Today's blog post is about one of our favorite Driftless Routes: the River Bend Route; and the Grand Canyon North Rim Tour.
River Bend Route (Wisconsin):
Named for the area where the Wisconsin River bends to the west, The River Bend Route has something for everyone. It includes paved, twisty roads, open sweepers, elevation changes, a free ferry ride, scenic wonders, and a road called “Devil’s Delight”.
The River Bend Route traces the path of the Wisconsin River from Spring Green past Portage, Wisconsin. You will enjoy the open curves of Highway 60 and the free ferry crossing at Merrimac, on your way to Wisconsin Rustic Road #49 outside of Portage.
After you finish with the rustic road, your path turns back southwest toward some great hills and scenery. It is on this part of the route that you will pass through Devil’s Lake State Park. Amazing rock formations and incredible hiking await you. Driving through the park is free, but you will need to pay for park access to hike. After Devil’s Lake you will also pass by Natural Bridge State park and Dr. Evermore’s Forevertron, which is a great place to stretch and view the fantastic metal creations.
The final leg of this route will take you through Leland, which is one of the stops on the semi-annual Slimey Crud Run. In fact, if you are planning on attending the Slimey Crud Run, this route will provide you with some great side trip ideas. More attractions on this route include Baraboo’s Circus World Museum and International Clown Hall of Fame, and North Freedom’s Mid-Continent Railway Museum. There are also many parks and recreation areas, as well as 3 Wisconsin Rustic Roads (#s 21, 49, 110).
Click Here for more information about the River Bend Route!
For additional information about all of the Driftless Area Rides, Click Here!
Driftless Area Fun Fact:
While on the Riverbend Route, take the time to stop in beautiful Devil's Lake State Park. Water activities and incredible hiking abound! But how did Devil's Lake get its name and are there really "bad spirits" lurking there as some stories say? Actually, the Native Americans in the area called the lake Te Wakacakra which translates to Sacred Lake or Spirit Lake. Early settlers to the area simply translated the word incorrectly and called it Devil's Lake instead. While there have been many ghost stories about the lake, and even sightings of some strange creatures in the water, the name was really just a case of bad translating.
Grand Canyon North Rim Tour
The Grand Canyon North Rim Tours is a set of 2 paved rides that access the Grand Canyon’s North rim from 2 different locations; Fredonia, Arizona and Page, Arizona.
These routes are both out and back routes, but if riders want a longer trip, they can combine both routes to make it a point to point ride. Both routes cross the desert (from different directions) before entering the Kaibab National Forest. Upon entering the Kaibab forest, both routes climb twisty roads up through the trees on their way to the canyon’s North rim. There are several points of interest and different canyon viewpoints along this route and the icing on the cake is the view from Bright Angel Point.
As an added bonus, we have included a 3rd short ride in this set from Page to Lee’s Ferry. This excursion takes riders to historic Lee’s Ferry where they can get down to the Colorado River’s edge and view the surrounding canyon walls from the bottom.
Ride one route or all three, they are all amazing!
Click Here for more information about the Grand Canyon North Rim Tour!
Driftless Challenge:
The August Driftless Challenge is open! Be sure to send us your pictures to enter.
Click Here for more information about the Driftless Challenge.
Patron Benefits:
Did you know that Patrons get most routes for free as well as access to routes that are not available in Driftless Store? These are just some of the benefits of becoming a Driftless Roads USA Patron.
Click Here to learn about Patron benefits!
We hope you are all having a great summer. Even with a busy schedule, we are trying to sneak in a few rides here and there. Dale managed to do some riding in the Driftless Area last weekend and tried out some new roads for an exciting new project we are working on. We will share more information about this when it firms up a bit more.
Safe Travels!
Dale and Renee
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