Fall is back, and that means its time for another road trip. Last time we covered the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive, but this time we’re going a little further south. At a 148 miles, the Rock River Trail Scenic Drive is definitely completable in one day and shows off some of the lesser visited portions of our state. And just like the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive, the Rock River Trail Scenic Drive is an official scenic drive, which means road signs to help you out along the way, as well as plenty of info online and perfect route directions. The Rock River Trail itself starts in Waupun and ends all the way down in Illinois. You can bike it, paddle it, or drive it. For this road trip though we only did the Wisconsin portion (ain’t no way I’m giving any of my money to the state of Illinois). And just like with the Kettle Moraine drive, the goal here was to end closer to home. The driving fatigue can wear on you as the day goes on, so this is the best method to avoid, or reduce that in my opinion. So we started in Beloit and ended in Waupun. Let’s go over some of the pro’s and con’s, highlights, and overall feel of the journey.
To start, we got on the road a little later than we wanted. Since we were doing this south to north, the drive to the starting point was going to be the longest. Once we arrived in Beloit, we got, umm, distracted. We’re suckers for a good antique store or vintage goods. And Angela’s Attic in south Beloit proved to be too good for us to pass up. After about an hour perusing the store, we finally were able to hit the road. From there, we headed north, following the path of the Rock River. We made a quick stop to stretch our feet in Janesville at a park on the river about 45 minutes later, but the biggest thing I noticed is that along with way in-between these two metropolitan areas were quite a few slices of cool nature. It’s a very underrated part of our state, this southern piece, and after seeing a few kayakers, I immediately added this section to the “to paddle” part of my brain.
Once out of Janesville, the real trip began. No more big cities along the way, the rest would be country-side, farm fields, and the Rock River. Weaving our way up through some smaller towns, this scenic drive does a nice job of tracing the river almost exactly. You’re almost never out of sight of the river throughout its entirety, which was one of the best parts of this whole drive. After passing through Indianford, Edgerton, and Busseyville, we made it to Fort Atkinson, which, time-wise, marked roughly the halfway point of our journey. Fort Atkinson is a very cool city, and we, umm, got distracted again. Two more (very cool) antique stores downtown and a stop for lunch, it was a very nice break. But it was this point that we also got the afternoon drowsies (not me though… I was the driver, and had to power through regardless). From Fort Atkinson to Watertown, the drive is quick, and, in my opinion, the most boring part. Here are some of the very few stretches where you’re too far from the river to see it. Watertown probably marks the halfway point distance wise.
Once we got to Watertown, all heck broke loose. The directions got weird, confusing, and impossible to see. You end up making a few loops that are unnecessary, driving in circles for a bit in Watertown. And once you finally get back on the right track, its very clear that you’re not taking the optimal route. From here on out, until you make it to Waupun, the route sticks to the river, and when I say it sticks to the river, I mean IT STICKS TO THE RIVER. There are side roads and paths in this stretch that aren’t main roads, and the road signage gets less and less frequent, making it harder to find your way. But I’d argue this was the best part of the trip, at least for me.
Along this stretch, you’ll encounter towns you’ve never heard of (Ashippun, Neosho, Pipersville) and go through towns you never thought were this cool and peaceful (Hustisford, Horicon). The quiet of the day hits you right about here. The journey is almost over, but some of the best scenery is right in this section. If you’ll allow me to get poetic for a minute, I think I shall like to use some descriptive imagery here, as during this time I did not feel like myself. The fading light from the slowly setting sun gives you an ethereal vibe that perfectly encapsulates everything that’s right about the best fall days. (Gag. That sounded pretentious. But, the words are true, and so is the feeling they described). Maybe it was because we lucked out with the weather (upper 50’s, mostly sunny), or maybe it was just the new scenery of the new region coupled with almost no traffic, or perhaps it was a combination of things, but the last leg of this scenic drive felt out of this world. At one point with the sun approaching the horizon we drove over a creek through a small forested area surrounded by farm fields. The windows were down, and when the current song ended and there was a brief pause in noise before the next one started, I noticed the quiet. I stopped the car to get a picture, and the silence was eerie. This moment in time, surrounded by Wisconsin nature and enveloped in silence, is why I started this blog. It’s hard to describe this feeling in words, but its why I love this state, autumn, and just exploring the unknown. I’ve had these feelings a few times (with one of them described on the homepage that prompted me to start the blog), but they only come when I’m as close to lost as I can get (I’m fully convinced if I have no time limit I can always find my way out any lost situation, and it’s happened more times than I like to admit). I’m sure the Japanese or Germans have a word for the feeling I’m trying to get across here, but until then, my rambling will have to do.
Around Horicon, we made one final stop to stretch and sightsee. We stopped at Nitschke Mounds Park. About a mile of trails here weave in and out of quite a few Native American burial mounds and around a pond. Again, with the great weather we were having, this was another excellent stop that I’d highly recommend. After 20-30 minutes and the sun setting faster than ever, we headed north to finish the last 15 minutes of the drive. We ended in Waupun under a canopy of blaze orange maple trees at Waupun Park Maple Forest State Natural Area . We really got the timing right with this road trip as the colors were clearly at their peak.
TL;DR: Overall, this trip had more positives than negatives, but in my opinion wasn’t as good as the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive. Positives from the trip include: the northern portion, abundance of decent sized towns to stop in and find something to do, location… pretty accessible for most of the state. Negatives include: confusing directions for too many parts, unnecessary parts just to follow the river in a few places, and if you don’t go at the exact right time of the year, it won’t be as pretty due to more farm fields than forested areas. Despite any and all of this, this is a road trip that is definitely worth it, and if you’re near the south central portion of the state, you need to make time for this trip.
Life is Too Short to Take the Fast Way 