23 Rustic Roads for Fall Drives in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Rustic Roads program features designated scenic routes throughout Wisconsin with “unusual or outstanding natural beauty.” Picturesque any time of year, these backroads are some of Wisconsin’s best spots for fall color, with history and hidden gems tucked along each crest and curve. Read on to discover 23 unforgettable detours perfect for soaking up Wisconsin’s autumn splendor together.

Southwest Wisconsin

Rustic Roads 26 and 64 – La Crosse County

Scenery and heritage intersect on the 5.3-mile Rustic Road 26, which offers a panorama of the Mississippi River and a wildlife refuge on Goose Island.  The route also passes by a hundred-year-old root cellar and an 1854 mill. Rustic Road 64 is just to the north near the Mississippi and only 2.7 miles long, but the scenic road connects to the McGilvray Road walking trail through the Van Loon Wildlife Area, popular for its seven unique bowstring-arch bridges.

Rustic Road 66 – Lafayette County

The 7.5-mile Rustic Road 66 near Wisconsin’s southwestern corner takes you up and down several backroads in the unglaciated Driftless Region and boasts amazing fall colors. Don’t miss the tin shacks and other evidence of an abandoned lead mine off Kennedy Road.

Rustic Road 49 – Sauk and Columbia Counties  

Most of Rustic Road 49's paved 9.8-mile route travels through protected natural lands and hugs the south shore of the Wisconsin River, lined by marshes, prairie grasses and trees lit up with vivid autumn hues.

Southeast Wisconsin

Rustic Roads 10, 86 and 115 – Waukesha County

Three separate routes, Rustic Roads 10, 86 and 115,  combine for 12.7 miles of scenic driving through the lakes and hills of Wisconsin’s Kettle Moraine State Forest’s Southern Unit, with access to hiking trails including the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Stop and climb the 45-tower at Lapham Peak to take in autumn colors from the highest point in Waukesha County.

Rustic Roads 33 and 52 – Washington County

As you snake through the curves and ridges of Rustic Road 33’s 12.1-mile route through farmlands and along Lowe Lake, you’ll see the spires of Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary peeking above the treetops. If you’re up for a trek, visit the basilica and climb the 192-foot tower for breathtaking views of fall color as far as the eye can see from the highest point in southeastern Wisconsin!

Keeping with the lofty theme, Rustic Road 52 in Washington and Ozaukee counties travels 6.7 miles through the woods, past historic farmsteads and along ridges offering panoramic views of the countryside. A highlight is the Cedarburg Bog State Natural Area, one of Wisconsin’s biggest and most biologically diverse wetlands.

Rustic Roads 27, 90 and 94 – Green County

Green County’s cluster of rustic roads showcases the area’s rolling countryside, cheese and mining history and Native American heritage.

The 4.3-mile Rustic Road 27 passes by Indian campsites and the oldest home in Decatur as you drive along steep bluffs and deep woods, with access to the Sugar River State Trail nearby.

A tunnel of 300-year-old oak trees forms a russet and gold tunnel with maple, hickory and basswood along the 3.2-mile local favorite Rustic Road 90. You’ll see the scars of old “badger holes” from lead mining on the 4.6-mile Rustic Road 94, as well as one of three old cheese factories that once operated along the route still standing as a residence.

Northwest Wisconsin

Rustic Roads 62 and 105 – Price County

Although the 2-mile Rustic Road 62 is short in distance, its natural beauty makes it worth the trip. This paved route is the only access to the highest point in the state, Timm’s Hill County Park, and an observation tower offers sweeping views of orange, gold and red treetops.

Rustic Road 105 loops off Highway 70 for a 13-mile jaunt through the massive Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Your favorite part may be driving through the Smith Rapids Covered Bridge over the meandering South Fork of the Flambeau River.

Rustic Roads 28, 41, 67, 93, 101 and 103 – Polk County

Polk County’s rustic roads are short but numerous at a half-dozen, the second-highest tally among Wisconsin’s counties. The longest route, the 5.2-mile Rustic Road 28, crosses the Apple River in a county park and passes forests, farmland, and old churches and cemeteries. Both between two and three miles in length, Rustic Roads 41 and 93 to the north and south offer similarly enchanting views with a tree canopy overhead, while Rustic Road 67 – shared with neighboring Barron County – travels 4.6 miles through woods, wetlands and fields of wildflowers.

The 4.3-mile Rustic Road 101 and 2.8-mile Rustic Road 103 border the St. Croix River – nationally designated as a scenic riverway – and pass by sandstone bluffs and stands of oak and cedar.

Northeast Wisconsin

Rustic Road 32 – Marinette County

Rustic Road 32 cuts through county and state parklands and clocks in at 37 miles, making it Wisconsin’s longest rustic road! Here, you’ll see a variety of hardwoods offering an array of fall colors, gorgeous vistas of the Thunder and Peshtigo rivers, rugged rock outcrops and plenty of wildlife.

If you stop at Goodman County Park or McClintock Park in the first half of the journey, you’ll be rewarded with views of two falls that helped give Marinette County its “Waterfall Capital of Wisconsin” title: Strong Falls and McClintock Falls. The 3,000-acre Governor Thompson State Park and 9,000-acre Peshtigo River State Forest offer limitless recreation toward the end of the route.

Rustic Road 60 – Vilas County

On the 11.7-mile Rustic Road 60, you’ll wind through the Northern Highland/American Legion State Forest’s dense stands of hardwood and evergreens, between sparkling Northwoods lakes, and past a long-ago logging camp and old sawmill.

Rustic Road 47 – Shawano County

The highlight of Rustic Road 47's 14-mile drive is the rolling farmland, with autumn-splashed wooded hills as a backdrop, but this agricultural tour has plenty of color of its own! Shawano County hails itself as Wisconsin’s barn quilt capital, and for good reason – you’ll see more than 300 of these vibrant squares decorating the area’s well-preserved barns.

Browse nearly a dozen more fun fall drives in Wisconsin, including Door County, the Bayfield Peninsula and the Great River Road.