Winding Wisconsin: Exploring the beauty and personality of the Great River Road

Kaitlyn Schnell
Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:11:49 +0000
Explore, Travel, explore, Great River Road, Schnell, travel, Western

By Kaitlyn Schnell

Every city has its story – a courageous founding, a famous citizen, a popular attraction.

But along Wisconsin’s western border, despite the diverse town narratives, stories are forever linked by the pumping artery that connects them all: the Great River Road.

The Great River Road along the Mississippi River. Photo by Kaitlyn Schnell.

This Mississippi River roadway has a 250-mile section that travels along Wisconsin’s western border, winding through 33 unique river towns. Travelers can follow U.S. Highway 35 for most of the trip and drink in views of the river as they speed through limestone bluffs and wooded areas.

On a crisp, fall Monday, my mom and I packed up the car for a 120-mile day trip from Wyalusing to Fountain City, not quite knowing what to expect from this largely unnoticed Wisconsin tourist destination. I had often forgotten the Mississippi River borders Wisconsin and had never even been to that side of the state before.

My background research uncovered claims that the Great River Road is the best scenic drive in the Midwest, with overlooks, historic markers and locks and dams. I also found it is Wisconsin’s only officially designated National Scenic Byway. The program is a grassroots effort created to help acknowledge, preserve and enhance chosen roads throughout the United States. Two-thirds of the journey was spent cruising past wildlife refuges, parklands or natural areas.

With a Monday to burn and the travel bug in our veins, we drove west to our first stop.

Wyalusing

Population: 370

We rolled into Wyalusing State Park, situated high above the junction of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. I figured it would be like any other campground, with a campsite here and there among the trees, maybe a small lookout over the river.

We parked the car and strolled down a leaf-ridden path in the direction of Point Lookout. Sprawled before me was a panorama, a maze of islands, channels and sloughs. A bridge stretched across the river, the ends disappearing into the auburn-colored forests. I towered above the network of trees and water feeling ashamed of my low expectations. How had I lived in Wisconsin my whole life not knowing this existed?

We continued following the path along the ridge and ran into a couple hiking along the overlook.

“Do you know how far the cave goes in?” the man asked us.

My mom and I looked at each other.

“Cave?” we asked.

“Yeah, Treasure Cave,” he answered, and informed us about a flight of stairs leading to a small cavern for adventurous hikers.

We grasped the opportunity to be a little daring, walked down through a stone arch dubbed “The Keyhole” and climbed the steep wooden staircase to investigate the limestone sanctuary. We were the only ones there, and it felt like a secret that only mom and I knew.

The Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers merge at Wyalusing State Park in Wyalusing, Wis. Photo by Kaitlyn Schnell.

Wyalusing — which means “home of the warrior” in the language of the Munsee-Delaware Native American tribe — includes 2,674 acres of outdoorsman bliss. Visitors can camp, hike, picnic, enjoy scenic overlooks, bird watch, bike, cross-country ski and fish. We only had time for a little hiking and sightseeing but vowed to come back again soon for more.

With our sights set on Prairie du Chien, we loaded up on pamphlets in the visitor’s center before forging northward.

Prairie du Chien

Population: 5,911

I shuffled through the pamphlets I picked up: a Valley Fish & Cheese pamphlet extolling “the finest smoked fish in the world,” a Cycle Southwest Wisconsin pamphlet “featuring 28 bicycle loops throughout Southwest Wisconsin’s Driftless Region” and Shihata’s Orchard pamphlet with an image of the sun shining on a slope of apple trees amid the morning fog.

As the oldest community on the Upper Mississippi opened up before us, I noted the flat city landscape nestled between the surrounding stone hills. The 21st century had definitely reached the historic neighborhood, with a Culver’s, car dealership, McDonald’s and Hardees.

But modernity couldn’t mar this historical landscape. Case in point: the Mississippi River Sculpture Park. With more than two dozen life-size bronze statues by sculptor Florence Bird, the artwork depicts 12,000 years of human history from a Mastadon Hunter to a Riverboat Captain.

As we caught the last views of Prairie du Chien in the rearview mirror, I gazed at the red barns, silos and rustic homes nestled into the rock hills and pondered the stories behind each one.

I noticed the road ran parallel with not only the river, but also a snaking railroad. The three modes of transportation swerved in chorus past swamps, boat landings and piles of crunchy fallen leaves smelling crisp and earthy. I watched the piles growing taller as more leaves fell to the ground like a soft snow.

Before we reached Lynxville, we took a gander at what was one of five lock-and-dam systems along Wisconsin’s Great River Road. On observation decks at each location, you can see boats passing through the locks at Alma, Fountain City, Trempealeau, Genoa and, of course, just south of Lynxville.

Lynxville

Population: 132

We saw about a minute of Lynxville, including a delicious-looking hot dog stand, reminding us of our grumbling stomachs. We cruised past the village “where the river bends” to see if we could find a nice restaurant overlooking the water. I saw my mom pick up the speed a little, not blaming her.