La Crosse and Western Wisconsin - La Crosse WI Off the Beaten Path

Preview: The rolling, muddy waters of the Mississippi form most of the western boundary of Wisconsin. The river edges a slow way from where it first touches the state at Prescott, meandering 200 miles south to the rural southwestern corner of the state near Dubuque, Iowa. The Great River Road, Highway 35, skirts the rim of the river, crawling through sloughs, up over the ridgebacks, and along short straightaways that end much too soon in a sweeping curve. The road has consistently been voted one of the country’s most scenic routes by everyone from motorcycle clubs to travel editors. The route is well marked by white signs with a green riverboat pilot’s wheel. Muscular tugboats, with their roaring diesel engines, shove blocks of barges loaded with coal, oil, lumber, and other goods. They make these runs almost year-round between Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul, to the Gulf of Mexico. Only the freezing cold of midwinter forces closing of the river traffic. The river is then turned over to hardy anglers who brave the blustery winds in search of the Midwest’s best-tasting bluegills and catfish. The hapless fish are plucked through holes chopped in ice that can be 2 or more feet thick. Trappers range along the riverbanks, bringing in dozens of muskrat, beaver, and fox pelts each year to satisfy the demands of the national and international markets. Passengers get rides straight out of Mark Twain days on riverboats—such as the steam-spitting Delta Queen and her sisters—that still ply the waters. The vessels call at quays in Prairie du Chien and La Crosse. The boats’ appearances are often surprising. I remember camping on a riverfront sandbar one summer and being awakened in the predawn hours to the crash of paddle wheels storming downriver. A quick glance out the tent flap revealed what seemed to be a sky-high bank of lights surging south on the blackness of the river. Waltz music wafted through the humid night air, just audible over the roar of machinery. Then it was gone, like a nineteenth-century dream. The river is dotted with islands, fringed with marshlands, and speckled with drowned trees, which are the reminders of the Mississippi’s many spring runoff tantrums. But on decent days, canoeists can paddle along the backwater sloughs in search of great, flapping herons and slithery muskrats. Houseboaters can drift along in tune with seasons. The above description is an excerpt from "Wisconsin: Off the Beaten Path." Whether you're a visitor or a local looking for something different, this chapter from the Off the Beaten Path series will help you take the "road less traveled" and discover hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales that most tourists miss. This chapter includes Crawford County, Grant County, Green County, Iowa County, La Crosse County, Lafayette County, Monroe County, Richland County, and Vernon County.
© Copyright Martin Hintz and Daniel Hintz published by Insiders' Guide all rights reserved.


This travel guide comes from:
Wisconsin Off the Beaten Path Guide Book