Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
late October.
(By the way, every road in Door County could also qualify, so I've not
listed them here.)
• Near
Milwaukee,
Cedarburg is a lovely anachronism. From there, take Hwy NN
northwest some five miles and then north a few more miles on Hwy M, where
signstoRusticRoad52(sevenmiles)leadyoupastfieldstonebuildingsandan-
cient cabins before skirting a wetlands preserve.
• Heading for
East-Central Waters
? From Waupaca, head southwest on WI 22 to
the Yankee village of Rural, possibly the state's most quaintly original. From
here, Rustic Roads 23 and 24 (three miles total) form a V shape around Hart-
manCreekStateParkandtakeyouthreetimesovertheCrystalRiveratopstone
bridges, then past a spring-fed trout stream.
•In
Northeastern Wisconsin,
thePeshtigoRiverParkway(Rustic Road32)cannot
be beat for river beauty and waterfalls. To get there, head to little Pembine at
the junction of US 141 and US 8. Head west on US 8 approximately nine miles
to signs leading you south. This is a big one at 37 miles long, but you'll have
plenty of places to stop and rest at state and county parks.
• Also in
Northeastern Wisconsin,
Rustic Road 60 begins at Hwy K two miles
south of Boulder Junction along Hwy M. (Coming from the south, take US 51
from Minocqua and follow signs to Boulder Junction.) Driving for 11 miles,
you'll pass remains of logging camps, drive through tunnels of conifers and
hardwoods, and find an extant sawmill at the eastern end.
• In
Southwest Wisconsin,
Rustic Road 31 starts in West Salem northeast of La
Crosse at the exit off I-90 at Highway C, running to WI 16. Head north on WI
16 to WI 108 and the
Mindoro Cut,
20 miles of some of the most roller-coast-
ery(andlovely)drivingimaginable.Amassiveprojectwhenundertakenaround
theturnofthe20thcentury,theroadwasliterallyshornintoaridgebetweenthe
La Crosse and Black River Valleys by hand, one of the most ambitious hand-
carved roads in the United States when it was finished in 1906.
It seems like such a tiny “thumb” on the map, so how could you possibly need a whole
week? Trust me, you can easily do a week here. (Heck, lots of folks do the whole summer
here.)
