7 Great Road Trips to Take in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is for the driver who wishes road trips lasted longer. The Rustic Roads top out at 45 mph by design. These byways were preserved to slow you down rather than speed you through. One of these seven drives even ends at the surreal House on the Rock. Another follows a series of waterfalls in a single loop. The drive is the destination here.
Great River Road
With a 250-mile stretch within Wisconsin, the Great River Road has it all: bluff-top views, stretches of highway alongside the mighty Mississippi River, and two-thirds of the road passes through naturally protected areas. Much of the route passes through protected land, which is part of what makes this drive stand out. Fun fact: the Great River Road carries All-American Road designation for its natural, scenic, and historical significance.
Prairie du Chien makes a strong starting point. It is a late 17th-century French trading post with deep river history. Sites like Villa Louis and Fort Crawford give the stop a strong sense of history.
Back on the road, drive north for about 2 hours, where you can enjoy the scenery before your next stop, Alma, home of Buena Vista Park. The park offers one of the steepest overlooks in all of Wisconsin from atop a 500-foot bluff. Inside the park, you'll see all sorts of birds including bald eagles, herons, and pelicans.
Lake Superior Scenic Byway
Following the southern shoreline along Lake Superior, this is another road trip with strong views. Along the byway, there is plenty to see and experience including beaches, waterfalls, sea caves, and Frog Bay Tribal National Park (with free admission and a 1.7-mile rustic trail system).
Start at the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge, a strong place to explore nature that also hosts many fun events. If you head north after the wildlife refuge, your view of the lake is hidden at first but opens up after passing through the forests, revealing water right to the horizon. A stop at Houghton Falls Nature Preserve, with its cliffs bustling with nature and rushing water, can add contrast to the calm road and vastness of the sun-speckled lake.
Farther north, Bayfield offers a practical stop for food, shops, marinas, and nearby Meyers Beach and the sea caves. Another stop, just beyond town, is the Copper Crow Distillery. It is a Native American distillery that blends traditional practices with 21st-century innovations to create apple-based brandy sourced from a nearby orchard. It works well as a final stop before turning back or staying in the area.
Door County Coastal Byway
A 66-mile loop around the tip of the Door County peninsula, with stretches that look out toward both Lake Michigan and Green Bay. The byway threads through the two bodies of water, and at times, water surrounds you on both sides, creating an immersive feeling far from civilization. The feeling soon passes as stretches of land and trees bring you back to reality.
Starting in Sturgeon Bay, you can visit Cave Point County Park and The Farm (great for kids who like feeding animals). As you continue your road trip, Egg Harbor feels like a natural stop, perfect for a break. It is a laid-back coastal village with a year-round population of only a few hundred, though the surrounding Town of Egg Harbor is larger and the area feels much busier in visitor season. It is an ideal place to lie down and soak up some sun at the beach or kick back and relax with a beer at the Shipwrecked Brew Pub.
Peninsula State Park, home to the historic Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, is only a few minutes down the road. With over 150 years of history, the lighthouse acts as a museum offering tours from mid-May to mid-October.
Back on the road, the iconic Curvy Road makes for a memorable finish, with tight bends that change the pace of the drive. If you want to continue your journey though, it can be a great turnaround point, putting you back on the byway toward your next adventure.
Experience the Rustic Roads
Wisconsin is home to a series of rustic roads, and driving them with no other purpose than for the love of the road can be the perfect getaway. These roads were preserved for slow, unhurried driving, which is exactly why they work so well for a road trip. None of these roads has a speed limit over 45 miles per hour, as their natural wonder is supposed to be enjoyed as you drive through them.
Start your trip in La Crosse, where the Mississippi River meets towering bluffs like Grandad Bluff. Get a view of the river stretching into Minnesota about 590 feet above the surrounding land.
Leaving town, head south to Westby, where you'll notice the roads gradually changing, preparing you for a scenic Driftless experience. In town, there are antique shops and Branches Winery. From there, follow local Driftless-area roads toward Viroqua, appreciating the farmlands beside long stretches of road where you might not see another car for miles. Just sit back, relax, put on some tunes, and enjoy the experience.
From there, you can keep the road trip going through the Kickapoo Valley and into Viroqua if you are looking for food and a place to spend the night.
Marinette County Waterfall Tour
A winding 125-mile drive that features 15 waterfalls. Fifteen waterfalls on one route give this drive a clear rhythm and make the mileage worth it. It is hard to capture in words the sights and animals you could see along the way. The route works well for picnicking and quality time with family without distraction.
Start by visiting Dave's Falls County Park near Amberg. The falls are very accessible (not far from the road) and require almost no hiking. Long Slide Falls is one of the most impressive falls on the tour. You can start with it or end with it, depending on when you want your "Wow" moment.
Both the Twelve Foot Falls and the Eight Foot Falls could be your midway point for a picnic. The eight-foot fall is more remote, but the twelve-foot fall is easily accessible through the Twelve Foot Falls County park, which has benches to sit on while you eat.
You are going to want your energy for the last fall: Smokey Falls. It is a bit of a hike, but it is worth it. The most remote waterfall on the tour makes it feel more a part of the surrounding nature. It is visually impressive, and since it is deeper in the forest, there is a better chance of seeing wildlife.
These are just a few waterfalls on the tour. Where you choose to stop, or even whether you visit all 15 of them, is entirely up to you.
Illinois to Wisconsin Through the Driftless Area
The Driftless Area is a strong backdrop for a road trip with winding, hilly roads. The drive itself is an experience, and there are tons of directions you can take. Try starting your trip out of state in Galena, Illinois, home to a storybook downtown full of historic buildings, boutiques, and shops. The downtown consistently ranks among the best in the state. Gear up with what you need and hit the road, crossing into Wisconsin by way of U.S. 20 and U.S. 151 toward Platteville, a small town that also has a fantastic downtown to explore.
From there, the drive stretches toward Spring Green on WI-80, where the road narrows and becomes more winding through deeper valleys. If you turn it into a longer Driftless drive, Wildcat Mountain State Park works as a strong place to get out and stretch your legs. The Hidden Springs Creamery, famous for its unique cheeses, is another stop about 20 minutes down the road. Once you get to Spring Green, tour Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin estate before hitting the road again and ending your trip in Viroqua with a meal at the Driftless Cafe and their fresh farm-to-fork produce.
Madison to The House on The Rock
Starting off this road trip in Madison is perfect because you can explore the city before hitting the road. See the Wisconsin State Capitol Building or the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, and during market season, fuel up with fresh food at the Dane County Farmers' Market, one of the largest producer-only farmers' markets in the country.
On the road, head west on US-14 and experience the Driftless Area around you as excitement builds toward your final destination. A fun stop along the way is Mount Horeb with its quirky Trollway theme, nicknamed "The Troll Capital of the World." There are shops and places to eat, and you can even explore the nearby Cave of the Mounds. With some of the oldest and largest cave formations in the state, it is a great stop on a road trip with an eerie destination.
Once you have arrived at the journey's end, you'll realize strange doesn't even begin to describe the House on the Rock. It feels surreal walking through. The Infinity Room extends over 218 feet with 3,264 windows and walking it is like walking in suspended animation. Looking at the 200-foot-tall Sea Creature will make you feel like something isn't quite right. The massive carousel is magnificent but also has an odd aura. There is some relief though: a stroll through the Japanese garden might be just what you need to put your mind at ease after experiencing the other exhibits.
Traveling far to visit these eerie exhibits can make anyone feel like they're a living character in a real-life David Lynch movie.
What makes these Wisconsin drives work is their range: river roads, lake shore, bluffs, forest, and small-town stretches where the route keeps changing. These are not all promises of the road. They are possibilities. That is the beautiful thing about traveling: no two experiences are ever the same. The more you explore, the more you learn. That variety is what keeps a Wisconsin road trip from feeling like a checklist and makes the drive matter as much as the stops.
