"Whipping and Winding Down Western Wisconsin"

Southern terminus: Crawford County, at the junction of Highways 35, 60 and U.S. Highway 18 in Prairie du Chien

Northern terminus: Douglas County, at U.S. 2 in Brule

Mileage: about 295 miles

Counties along the way: Douglas, Bayfield, Sawyer, Rusk, Chippewa, Eau Claire, Clark, Jackson, Monroe, Vernon, Crawford

Sample towns along the way: Brule, Hayward, Radisson, Ladysmith, Cornell, Cadott, Augusta, Merrillan, Black River Falls, Sparta, Westby, Viroqua, Mt. Sterling, Prairie du Chien

Bypass alternates at: none, but a Viroqua bypass is slated for construction in the near future

Quickie Summary: State “Trunk” Highway 27 runs for almost 300 miles, from the wilderness of Brule River State Forest fifteen miles from the Lake Superior shore, through a slew of rural towns, up, down and around western Wisconsin's rugged landscape, all the way to the banks of the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien blocks short of the Iowa border. Scenery, serenity and small-town charm abound on this route from top to bottom.

The Drive (North To South): Highway 27 begins at U.S. 2 in Brule (pop. 607) at the edge of the Brule River State Forest. Now, you may also know that there's a Brule River on the Wisconsin-Michigan U.P. border on the northeastern edge of the state. This is not the same river; this one is officially the Bois Brule River (but locals refer to it simply as the "Brule"), which runs from Upper St. Croix Lake into Lake Superior. Speaking of, Highway 27 is only about 15 miles from Lake Superior at its northern start; at times along U.S. 2 nearby, you can still see the lake and the sizable Iron Range hills in Minnesota. So you're almost as far north in Wisconsin as you can get. Not surprisingly, logging and fishing are the two main activities around here.

The River of Presidents. The Brule River is also known as the "River of Presidents". Presidents Coolidge, Cleveland, Hoover, Truman and Eisenhower came here regularly to fish and hang out, far away from the craziness around D.C. This is also a huge area for fly fishing, and the river is one of the preeminent trout streams in North America. And yes, fish fry Fridays are quite popular here. You can sample a Brule fish fry at Kro Bar & Grill (13920 E. Hwy 2, 715-372-4876), River House Restaurant (13844 E. Hwy 2, 715-372-5696) or at the Twin Gables Cafe (Corner of Hwy 2 & 27, 715-372-4831). Wild rice is another popular local item, and all through Douglas County you'll find wild rice available for sale.

From Brule, Highway 27 cuts through the Brule River State Forest, into Bayfield County (the largest county in Wisconsin, although it doesn't have a single traffic light) and then into Sawyer County before hooking up with Highway 77 and getting into Sawyer County's county seat.

Hayward (pop. 2,129) is one of northwestern Wisconsin's most popular vacation destinations, being located amidst a vast array of lakes with some of the country's best fishing, forest in every direction, and a knack for hosting a series of participatory events. Hayward also lays claim to the hotly-contested title of "Golf Capital of Wisconsin."

Brewpub Alert. Along U.S. 63, less than a mile southwest of Highway 77, lies an old brick building that simply says "Brewpub" on the side... at least that's the only part you can see from the street. Inside is the Angry Minnow Restaurant & Brewery (10440 Florida Ave. (U.S. 63), 715-934-3055). The building itself was constructed in 1889 and once housed a sawmill operations office; today, it's probably the nicest restaurant in Hayward, with rich, dark wood and brick everywhere. The oval-shaped bar and iron chandeliers help create a cozy, warm atmosphere. The food is terrific (try the Black Pepper Seared Tuna appetizer) and the craft beers are quite good. More on the Angry Minnow's beers will be discussed when we finish creating our beer and brewpub section of the State Trunk Tour website.

Lumberjack Championships, Birkie Skiing and the World's Biggest Musky. Hayward does it up in every season. The annual Lumberjack World Championships hold events in Hayward, so expect lots of axes, saws and flannel. Scheer's Lumberjack Shows are highly recommended. Watch lumberjacks "speed climb" up trees, throw axes (not at you, don't worry), and perform things like logrolling and canoe jousting. Can you get more up North than this?? In the middle of winter, Hayward hosts the American Birkebeiner, an annual cross-country skiing race from Cable (30 miles away via the trails) to the "main street" block in Hayward, where Highway 27 meets U.S. 63. About 9,000 skiers participate every year. About 2,500 bikers head through the wilderness every year in the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival; it's one of the most popular off-road bicycling events in the nation. And trust me, when you wander into town doing the State Trunk Tour on that weekend, the hotels are full and/or pricier than normal. So watch the Events calendar here carefully! The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame (715-634-4440) is probably the most consistently visible (100,000 vistors per year) attraction, thanks to the World's Largest Muskie. Standing 143 feet long and 41 feet tall, the muskie holds names of world record-holders in fishing across the world. You can check out the names and climb the steps to show yourself from the muskie's mouth, 4 stories off the ground. It's a popular place to get your picture taken... how can one resist??

The World's Largest Muskie at Hayward's National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame: 143 feet long, 41 feet tall, with a mouth you can hang out in... or wave from for no particular reason.

Leaving Hayward, Highway 27 meanders south past a variety of lodges and access to recreational facilities. Access to snowmobiling, hunting and fishing is nearly omnipresent in these parts. Southward on Highway 27, long stretches through forest and between lakes dominate for many miles in a row before 27 meets up for short stretches with several other highways. Highway 70 meets up with 27 as you approach and turn along lovely Sand Lake, which despite the name consists primarily of water.

The kind of scenery along Highway 27 between Hayward and Radisson.

Check out Couderay's (population 96) post office, right along Highway 27/70. Some of the adjacent buildings have since been abandoned, making for some interesting perspective shots.

Further east, the northern terminus of Highway 40 crosses your path at Radisson (pop. 222 and ironically, there is no Radisson Hotel to be found) before the Chippewa River shoulders up to parallel your way. At Ojibwa, Highway 70 continues east toward Winter and Minocqua while Highway 27 turns south again for its next lone stretch, a long and straight haul that runs for 23 miles into Rusk County.

At the crossing with U.S. Highway 8, Highway 27 grazes the lovely city of Ladysmith (pop. 3,932). Nicely recovered from a fairly serious Labor Day 2002 tornado, Ladysmith was founded in 1885 as "Flambeau Falls" reflecting its picturesque location along the Flambeau River where the new Soo Line railroad made its crossing. Subsequent names included "Corbett" and "Warner" before "Ladysmith" was settled upon in 1900, after the bride of a man named Smith, who ran an influential local company (apparently, she was quite a lady). The Flambeau Mine Trails offer a great glimpse at a reclaimed mine. For eight years in the 1990s, this site was a wide-open copper and gold mine. The valuable minerals may be gone, but today the 181 acres provide scenic open grassland - a rarity in these relatively dense-forested parts - and excellent bird watching.

Ladysmith features a lot of lovely old stone buildings and a fair amount of artwork coloring some of them, including art that welcomes you along U.S. 8, just east of Highway 27. Large wooden bears adorn a city park along the Flambeau River in Ladysmith. Real bears prove to be more intimidating.

Ladysmith is the county seat of Rusk County, which features over 300 miles of snowmobile trails and serene, productive fishing in the Flambeau and Chippewa Rivers, which coverge in the southern part of the county. Equestrians can take advantage of the Copper Park Equestrian Trails, which cover about 10 miles of trails for hikers, horseback riders and others not in need of motor for a while. The trails are part of the Reclaimed Flambeau Mine Site (check out this website... it's an aerial view that shows when it was a mine versus how it is today), an area featuring a number of things to do. The whole kit 'n kaboodle is along Highway 27 about a mile and a half south of Ladysmith, between Jensen Road and County P.

Heading south, it's a pretty straight shot into Chippewa County, where you get nice water views crossing the Holcombe Flowage (which flow into the Flambeau) and, before long, there's actually a curve: you meet Highway 64 and join it westerly into a town originally named Brunet Falls after an adjacent island in the Chippewa River. Today, it's called Cornell (pop. 1,466), and it's home to the only known pulpwood stacker in the world. Standing 175 feet high, it looks like a crane about to build something, or a radio tower leaning at about 45 degrees.

Cornell features the only known pulpwood stacker in the world. In use from 1913 until 1972, it apparently stacked a lot of pulpwood.

Cornell also supports a local municipal airport, ample recreation with Burnet Island State Park on the northwest side of town, and is the northern trailhead for the Old Abe State Trail, one of Wisconsin's awesome rail-to-trail projects. This one follows along the Chippewa River about 20 miles to Lake Wissota State Park near Chippewa Falls and is paved much of the way.

After the run through Cornell, Highway 64 breaks continues west across the Chippewa on its way to Minnesota. Meanwhile, Highway 27 heads south again, crossing the 45th parallel and into Cadott (pop. 1,345), named after a French fur trader. Cadott hosts a number of music festivals that draw from Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, as well as people from all over central and northwestern Wisconsin.

	Where Highway 27 meets Highway 29, the Wisconsin Veterans Tribute overlooks the landscape around Cadott on the south end of town.
Cadott lies along the 45th parallel, halfway between the Equator and the North Pole (although the weather is more like the North Pole than the Equator much of the year). This is one claim to fame Cadott wants you to know about as you enter town.

***Merrillan to Black River Falls is coming soon... meanwhile Black River Falls to Sparta continues below!***

Ever heard of Sphagnum moss? Me neither, but it's actually a significant plant that pumps money into the local economy. Growing quickly in the boggy and marshy lands in the area, Sphagnum moss is used to keep nursery plants and flowers alive and watered during shipping, since this moss can hold 20 times its weight in water. It's used in hydroponic gardening, which I had to look up -- it's basically about growing plants with mineral nutrient solutions instead of the traditional soil. It's even used for surgical dressings because it is sterile (ironically, it reproduces quickly.) It also helps prevent fungus attack in seeds. Wisconsin is actually the only state that produces Sphagnum moss commercially. The Sphagnum moss marker, which is actually along I-94 in the rest area just south of Black River Falls.

The Black River, which runs through the heart of Black River Falls (logically enough), indeed has a blackish hue due to its high iron content. It's a popular paddling and canoeing river. The Black River Falls Chamber of Commerce offers information on a bunch of other places to take advantage of the river's amenities, as well as the city's. You'll find it approaching downtown, shortly before the junction with Highway 54. You can also call them at 800-404-4008.

BREWERY ALERT!
Black River Falls is home to Sand Creek Brewing Company (320 Pierce St., 715-284-7553), which makes a variety of quality brews on a site that started brewing beer in 1856, but has had a wild history since then. Brewing here actually took a 75-year hiatus until the Pioneer Brewing Company started up in 1995 and became the new home of Sand Creek Brewing in 2004. For more history, check out this page. Meanwhile, stop in (right off Highway 54) and check out their brews, from the light Golden Ale to the hearty Sand Creek Imperial Porter. State Trunk Tour picks include the Groovy Brew, Woody's Wheat (banana overtones are a good thing) and the Pioneer Black River Red, which won the World Beer Cup's Gold Award for a German-style Marzen in 2000.

In Black River Falls, U.S. Highway 12 breaks away and parallels I-94 on its way to Tomah. Highway 27 continues south through the Black River State Forest, where a stop to hike up Castle Mound is a terrific way to get both exercise and a phenomenal view. You can camp, ski, ride ATVs, or just relax and check out the abundant wildlife. If you want to check out some cranberry bogs (this is the edge of Wisconsin's "Cranberry Country"), take a brief jaunt down Cranberry Drive for about a mile and a half.

After Cataract, Highway 71 joins in from Melrose.

Grotto Alert. Follow Highway 71 west for briefly to see the Wegner Grotto, a nice art display of concrete sculptures decorated with glittering pieces of glass, seashells, Indian arrowheads, and other augmentations.

For about ten miles, Highways 27 and 71 stick together before reaching Sparta (pop. 8,648), the Bicycling Capital of America. Sparta is the main town for about twenty miles around; that coupled with hosting Fort McCoy and the bike tourists results in a commercial strip through town where you can get just about anything. Also meeting in Sparta is Highway 16 and Highway 21, which goes into Sparta’s main downtown area.

Left: Made locally, "Ben Biken" greets you to the Bicycling Capital of America along Highway 71 & 16. Right: Sparta's high school nickname? The Spartans, of course! (This doesn't encourage graduates to go to Michigan State, does it??)

Sparta lies at the other end of the Elroy-Sparta Trail (obviously) and at that location, in Sparta’s old train depot, you can also pick up the La Crosse River Trail, which continues west toward the Mississippi.

At the Sparta Depot, a group of bikers begin the 32-mile trek toward Elroy.

The town's enthusiastic support of bicycling extends to street name signs that bear bike symbols. Numerous motels and B&B's cater to the cycling crowd while downtown establishments offer supplies for your bike and sustenance for your tummy.

Speaking of your tummy, the "Ben Biken BBQ Bash", named by Governor Doyle as the Official State Barbeque Championship of the State of Wisconsin, takes place every September. Coupled with typical September weather, it might be the best weekend of the year to go check out the area. You can eat brisket and burn it off biking.

On top of bikes, Sparta has a number of attractions. Some kids who grow up in Sparta leave for big cities; Deke Slayton left for Earth’s upper atmosphere. The Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bike Museum honors the astronaut, native son, and head of NASA Operations from 1963 to 1972. And that fiberglass hippo, whose mouth you putt golf balls into while playing mini-golf? Chances are, it was made in Sparta at the FAST Corp. (FAST stands for Fiberglass Animals Shapes and Trademarks.) FAST does business all over the world, and few companies like it exist. A drive into their lot yields a sprawling field filled with fiberglass fun: large cows, alligators, elephants that double as childrens’ slides... the list goes on. You may traverse the field and marvel at their creations, as long as you behave and don’t climb on anything. Their lot can be found by following Highway 21 to the northeast edge of town, at the junction with County Highway Q. Look for giant fiberglass things.

FAST’s work is particularly evident in its hometown. The statue of a man on a bicycle that announces your entrance into Sparta along Highway 71 and the Clydesdale outside of the local Budweiser distributor are just two of the many pieces you can find in the area.

Sparta to Viroqua is coming soon!

After hooking up with Highway 82, Highway 27 heads into Viroqua (pop. 4,335). The name can also apply to a genus of jumping spiders, but this Viroqua is a pleasant town where numerous artists have made home. Butch Vig, member of the rock band Garbage and producer to albums like Nirvana's Nevermind and the Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream, was born in Viroqua, as was President Bush's (the Dubya one) personal physician. Four main routes run through the heart of Viroqua, and all combine through downtown: U.S. 14, U.S. 61, Highway 27, and Highway 82.

Left: The Fortney Building, which includes a residence hotel, is a prime example of the early architecture along Viroqua's Main Street, of which Highway 27 is one of four State Trunk Tour routes. Right: The Temple Theatre, a 1922 Classic Revival style vaudeville and movie theatre, underwent a $1.3 million restoration and today stands as a prime example of why Viroqua's downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Viroqua was called "the town that beat Wal-Mart" by Smithsonian Magazine in 1992, not because it prevented a Wal-Mart from opening, but because so many local businesses are successfully co-existing with it. Viroqua's natural beauty has drawn artists for decades, but the arts and culture scene has been growing more significantly as of late. The presence of the renovated Temple Theatre and numerous coffee shops and galleries are just a hint of the growing arts community. Highway 27 goes through the middle of it all; architecture buffs can enjoy the theatre, the Fortney Building (pictured above), and the Sherry-Butt House, an 1870 structure constructed in the Southern style... all of which are on Main Street.

Highway 27 is just one of the routes on Viroqua's Main Street. Highway 82 and U.S. 14 & 61 also travel through the heart of town. Since the area is growing, bypass plans are in place that will carry some or all of the routes around town. State Trunk Tour guidelines, however, recommend going through town to fully enjoy everything. We'll let you know about bypass developments...

South of Viroqua, the four highways stay combined for a few miles before Highways 27 and 82 break away to the southwest. You run a series of ridges, from which the views get quite expansive. You pass through the small village of Liberty Pole, which is noted for nearby Monument Rock, a huge natural rock formation (we'll have to get a picture on the next trip through). From Liberty Pole west to Red Mound, you'll see a series of old stone wayside markers. These markers note historical facts about areas in Vernon County, especially as they applied to settlement and clashes with Native Americans. Many of these markers were carved in stone in the 1930s; most have been moved to their current location. They're worth stopping and checking out, especially if you're a history buff. These markers are noted in points all along the route in Vernon County.

Left: Just southwest of Viroqua, this caboose (presumably in someone's yard) lies on real railroad tracks. Several other sculptures adorn the property. Right: Liberty Pole, Wisconsin. Not a bustling metropolis, but a serene place to stop, step outside and enjoy the views and quiet sounds of southwestern Wisconsin.

Liberty Pole is also the name of an annual scenic motorcycle parade covering areas across this part of the state. Check out their home page here for more information.

County historical markers dot the sides of Highway 27 from Liberty Pole west for quite a ways. A map of marker locations is provided at most waysides, with specific details carved into stone tablets. John McCulloch is considered the county's first European settler, building a cabin here in 1844 before "California Dreamin'" took him out west. Most of the tablets were made around 1930.

This area of Highway 27, basically between Viroqua and DeSoto, is big on scenic views and short on facilities, so make sure your gas gauge isn't reading close to empty. Keep your camera ready, though! Highway 82 splits off at Fargo (not relation to the movie or North Dakota) and heads west toward DeSoto. Highway 27, meanwhile, turns south into Crawford County to run more ridges in this hilly territory.

Fargo to Prairie du Chien is coming soon!

CONNECTIONS
North Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: U.S. Highway 2
Can connect nearby to: Highway 13, about 6 miles north

South Terminus:
Can connect immediately to: Highway 35
Can connect nearby to: U.S. Highway 18 & Highway 60, about 0.5 miles south

Upcoming events in places along Highway 27:
Pork 'N The Park, Cornell, September 4, 2010

<< Back to main page

Points of Interest Quick Links:

Brule
Hayward
Angry Minnow Brewpub
World's Largest Muskie
Al Capone's Hideout
Ladysmith
Flambeau Mine Trails
Cornell
World's Largest Pulpwood Stacker
Cadott
Wisconsin Veteran's Tribute
Black River Falls
Sphagnum Moss Historical Marker
Sand Creek Brewing Co.
Orange Moose
Black River State Forest
Wegner Grotto
Sparta
Deke Slayton Space & Bike Museum
Viroqua
(More coming soon!)

Best Western
Arrowhead Lodge & Suites
600 Oasis Rd.
Black River Falls, WI 54615
(715) 284-9471
Link to hotel and reservations

Best Western
Sparta Trail Lodge
4445 Theater Rd.
Sparta, WI 54656
(608) 269-2664
Link to hotel and reservations

Best Western
Bluffview Inn & Suites
37268 US Hwy 18.
Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
(608) 326-4777
Link to hotel and reservations