The glaciers skipped this corner of Wisconsin, and left behind something incredible

Where glaciers didn’t dare go

La Crosse, Wis., sits where the Mississippi, Black and La Crosse Rivers all pour into each other at the base of 600-foot limestone bluffs.

This stretch of western Wisconsin belongs to the Driftless Region, a 24,000-square-mile pocket of land across four states that glaciers never touched during the last Ice Age.

While the rest of the Midwest got scraped flat, this corner kept its rugged bluffs and deep valleys. You can see the difference the moment you drive in, and it only gets better from there.

Ho-Chunk roots and lumber baron fortunes

The Ho-Chunk people called this stretch of river home long before any European showed up. In 1841, Nathan Myrick paddled up the Mississippi and set up a trading post at what is now Riverside Park.

Logging came next, and it built fortunes for families like the Hixons, who put their money back into the city. German immigrants arrived in the mid-1800s and shaped the culture you still see today.

La Crosse also has one of Wisconsin’s largest Hmong communities, which brought Southeast Asian food and traditions into the mix.

See three states from Grandad Bluff’s summit

Grandad Bluff rises 600 feet above La Crosse, and from the top, you look straight across the Mississippi River Valley into Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa all at once.

Wisconsin Trails readers voted it the most scenic view in the state.

About five miles of trails wind through wooded terrain on the way up, and they’re easy enough for families.

If you’d rather drive, the road takes you right to the summit, where you’ll find a shelter house, picnic tables and coin-operated binoculars. Come in autumn when the forests turn gold and crimson.

Ten miles of Driftless trails through Hixon Forest

Hixon Forest picks up right where Grandad Bluff leaves off and rolls nearly 10 miles of trails through wooded bluffs shaped by everything except glaciers.

You can stick to beginner walking paths or test yourself on expert-level mountain bike routes. Five scenic overlooks sit along the system, and each one gives you a different angle on the valley below.

You can enter from Myrick Park or Riverside Park downtown, so you don’t have to drive far to start. In winter, groomed trails turn the whole forest into cross-country ski territory.

Riverside Park sits where three rivers merge

Fourteen acres of green space line the Mississippi in downtown La Crosse, right at the spot where all three rivers come together.

Riverside Park has hosted Riverfest every Fourth of July since 1983, and since 1995, the Rotary Lights display has filled the park through the winter holidays.

Walk to the north end and you’ll find the International Friendship Gardens, a free collection of gardens honoring La Crosse’s sister cities in China, Germany, France, Russia, Norway, Ireland and Cameroon.

The gardens are open daily and don’t cost a thing.

Ride the last real paddlewheel on the Mississippi

The La Crosse Queen pulls away from Riverside Park and heads out on the Upper Mississippi, powered only by its sternwheels. It’s one of the few authentic paddlewheel riverboats still running in the country.

The brand has been taking passengers out since 1976, and the current boat went into service in 2008. Narrated sightseeing cruises last about 90 minutes and cover the river’s history and ecology.

Keep your eyes on the bluffs for bald eagles, turtles and blue herons. The highlight is a close-up pass by the swing rail bridge between La Crosse and La Crescent, Minn.

Pedal 101 miles from Reedsburg to Marshland

Four rail-bed trails link up to form a 101-mile network stretching from Reedsburg to Marshland.

You’ll ride through prairies and the backwaters of the Upper Mississippi River valley, with flat, smooth surfaces the whole way.

The La Crosse River State Trail adds another 22 miles from Sparta to La Crosse along the river.

These trails connect with the Elroy-Sparta State Trail and the 400 State Trail, giving you one of the longest trail networks in the state. If you’re 16 or older, you’ll need a Wisconsin State Trail Pass to ride.

240,000 acres of wildlife along the Mississippi Flyway

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge runs 261 miles along the river and covers more than 240,000 acres.

It sits on the Mississippi Flyway, a major migration route, and carries a designation as a Globally Important Bird Area.

You can spot bald eagles, tundra swans, white pelicans, white-tailed deer and waterfowl by the thousands. A visitor center sits near Onalaska, just north of La Crosse, off the Great River State Trail.

Birding, fishing, canoeing and hiking keep people coming back year-round.

Perrot State Park’s 500-foot river bluffs

About 20 miles north of La Crosse, Perrot State Park spreads across 1,200 acres where the Trempealeau and Mississippi Rivers meet at the base of 500-foot bluffs.

Trails wind up through the bluffs and open to views of Trempealeau Mountain, a landmark that rises straight from the river. The park has more than 100 campsites and connects directly to the Great River State Trail.

If you bring a canoe or kayak, sheltered backwaters near the park give you calm water surrounded by bluffs on every side.

Walk a wooded path to the hilltop shrine

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe covers more than 100 acres of wooded bluffside south of La Crosse.

A half-mile path climbs uphill past devotional areas, a votive candle chapel and Stations of the Cross before reaching the church at the top.

Architect Duncan G. Stroik designed it in a New Classical style, and it opened in 2008. The grounds welcome visitors of all backgrounds, and there’s no admission fee.

Volunteers drive golf carts for anyone who’d rather not walk the hill. The views of the Mississippi River Valley stretch for miles.

Step inside the Hixon House time capsule

Gideon Hixon built this Italianate home in 1859 with money from the lumber trade, and it still holds nearly all of its original Victorian and Arts and Crafts furnishings.

The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

The Hixon family donated it to the La Crosse County Historical Society in 1965, the same family that helped fund local schools, hospitals, Riverside Park and Grandad Bluff.

Guided tours run seasonally, and for 2026, the house is scheduled to reopen on Friday, June 19.

150,000 people in lederhosen at Oktoberfest USA

La Crosse throws one of the longest-running Oktoberfest celebrations in the Midwest, and it draws up to 150,000 people every year.

The festival started in 1961 and runs four days with two parades, live polka music, carnival rides and local food vendors.

Festival-goers fill the streets in traditional Bavarian dirndls and lederhosen, and USA Today has ranked the event among the top 10 Oktoberfest celebrations in the country. The 2026 festival runs Sept. 24 through 27.

It all traces back to the German immigrants who shaped this city from the start.

Drive the Great River Road to La Crosse, Wisconsin

You can reach La Crosse from Madison in about two hours heading northwest, or from Minneapolis in roughly two and a half hours heading southeast.

Either way, pick up the Wisconsin Great River Road on Highway 35, which runs 250 miles along the Mississippi and connects 33 towns along the route.

That stretch is part of a 3,000-mile national scenic byway passing through 10 states from Minnesota all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The drive alone is worth the trip.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• The glaciers skipped this corner of the Midwest, and it shows
• 40 miles from Madison, one man built a world on top of a sandstone pillar
• This Wisconsin Peninsula Has 300 Miles of Coastline and Most Americans Have Never Heard of It