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News and Notes from The Great River Road
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Selena Diggs
Editor
(608) 267-2094 office
Selena.diggs (at) dot.wi.gov
Ken Harwood
Publisher
This Weeks Articles for 8/27/2025 ...
- 125th Anniversary of Wisconsin State Parks...
- This Small River Town Is One of the Midwest’s Best Outdoor Destinations—and It Also Has a Candy Factory Hotel, a Speakeasy, and Mississippi Views...
- Fountain City Pumpkins & Pistons Extravaganza...
- Bright futures in freshwater: New course will expose students to water careers, tackling contamination issues with hands-on field and lab experience...
- Pine Coulee: A ‘Landmark’ On Wisconsin’s Western Shore...
- Crossing the Mississippi River without the Lansing bridge...
- Flyway Bike and Ped Trail – Buffalo County Now Open!...
- Schlapper seals the deal at Mississippi River to claim second Elite title...
- Best Fall Weekend Getaways: 10 Cozy Retreats for Stunning Foliage in 2025...
- DNR Tank Creek Update...
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125th Anniversary of Wisconsin State Parks
- Fenley State Recreation Area — On the Mississippi River about two miles west of Kieler and about four miles north of the State Highway 151 bridge to Dubuque, Iowa.
- Nelson Dewey State Park at Cassville — A stunning view of the Mississippi River and an outstanding eagle watching location.
- Wyalusing State Park at Bagley — Take in the same view recorded by the explorers Marquette and Joliet in 1673
- Perrot State Park at Trempealeau — From Brady’s Bluff, viewers can gaze on beautiful Trempealeau Mountain, a bluff surrounded by the Mississippi River.
- Merrick State Park — Located on the beautiful backwaters of the Mississippi River.
...Full Story Here
This Small River Town Is One of the Midwest’s Best Outdoor Destinations—and It Also Has a Candy Factory Hotel, a Speakeasy, and Mississippi Views
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Gorgeous bluffs, paddle steamers, and Midwestern charm. You`ll find it all and more in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
Top 5 Can’t Miss
- Stay in
Castle La Crosse, a stunning 1892 Tudor Revival mansion-turned-luxury
bed and breakfast for a Gilded Age-esque experience.
- Go treasure hunting at the Antique Center of La Crosse, a three-story trove of vintage finds and quirky curios.
- Sip cocktails at the Sinatra-era-inspired Starlight Lounge, where smooth jazz and classic drinks abound.
- Hike the summit of the Gateway Trails for a bird’s-eye view of towering bluffs.
- Take a trip to a suburban French Island, just across the Mississippi, for peaceful parks and nature escapes.
September 25 - 28 Oktoberfest La Crosse
Explore La Crosse
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: Nice to see national attention for La Crosse!
The Great River Road
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Here`s to Being Here: Great River Road | Sights to See Along the Mississippi |
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Fountain City Pumpkins & Pistons Extravaganza
September 13 @ 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Bright futures in freshwater: New course will expose students to water careers, tackling contamination issues with hands-on field and lab experience
Wisconsin is fortunate to be rich in water resources, from the shores of the Great Lakes in the east to the mighty Mississippi River in the west. This abundance of rivers, lakes and streams supports a way of life centered around fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation — industries that contribute billions of dollars annually to the state’s economy.
But these natural treasures face growing threats.
“We want to protect these water resources from things like invasive species and environmental contaminants,” says Tisha King-Heiden, professor of biology at UW-La Crosse. “Sustaining wild fish populations means understanding the impacts that pollutants have on fish, aquatic invertebrates and plants — because plants feed invertebrates, and invertebrates feed fish. It’s all connected.”
To address these challenges and prepare the next generation of scientists, King-Heiden has received grant funding from the Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin.
...Full Story Here
Pine Coulee: A ‘Landmark’ On Wisconsin’s Western Shore
"Future generations will thank this community partnership for the foresight in setting aside a local landmark for all to enjoy.”
Landmark’s Executive Director Rick Remington
Ken Notes: A great story on how land goes from private to public!
Wisconsin Mississippi River Interpretive Centers
Crossing the Mississippi River without the Lansing bridge
The Black Hawk Bridge connecting Lansing Iowa and DeSoto and Ferryville in southwest Wisconsin is closing while its replacement is constructed, leaving residents in both states hustling to cross the Mississippi River.
...Transportation officials are exploring a car ferry service...
...“They’re only going to be able to bring 12, 14 cars at a time over, and that’s certainly not going to take the place of the traffic that was on the Black Hawk Bridge,” Gillespie said...
See our previous stories from this newsletter HERE...
Ken Notes: Many details in this article and both DeSoto and Ferryville are on the GRR and would like to see business from both a people ferry and car ferry...
Flyway Bike and Ped Trail – Buffalo County Now Open!
More here: FlywayTrail.com
Our Visitor Guide Sponsors. Please check them out!
Schlapper seals the deal at Mississippi River to claim second Elite title
LA CROSSE, Wis. — Pat Schlapper was surprised by his first Bassmaster Elite trophy, but not his second. The latter — this week’s season-ending Pro-Guide Batteries Bassmaster Elite at Upper Mississippi River — fulfilled the Eleva, Wis., pro’s honest expectation with a winning total of 66 pounds, 5 ounces.
“This one’s so sweet, it means a lot to me,” said Schlapper, who also won the MAXAM Tire Bassmaster Elite at Sabine River in mid-May. “The people that I get to fish with down here, it’s for them. We put in a ton of work down here (prior to the off-limits period a month prior to the event) and it paid off...
Best Fall Weekend Getaways: 10 Cozy Retreats for Stunning Foliage in 2025
You can see fall foliage throughout the country at different times of the year, often lasting several weeks. But blink, and you’ll miss it.
Here are 10 places to see stunning fall foliage during a weekend getaway throughout the U.S., broken down by region...
Fall Weekend Getaways in the Midwest...
...Wisconsin Great River Road National Scenic Byway
Wisconsin’s Great River Road National Scenic Byway is part of the All-American Great River Road National Scenic Byway. The major byway begins in Minnesota and follows the Mississippi River for 10 states before ending in New Orleans, Louisiana.
If attempting to complete the whole road, you’d be looking at driving nearly 3,000 miles. The Wisconsin portion of the road is only 250 miles long and goes through 30 towns. You’ll follow U.S. Highway 35 from Prescott, Wisconsin, to Kieler, Wisconsin.
The entire 250-mile drive would take you less than 5 hours one-way, but you may want to break up the drive overnight. La Crosse, Wisconsin, or Madison, Wisconsin, are worth checking out and resting in before commencing or resuming the day’s drive...
Ken Notes: Again a national article.
DNR Tank Creek Update
TANK CREEK BRIDGE
Great River State Trail
On
May 15, 2025, a fire occurred on the bridge over Tank Creek located on
the Great River State Trail. The fire was extinguished by the
Trempealeau, Onalaska and Holmen fire departments. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Based on the severe damage to the bridge, it was closed immediately for all use.
The department is working to prioritize the resources needed for the design and construction of the replacement of this bridge structure.
The estimated timeline for reconstruction is 2028, pending available funding and resources. Periodic updates on the project will be made to the Great River State Trail webpage as progress is made.
Thank you for your patience as we work to restore this section of the trail.
- Subscribe to receive email notifications for updates to the Great River State Trail, including the Tank Creek Bridge.
Google Map And Photos Here
Tourism Sites and Event Calendars
...Full Story Here
Grant County
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Other links
Great River Road Resources
Wisconsin Great River Road Website
Wisconsin Great River Road 2025 Visitors Guide
The Wisconsin Great River Road – Discover Wisconsin
Great River Road TripAdvisor
Explore La Crosse
Wisconsin Tourism Great River Road
National Website ExperienceMississippiRiver.com
MRPC Members Website National River Resources
Other Tourism Sites
Monroe County
River Pool Maps