Exploring SWWI Autumn

Crawford, Grant, Richland & Vernon Counties

My morning started out with a text letting my grandparents know that I was running late. I only made it 20 miles from home before I found jaw-dropping natural beauty. No surprise there. My gas tank was full and my camera was ready to go on another day-long tour of fall color. This time my focus was on the western side of Southwest Wisconsin. After spending the previous day exploring Lafayette and Iowa counties, I knew I’d discover a few hidden gems on my hour-long route to the Boaz area, but I wasn’t expecting what I found. 

Grant County can really surprise you. It features plenty of rolling hillsides planted with crops, most of which are due for harvest this time of year. But it also has deep valleys with amazing rock outcroppings. With a name like Bluff Road, who wouldn’t want to stop  to see where the name came from. Not all roads in the area are named for natural features, but this one most definitely is, and you find out why within just seconds of turning onto it. Bluff Road is north of Montfort off Cty. Hwy. I. 

The magnificent gray rock protruding from the hillside was framed with some fall color, but the awesome display was on the adjacent hillsides, which were sprinkled with a wide variety of colors. I stopped at the Blue River public fishing area and parked to take some pictures. I didn’t have the bright blue sky today, but at least it wasn’t raining. 

I meandered through the back roads, using my detailed Grant County map (free at the Platteville Regional Chamber) to find my way back to my northerly route. I was on roads I had never seen before and around every corner I was stopping to take a picture. With the fall color aside, this is a beautiful area any time of the year! 

Making my way north, I made a couple of stops outside of Muscoda on both sides of the river. I had no problem pulling over to let people pass me; I was taking my time! 

What I love about my grandparents is when I tell them I want to make a 100-mile trek in one afternoon, and that I plan to stop a LOT to take pictures along the way, they are up for it and even enthusiastic about the sight-seeing adventure! They even fed me lunch before we left, too! 

Our first destination was Gays Mills. It is prime apple season and Gays Mills is THE place to go for apples, baked goods and shopping galore with so many orchards lining the highway! I guess everyone and their brother thought the same thing because the parking lots were FULL and people were lined up waiting to get into the stores along the hilltop Hwy. 171. We found a parking space at the James Fleming Orchard and I got out to take a few quick pictures. It is a beautiful orchard with a variety of apples growing near the parking lot. My grandparents said they will make a weekday trip to pick up their supplies; it wasn’t worth waiting in line on such a busy weekend when they live so close. 

As we trekked on, we stopped at the wayside and historical marker for a few pictures. The marker described the apple growing conditions and the history of the orchards in the Kickapoo Valley area. The windy, steep hill descending into Gays Mills was similar to an amusement park ride – thrilling. My grandpa even guided me to the new part of town (built after extreme flooding ruined the city) to show me where he goes to get his hairs cut (yes, he insists on getting more than one cut). 

As we pulled into Soldiers Grove, we stopped to photograph a pair of horses with gorgeous fall color behind them. They entertained us for a few minutes and then we moved on. I already thought I had a plethora of fabulous photos for the day, but they just kept getting better and better the farther north we went.

Another stop we made was the school and Banker Park in Viola. I used to live near the park and stopped to see the improvements they’ve made. They are continually working to make the Kickapoo River a destination. It is a fantastic venue for canoeing, kayaking and tubing. The whole community comes alive for the Viola Horse and Colt Show in September! 

We followed the Kickapoo River upstream to LaFarge. Grandpa was well into his stories about where he used to drive truck to deliver pop to the gas stations and restaurants. It was interesting to see how some of those buildings from his youth were still standing and recognizable, while others had been long-gone. He recited names of people he would deliver to and some of their order details, and even shared stories about the brakes in his truck going out! We stopped briefly in LaFarge to photograph the beautiful mural on the side of a building. 

As we got closer to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve, the hillsides transformed into the most magnificent fall display any of us had ever seen! My grandparents were telling me to pull over every couple of minutes because it was so photo-worthy! Along the way I even got a lesson from my favorite retired science teacher! He can’t pass up a learning moment, and helped me better understand about the different types of oak trees based on their leaf shape and bark texture. And every time I got out of the car to take a photo, grandma would roll her window down to take pictures of me taking pictures. They are quite the pair! They made the trip very entertaining! 

The Kickapoo River bridges between LaFarge and Ontario are magnificent, arching high above the wild river. We stopped at Boat Landing 5 for my grandparents to reminisce their canoeing stories and for me to get some beautiful sandstone cliffside photos along the river. 

When we pulled into Ontario, I knew we were close to another state park: Wildcat Mountain State Park. I hadn’t been there since 2011, as part of my state park tour (yep, I’ve been to all of Wisconsin’s state parks). It was the heat of summer during my last visit, so this was a treat to see the park in full autumn color! 

As we made our way up the steep, curvy highway, the canopy cast a golden glow. This is special because it was an overcast day. I can only imagine what it would have been like arriving there on a cloudless, blue sky day! We turned off to descend to the boat landing first, then backtracked to the main entrance and grabbed a map of the park. We took the gravel road past the campground, amphitheater and picnic area to the group campsite and turned around, stopping several times for pictures of the dense forest topped with golden leaves. 

We drove to the much busier side of the park, the observation point. Grandma and I followed the short path to the overlook for a magnificent view of the Kickapoo River meandering through farmland and a rainbow of fall foliage. I took a few moments to show Grandma the Travel Wisconsin Selfie Stand and we posed for a few photos. 

Leaving the park, we pulled off right away to take more pictures looking back on the hillside we just came from. I couldn’t get enough of the myriad of colors. 

On our way to Hillsboro, we took a few county highways I had never been on, but Grandpa knew well. Just as we crossed from Vernon County into Richland County, we stopped near an Amish farm where they had a field of corn shocks framed by the vibrant hillside. The farmland in the Driftless region really does have a beauty all on its own. 

From Yuba we made our way to Rock Bridge for our last stop of the day. We checked out the new-ish boat landing with an accessible dock and then walked through the tunnel to see both sides of the natural bridge over the Pine River. If you haven’t stopped at Pier County Park off Hwy. 80 before, it is worth a stop. They have campsites available and it’s a great place to fish or get in the water (when warm enough). Climbing the stairs to the top gives a great view of the nearby farms and marsh areas along the river. 

As we pulled into my grandparents’ driveway, I snapped one more shot: the fall color surrounding what my grandparents call the Schoolhouse. With both of them retired school teachers and building their home at the site of the Ryan School in Richland County, it is only fitting that they have a collection of school memorabilia. 

If you missed the peak color this year, mark your calendar for the first two weeks in October next year and plan for a Southwest Wisconsin road trip! And grab free maps from the Travel Wisconsin Welcome Center (locations in Platteville and Prairie du Chien) to help guide you on your way. I especially like the Driftless Wisconsin map (it shows all of the backroads in Richland, Crawford and Vernon counties, as well as a little beyond those borders) and the Grant County map (which not only features every road within the county, but also the waterways and public access areas). 

Note: The State Park Annual Pass is a gift my brother gives me every year. The $28 a year (seniors only pay $13) gets you access to some of the most beautiful locations across the state!