Treasure the Landscape

of the Wisconsin Great River Road

The Wisconsin Great River Road winds through an enchanted and beautiful land known as the Driftless Region. For more than a million years, geological forces shielded this landscape from the massive continental glaciers of the last Ice Age, leaving the area filled with rugged, stunning scenery, and earning recognition for this byway as the prettiest drive in the nation!

The centerpiece of this treasured landscape is the Mississippi River with a length of 2,340 miles from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. Its river valley, which bisects the region, includes the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, a 240,000-acre public resource that runs for 261 miles, provides habitat for 40% of America’s waterfowl, more than 300 bird species, and 260 species of fish. With more than 500 access points and harbors, the river is a recreational mecca. Visitors also can find the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge, Genoa National Fish Hatchery, five state parks, five state trails, and 44 state-recognized natural areas waiting to be explored.

If you’re looking for a world-class destination, you don’t have to go a world away from home. Tour the Wisconsin Great River Road, and explore its hundreds of thousands of acres of public land and endless miles of rivers and streams. You’ll find a landscape unique in all the world, inexhaustible outdoor recreation, stunning scenery, history kept alive today, and oodles of fun cultural events!

Photos courtesy of Travel Wisconsin