School me on Southern WI

[TTaM]

So I live in Minneapolis and my brothers live in Chicago. We've been talking about meeting up the weekend before the 4th of July and exploring southern WI, since its a middle ground.

Any areas/roads/cities/brew pubs you recommend hitting up? How about campsites/hotels?

The plan is to meet somewhere Fri night, ride all day Sat, then have a good ride home (I'll be headed to Chicago afterwards).

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

[TTaM]

Or heck, northern WI too, just want a reasonable ride home on Sunday before the deer come out.

[caasland]

Good hotel and pub in southern Wisconsin would be in New Glarus. Swissaire hotel, a 5 min walk from the Glarner Stube, the best place to eat german food and sample New Glarus beer.

Good campground: Wildcat Mtn state park.

Another good brewpub in good riding country is the Potosi Brewing Co. in Potosi, WI. Right next to is the American Breweriana Museum.

If you happen to stay in Madison, I'm partial to the Dane Brewing Co.'s Black Earth Porter, and if you're lucky (it is the right time of year ...) they'll have Ned's Red on tap. Any hotel within walking distance will do (Hilton, Hyatt, Best Western). Don't forget to hit State Street.

[mxvet57]

Pick any letter in the alphabet and enjoy.

[Cheddarhead]

Pick any letter in the alphabet and enjoy.

+1.

From La Crosse south to the border...from Iowa's C9Y east across the river east to Madison...the riding is all good.  Kettles and Moraines...carved by the glaciers and lots of smiles per hour!

[County Tar]

Prairie du Chien would be a good place to meet, but the motels are expensive and full this time of year.  Probably better to stay inland, off the River.  All roads are good.

[Oddball]

I recommend The Grumpy Troll 105 South 2nd Street  Mount Horeb, WI 53572.  You have to try really hard to find a bad road in SW Wisconsin.  For camping Governor Dodge State Park is really nice.

[ninjaridaz]

+1 on the Grumpy Troll.

[bluepoof]

New Glarus beer

 

[Fourstring]

Good hotel and pub in southern Wisconsin would be in New Glarus. Swissaire hotel, a 5 min walk from the Glarner Stube, the best place to eat german food and sample New Glarus beer.

Stayed at Swissaire once and liked it.    Black Earth also has a bar that does drunken whiffleball and broadcasts all the Moto GP races; also highly recommended.

That said, Madison is an amazing city with great riding in all directions.  You can't miss.

[ray916mn]

Classic route we use to get to the southwestern part of WI you're planning on meeting your brothers in is:

From Nelson, WI (60 miles southeast of Minneapolis).

South 35
Left on E
Left on 95
Right on T
Right on D
Right on DD
Right on V/VV
Left on T
Right on 108 (Mindoro Cut)
Left on Old 16
Left on 16
Right on 162
Right on II
Left on I
Left on 33
Right on G
Left on P
Left on 131
Right on 33 (Wild Cat Mountain)
Right on V
Right on P
Left on S
Left on 131
Right on U
Right on F

This gets you to just east of Westport which is on the northside of the Wisconsin River halfway between Boscobel and Blue River in roughly 200 miles from Nelson. Mt Horeb is another 60 or so miles away.

[JimWilliamson]

Alphabet soup ride



Mississippi River to the west
I-90 to the east and north-ish
Illinois border to the south

Most small roads will be paved (chip-sealed) in Wisconsin. Cross the Illinois state line and you'll often find gravel greeting you at the state line.

No great recommendation - just look at a map for a small squiggly and enjoy.

[TTaM]

Classic route we use to get to the southwestern part of WI you're planning on meeting your brothers in is:

From Nelson, WI (60 miles southeast of Minneapolis).

South 35
Left on E
Left on 95
Right on T
Right on D
Right on DD
Right on V/VV
Left on T
Right on 108 (Mindoro Cut)
Left on Old 16
Left on 16
Right on 162
Right on II
Left on I
Left on 33
Right on G
Left on P
Left on 131
Right on 33 (Wild Cat Mountain)
Right on V
Right on P
Left on S
Left on 131
Right on U
Right on F

This gets you to just east of Westport which is on the northside of the Wisconsin River halfway between Boscobel and Blue River in roughly 200 miles from Nelson. Mt Horeb is another 60 or so miles away.

This is perfect, I have all day Fri to ride down

[bomber]

Take the advice wrt lodging seriously -- finding randomly available rooms or campsites within 10 miles of any body of water that time of year (lake, river, puddle at a car wash) is almost nil . . . . .

If interested, drop me a PM with your email, and I'll send you some GPX files that should keep you entertained ;-}

[caasland]

BTW .. in Monroe, WI (south of New Glarus) is Minhas Brewery. Their claim to fame is Augsburger and Huber Bock which we drank when we couldn't afford the good stuff. At $11/case it was OK. But now they mostly brew swill for the canadian market, like Berghof, energy drinks etc. We took a tour of the brewery. It was kind of disgusting and damp and falling apart - in a bad way, not a good way (like Cantillon).

Just to give you an idea .. the tour guide said they have excellent beer because they use "the best hops extract" and held up a can of it. Extract has it's place .. but yuck.

Don't waste your time there - go tour the new big and clean and shiny New Glarus brewery instead.

[County Tar]

Take the advice wrt lodging seriously -- finding randomly available rooms or campsites within 10 miles of any body of water that time of year (lake, river, puddle at a car wash) is almost nil . . . . .

If interested, drop me a PM with your email, and I'll send you some GPX files that should keep you entertained ;-}

Is the general tent camping area at Lake Joy a possibility?  That would be about halfway.

I have made the mistake of searching for a motel more than once in the general area.  The last time I struck out in Prairie du Chien, Guttenberg and the entire metro area of Dubuque.  Finally found a mom and pop in Strawberry Point, IA about 11 p.m.  I should know better by now.

[bomber]

http://www.lakejoy.com/currentsiteavailability.html

;-}

BTW, there are a couple of really ice eateries in Mineral Point.

[spd2918]

We hosted a COG national out of Tomah.  Send me your email address and I'll drop some GPX files on you.

[motormike]

http://www.lakejoy.com/currentsiteavailability.html

;-}

BTW, there are a couple of really ice eateries in Mineral Point.

And now I know where the "Sea of Joy" in the GPS line of your profile is located.  

[bomber]

And now I know where the "Sea of Joy" in the GPS line of your profile is located.  

LOL . . . . ..