Trempealeau until you reach Holmen.
Distance from Previous Site: 11 miles / 17.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes Holmen's creamery (built in 1923) still stands in the town's original commercial district and was a stalwart business, processing the milk brought by the dairy farmers nestled in fertile coulees of the region.
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Stop 3: Onalaska
Directions from previous place: Travel south along State Route 35 for 6 miles to pass through Onalaska.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Onalaska's location near the juncture of the Black and Mississippi Rivers made it an important lumber town during the mid 1800's.
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Stop 4: La Crosse
Directions from previous place: Travel 6 miles south from Onalaska along State Route 35.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes La Crosse, Wisconsin's largest city on the Great River Road, is situated between towering bluffs and the Mississippi River near the outlets of the Black and La Crosse rivers.
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Stop 5: Stoddard
Directions from previous place: From La Crosse, follow State Route 35 south for 10.6 miles into Stoddard.
Distance from Previous Site: 10.6 miles / 17.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes The main channel of the Mississippi River was about two miles west of here until 1938, when the US Army Corps of Engineers built a lock and dam at Genoa some 6 miles downstream.
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Stop 6: Genoa
Directions from previous place: Travel south along State Road 35 for 5.5 miles into Genoa.
Distance from Previous Site: 5.5 miles / 8.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 7 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes In 1854, this village of 266 residents was first a settlement of Italian and Italian speaking Swiss immigrants relocated from the lumbering and lead-mining community of Galena, Illinois. This riverside town features excellent fishing, as well as information about the nearby National Fish Hatchery.
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Stop 7: Victory
Directions from previous place: Follow State Road 35 south for 6 miles into the town of Victory.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 8 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes This small settlement along the Great River Road has a picturesque setting: snuggled next to the river on one side and backdropped by bluffs on the other. Five settlers laid out this village in 1852 and named it "Victory" to commemorate the final battle of the Black Hawk War fought south of the village 20 years earlier. Victory prospered during the wheat boom of the 1850's, but today it is only a remnant of its past.
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Stop 8: DeSoto
Directions from previous place: Travel five miles south of Victory along State Route 35.
Distance from Previous Site: 5 miles / 8.0 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 7 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 20 minutes The Village of DeSoto is 5 miles south of Victory. This river town has the distinction of being named after the famous Spanish explorer Fernando DeSoto, the first European to see the Mississippi River. It was platted in 1854 on the site of a small outpost of the American Fur Company. Today this community is a shadow of its past when it "peaked" with sawmills, grain dealers, blacksmiths, dressmakers, breweries and hotels. Learn from the "locals" how the wing dams constructed in the Mississippi diverted the river closer to their community.
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Stop 9: Ferryville
Directions from previous place: Travel 8 miles south of DeSoto along Route 35.
Distance from Previous Site: 8 miles / 12.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Eight miles south of DeSoto lies Ferryville. This little river town clings to the bluffs along the river and is the longest one-street village in the world. It was first called Humble Bush, but was rechristened Ferryville when platted in 1858. The name reflects the founder's intentions to establish ferry service across the Mississippi to Iowa. In 1878, after being devastated by a tornado it was written " ... today a passerby can see no evidence of a village...". Ferryville today still clings to the bluffs and portrays a true river town experience to its visitors.
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Stop 10: Lynxville
Directions from previous place: Continue along Route 35 for 8 miles.
Distance from Previous Site: 8 miles / 12.8 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 12 minutes Our next stop, Lynxville, is 8 miles past Ferryville. Because of the stable depth of the river at Lynxville, it was a reliable and popular landing during the steamboat era of the mid to late 1800's. While the steamboats are gone, this quaint little river town remains as the host community to Lock and Dam No. 9.
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Stop 11: Prairie du Chien
Directions from previous place: Continue 14 miles south of Lynxville along Route 35.
Distance from Previous Site: 14 miles / 22.4 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Our next stop is Prairie du Chien, a somewhat larger town with about 6,000 residents. Stop at the Prairie du Chien Regional Tourism Center to learn about the many area attractions of this second oldest settlement in Wisconsin. It became a trade center as early as the 1670s with the arrival of Marquette and Jolliet. Hercules Dousman built Villa Louis, now owned and operated by the State Historical Society. Villa Louis is an opulent 1870s estate with one of the nation's finest collections of Victorian decorative arts. The Villa Louis historical marker at this site provides an overview of the origin and history of this luxurious mansion. Medical history from the 1800s and local history is displayed at the Fort Crawford Museum. Some warehouses built in the early 19th Century by the American Fur Company still survive today on historic St. Feriole Island as do remnants of the old American Fort built to protect this outpost. River history can also be explored by excursion boats.
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Stop 12: Bridgeport
Directions from previous place: From Prairie du Chien, travel south on Highway 18 to the city of Bridgeport.
Distance from Previous Site: 6 miles / 9.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes Driving 7 miles southeast of Prairie du Chien, we arrive in Bridgeport. The name of this village is most fitting. In the late 1800's, a ferry carried grain and other farm products across the Mississippi River to a railroad in Minnesota. Today, Bridgeport is near the highway bridge crossing the Wisconsin National Scenic River and the gateway to Wyalusing State Park and Sentinel Ridge, where the Woodland Indians left behind hundreds of earthen mounds.
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Stop 13: Effigy Mounds
Directions from previous place: From Bridgeport, continue south along Highway 18 for another 1.2 miles. Turn right onto CR-C, and continue for 3.1 miles. Turn right to enter Wyalusing State Park.
Distance from Previous Site: 4.5 miles / 7.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 7 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 45 minutes The Woodland Indians left behind hundreds of earthen mounds. Some were built in valleys while others, like those on Sentinel Ridge in Wyalusing State Park, were built on prominent bluffs. Visit the Mounds in Wyalusing State Park to learn more about these early cultures.
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Stop 14: Wyalusing
Directions from previous place: At the entrance to Wyalusing State park, turn right onto CR-CX and continue for 1.0 miles. CR-CX will become CR-X, continue for 2.5 miles into the town of Wyalusing.
Distance from Previous Site: 3.5 miles / 5.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes This small community, the southern gateway to Wyalusing State Park, is only a remnant of its past.
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Stop 15: Bagley
Directions from previous place: Continue along County Road X for 3.5 miles
Distance from Previous Site: 3.5 miles / 5.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes The CB&N rail lines were laid here in 1885 and Bagley was platted a year later.
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Stop 16: Stonefield and Nelson Dewey State Park
Directions from previous place: follow CR-X for 3.9 miles. CR-X will become CR-A, continue for 4.3 miles. Turn right onto CR-VV and continue for 3.4 miles. Turn right to stay on CR-VV, and continue for 0.7 miles. Turn left to stay on CR-VV and continue for 6.9 miles.
Distance from Previous Site: 16 miles / 25.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Enjoy a guided tour of the Gothic Revival mansion built by Nelson Dewey, Wisconsin's first governor, on a large estate called Stonefield.
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Stop 17: Cassville
Directions from previous place: Follow County Road VV for 2 miles.
Distance from Previous Site: 2 miles / 3.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 4 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Cassville was the site of the first territorial legislature of Wisconsin, and was an important steamboat center.
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Stop 18: Grant River Public Use Area
Directions from previous place: From Cassville, continue along Route 133 for 16 miles.
Distance from Previous Site: 16 miles / 25.6 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 20 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 30 minutes The Grant River Public Use area, administered by the U.S. Corps of Engineers, provides a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities.
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Stop 19: Potosi
Directions from previous place: Follow State Route 133 north for 2 miles into Potosi.
Distance from Previous Site: 2 miles / 3.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Suggested Time at This Site: 15 minutes Learn more of the mining history by touring the St. John's lead mine - and a self-guided tour of several local sites dating back to the 1827 'lead rush'.
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Stop 20: Tennyson
Directions from previous place: Follow Route 133 to the junction of Highway 61. Highway 61 will pass through Tennyson.
Distance from Previous Site: 2 miles / 3.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 5 minutes Potosi's neighbor, originally called 'Dutch Hollow', was a settlement of mine workers of similar ethnic background.
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Stop 21: Dickeyville
Directions from previous place: Follow Highway 61 for 7 miles into Dickeyville
Distance from Previous Site: 7 miles / 11.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 10 minutes The Grotto at the Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dickeyville is famous throughout the region.
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End: Southern End of Great River Road - Wisconsin
Directions from previous place: Continue for 7.8 miles along Highway 51/ Route 35 past the village of Kieler. Merge onto WI-35 S, taking the loop on the right, and continue for 0.7 miles Turn Right onto WI-35, and continue for approximately 1 mile to the border with Illinois.
Distance from Previous Site: 9.5 miles / 15.2 km Travel Time from Previous Site: 15 minutes The village of Kieler was established in 1855 by German Catholics who built a small wood frame church in 1859, and then the stone church in 1869. The Wisconsin Great River Road continues along Route 35 to the Illinois Border.
