There are great reasons to tour most any part of this good ol’ country of ours.  Each locality has its own unique appeal, historic sites, man-made and natural points of interest, and events.

Of course, a lot of the touring stories tend to focus on the east coast and west coast destinations with their ocean views, or the mountains on each end of the country with their soaring skylines and rock formations, or the deserts with their spectacular sunsets and abundant sunshine.  Sure, there are great rides in all those areas—but the emphasis on those areas leaves the other areas of the country less-covered and, as a result, less traveled.

The upper Midwest is a great example.  There is a part of the upper Midwest in the Southwest corner of Wisconsin that is unlike anything else in the region.  It is called the Driftless area and its unique place in history and unexpected geographical features make it an absolute must for your touring bucket list.

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The view from atop Cactus Bluff includes the Wisconsin River and the Blue Mounds on the horizon in the distance.

You’re Bluffing!

Ferry Bluff and Cactus Bluff—Sauk County. Sauk County has some of the best motorcycle touring roads in a part of Wisconsin that is literally laced with great touring routes.  The one I have in mind here is a single-lane gravel road, but it is not a long road and it is worth the trip. Take state highway 60 (itself designated as a Scenic Byway) about six miles west of Sauk City and turn left on Ferry Bluff Road.  Take it to the end and there’s a small—I mean you’ll be glad you’re on a motorcycle small—parking area next to a slough of the Wisconsin River. From there, take the foot path to the top of Cactus Bluff and you’ll be treated to a magnificent view of the Wisconsin and it stretches to the horizon to the south with the soaring Blue Mounds visible in the distance.  At the top of the bluff, there is an interpretive display provided by the Wisconsin Department of Natural  Resources (http://dnr.wi.gov/) that makes for a greater understanding of the area’s geology and natural history.

Tips for maximum enjoyment: wear good walking shoes, bring binoculars, camera/videocam if your phone isn’t equipped, take a bottle of drinking water or two along and take your time.  The last few hundred feet of the walk are fairly steep.

The Kickapoo river can be a wild torrent in the spring, but in the summer, it is beautiful little river to follow for its entire length.

Kickass Kickapoo

The Kickapoo River is not long, nor is it wide, except during the spring run-off, but it is scenic and the river meanders 65 miles through the rugged Ocooch Mountains from near the town of Summit in Monroe County to its confluence with the Wisconsin River at Wauzeka. Cruising its zig-zag valley on state highway 131from where it joins state highway 60 near Wauzeka heading north, you can traverse the entire length of the river from its mouth to headwaters. Stops on the way might include neat little villages like Steuben, Gays Mills, Soldiers Grove, Readstown, and Viola.  Viola is the ancestral home of S&S Cycle. In spring, the Kickapoo River can become a kickass roaring torrent with snowmelt and rain run-off rushing down the steep, narrow valleys it drains.

This bizarre obelisk is actually the concrete hulk of what was to have been the flood gate control tower of the huge dam that never was near Lafarge on the Kickapoo.

The problem was so extreme, that back in the sixties the federal government tried to step in—resulting in one of the most epic fails of government policy in U.S. history. The decision was made to evict hundreds of people from their homes upstream from LaFarge, WI, where the feds planned to build a massive dam across the valley to control the river. By 1975, the project—which had already spanned about three-quarters of the valley stalled on the realization that it was a disaster in the making and all that remains of the dam that never was is that unfinished portion of the dam and this bizarre concrete obelisk that was to have been the control tower for the flood gates. The land owners who lost their land were not allowed to get it back and the Kickapoo Valley Reserve was created instead.

If the panoramic view from Brigham Park is spectacular in summer it really lights up with the colors of fall.

Bring it on Brigham Park:

Not far from Wisconsin’s Blue Mounds State Park is Dane County’s Brigham Park. It is perched on the crest of what is known as the Military Ridge and boasts a panoramic view north across the broad Wisconsin River valley that only the birds would normally enjoy, but you can see it from the saddle of your bike or from one of a series of benches along county trunk F that winds its way to the summit from the north.  It covers 112 acres and includes a group camp area, a 25 unit rustic campground, two shelter facilities, toilet facilities, picnic area, play equipment, and a self-guided nature trail through a maple woods.

The natural bridge near Leland was carved by the outwash from melting glaciers thousands of years ago.

Natural Bridge State Park and Pier Park Rockbridge:

Many people who live in southwestern Wisconsin don’t know that there are two natural bridge rock formations similar to the famous ones in Utah right in their own back yard.  One is located near Leland in Sauk county in Natural Bridge State Park; the other is in Richland county in Pier Park at Rockbridge.  County trunk highways C and PF will take you to the Natural Bridge near Leland (which is also the end point of the Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang Café Racer Run).  At Natural Bridge State Park, the bridge is a classic soaring arch of sandstone 35 feet high and countless thousands of years old, with a cave carved below it, which is believed to be one of the oldest human habitation sites in North America.   At Pier Park, the bridge takes the form more of a colossal sandstone wall with natural tunnel that runs through it east-west between the two parts of the park.  The Pine River hugs the cliff on the west side and then cuts through it in a tunnel of its own.  Rockbridge is on state highway 80 about ten miles north of Richland Center and the two sites are an easy and scenic ride apart.  Get it—ride apart?  Sorry—I had to do it.

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The final two-day battle of the Black Hawk War took place in this area.

Black Hawk War:

The last war fought between Native American Tribes and the U.S. government in the old Northwest Territory was the Black Hawk War of 1832. It started in northwest Illinois when Sauk warrior Black Hawk led about 1,400 Sauk and Fox people east across the Mississippi in an effort to reclaim their cultivated lands near present-day Rock Island. The fighting lasted from May when Black Hawk and only about 40 warriors routed nearly 250 Illinois mounted militia near present-day Stillman Valley to the final massacre of nearly all of Black Hawk’s band in the Battle of the Bad Axe in August on the Mississippi near Victory, WI.  A large number of sites related to the war are marked in southwestern Wisconsin, but the most interesting and accessible for the motorcycle tourist are the Battle of Wisconsin Heights battleground near Sauk City, WI and the Black Hawk Recreation Area that includes parts of the actual final battleground.

The 500 foot high quartzite cliffs of the Baraboo Range soar above Devil’s Lake.

Devil’s in the details:

Devil’s Lake State Park is the largest state park in Wisconsin and may well be the most spectacular of all.  The 360 acre Devil’s Lake is ringed by the 500 foot rocky heights of the Baraboo Range and presents 26 miles of real hiking challenges, but it is also served by great paved roads in and leading to the park.  It is located about 3 miles south of Baraboo, WI and can be reached by state highway 123 and highway 12.

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These conical effigy mounds can be viewed from the saddle of your bike at Avoca Lakeside Park.

Mounds of mystery:

Southwest Wisconsin is home to dozens of ancient effigy mounds whose origins and purposes remain at least partly shrouded in mystery to this day. The age of these structures, who built them and why are still not known with certainty.  It is believed that most of the mounds range in age between 800 and 3,000 years!  The beauty of making them part of a motorcycle tour is that many are close enough to travel routes to literally view them from the seat of your motorcycle.  Plan to spend a little time with them and contemplate the people who may have built them and the times they lived in.  The beauty of including some of the mound sites in your tour plans is that many are along the way to some of the sites we’re sharing here.  For example, the Avoca Mound Group is in Avoca along the south side of the Wisconsin River on state highway 133. The Cipra and Muscoda mound sites are along the Wisconsin River on state highway 60 and a number of mounds are at Wyalusing State Park. That part of the trip will bring you into close proximity to perhaps the most impressive set of effigy mounds in North America at the Effigy Mounds National Monument.  That particular site is across the Mississippi River in Iowa, so technically it is outside southern Wisconsin, but it is just too good not to mention if effigy mounds are of interest to you.  Check it out at here.  For more information on effigy mounds around southern Wisconsin, click here.

 

Rally ho:

The Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang Café Racer Run and the BBC Rally & Ride in Show–  If you want to mix with an eclectic group of motorcyclists the Slimey Crud Motorcycle Gang Café Racer Run is the event for you.  Just plan your tour to include the first Sunday in May or the first Sunday in October.  For more of the flavor of the Slimey Crud Run, check out our coverage of the most recent run here.  If you really like the British bikes, with emphasis on the classics, but a welcoming environment for any brand and type of bike you want to ride, the British Biker Cooperative Rally and Ride-in Show is an event you may want to work into your tour plans.  The rally is held at one of Wisconsin’s natural wonders the Eagle Cave Natural Park about a mile off state highway 60 near Blue River, WI.  The weekend includes live music Friday and Saturday night, group rides, including the “Burner Run” led by four-time top fuel motorcycle drag racing world champion, T.C. Christianson (as scheduling and weather allows), camping, motorcycle games, a poker run, the bike show with ten classes including best in show, door prizes, 50/50 raffle, T-shirts and BBC Rally memorabilia.  Mark July 17-19 on your calendar now for the 35th British Biker Cooperative Eagle Cave Rally and Ride-in Show.  For more about the BBC and the Rally, go to: http://www.britishbiker.net/ .

Wonderful Wisconsin River:

The Wisconsin River flows all the way from Lac Vieux Desert in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula about 470 miles across the state to its confluence with the Mississippi River near Prairie du Chien, WI.  The best highway to see the Lower Wisconsin Riverway, which stretches from Prairie Du Sac, WI to Prairie du Chien is state highway 60.  Highway 60 clings to the banks of the river in much of that distance so it features a lot of curves and good paved road surfaces.  At some points along the way, the terrain is so steep, the roadbed ends at the foglines with the river immediately below on one side and near-vertical rock and earth walls on the other.  The river is dotted with little towns, boat landings and parks allowing for a relaxed cruise with plenty of places to stop and take in the view.

This spectacular view of the Mississippi River is looking upstream toward Genoa, WI from atop Mt. Hosmer in Lansing, IA.

Mighty Mississippi:

Part of the western boundary of Wisconsin is the Mississippi River. Rising from its headwaters in northern Minnesota and flowing south across the entire country to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi is the granddaddy of ‘em all and it is a magnificent thing to behold from almost any vantage point along the way.  Highway 35 runs up the eastern shore of the river on the Wisconsin side; known as the Great River Road, it is a great route to follow with lots of great little towns, soaring vertical rock escarpments and vistas of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. State Highway 35 is a historic and national scenic byway that covers about 250 miles.  For more on the Great River Road, see: http://www.travelwisconsin.com/statewide-regional-associations/wisconsins-great-river-road-200520

Of course, the list of points of interest, attractions and things to do is a lot longer than what we can offer here as our picks for the top ten.  By the time you finish your tour of southwest Wisconsin, you’ll probably have a top ten list of your own.

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