Where to go in 2026, without crowds

The Washington Post TRAVEL Section

...The Driftless Area

It’s a playground for the outdoor enthusiast — home to some of the country’s best fly-fishing and beautiful terrain for hiking, boating and birding. You’ll find charming towns, organic farms, crafts and Midwestern cheese.

And yet, the Driftless Area is a mystery to much of America.

“We are a forgotten pocket of the Upper Midwest,” said Luke Zahm, the chef and owner of the Driftless Café in Viroqua, Wisconsin.

That pocket spans parts of southeast Minnesota, southwest Wisconsin, northeast Iowa and northwest Illinois — all tied together by a geological oddity. The region wasn’t covered by continental glaciers during the last ice age and is thus free of “drift” (materials carried by glaciers or ice sheets). That history makes for a wilder landscape full of hills and valleys, compared with its glacier-flattened neighbors.

Zahm recommends making the Hotel Fortney in Viroqua your home base for your trip, or staying at the Charmant Hotel in La Crosse, Wisconsin, right on the Mississippi River. From there, take day trips to hike, or head to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin estate, Taliesin.

Don’t forget to “stop at a local farmers market or six,” Zahm said, and get to know the people behind the goods...

 

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Andrew Nussbaum Tourism Development Specialist for Travel Wisconsin Notes: The Washington Post has highlighted the Driftless Area as a top, uncrowded travel destination for 2026, featuring it as a premier, hidden gem for scenic road trips. This unglaciated region, spanning southwest Wisconsin, offers unique, rugged topography with deep valleys and steep bluffs, distinct from the surrounding flatter Midwest landscape.