The Buena Vista Route is named for Alma’s Buena Vista Park which is not only a great place to stop and stretch, it also features the largest natural balcony overlooking the Mississippi River. Visitors can watch barges traveling up and down the river and locking through Lock & Dam #4, or just take in the amazing views of the entire river valley. Although the park is one of the major attractions on this route, the roads are the real reason to visit the area. The geography along the Mississippi River consists of high bluffs and deep, secluded valleys. Many of the roads connecting the various towns and villages follow the contours of the land which results in a roller coaster type of ride in several areas. As you travel farther northeast away from the Mississippi River, the hills are not as steep and the land opens up to rolling countryside. Here you encounter longer sweeping corners and more straight sections. Because of the wide variety of road types, this route truly has something for everyone. The Buena Vista Route is one of our all time favorites. It has a lot of the small, secluded roads that we personally enjoy and it also has some great sights and attractions to visit along the way. This route is close to Winona, Minnesota, which makes a great central point for many of our rides. So if you have not already done so, make sure to put the Buena Vista Route high on your to-do list.
Approximate Mileage: 235 Miles
Estimated Riding Time: 6 Hours
Road Surface: Paved
ATTRACTIONS:
Fountain City: Rock in the House, Elmers Auto and Toy Museum
Czechville: Merrick State Park, Prairie Moon Sculpture Garden
Buffalo City: Viking Statue
Alma: Buena Vista Park, Wings Over Alma, Castlerock Arms and Armory Museum, Buffalo County Courthouse, Riecks Lake Park
Mondovi: Gilmanton Park
Independence: Borst Valley Wildlife Area, Island Park
A Paper Map is available for this route.
Motorcycle Rides, Fountain City, Arcadia, Independance, Buffalo City, Alma, Modenda, Gilmanton, Whitehall, Wabasha
Buena Vista Route
If you are riding with a group, we ask that every person using our route for navigation purchase their own copy.
In order to encourage this, we are happy to offer a discount for group purchases. Please contact us after purchasing 1 item at full price, and we will set up a coupon code that will give everyone in your group 50% off of the same item.
Our digital routes are designed to operate in most GPS devices. In addition to GPSs, our routes should work with several smartphone apps. They will NOT work on Google Maps or Apple Maps.
If you plan on using a smartphone app, we recommend the REVER app. REVER will work with both Android and iOS and in addition to navigation it has many other great features.
For best results in REVER, download the route to your computer first, then import into your smartphone. Turn by turn may not work, so we recommend that you utilize the "Follow the Line" option.
You can get 20% off your first year’s subscription to REVER by following THIS LINK.
AND using this coupon code at checkout: Driftlessforless.
By using this link and coupon code a portion of your subscription fee will go to support Driftless Roads USA.