Towns · St. Croix Falls to Nelson

The river towns, north to south.

Small towns, big views and a main street in every one.

A town-by-town guide to the St. Croix Valley and Wisconsin’s Great River Road, from the falls up north to the bluffs above Lake Pepin.

The route

Follow the rivers

Up the St. Croix to the falls, or down the Mississippi along the bluffs. Prescott sits in the middle, right where the two rivers meet.

St. Croix Falls
Up the St. Croix

St. Croix Falls

The gateway to Interstate State Park, with river gorges, bluff-top trails and some of the most dramatic river scenery in the Midwest.

Osceola
Up the St. Croix

Osceola

A river town built around a waterfall — Cascade Falls runs right through downtown, with patios and shops just steps away.

Hudson & River Falls
Up the St. Croix

Hudson & River Falls

Hudson’s Willow River State Park has one of the valley’s best waterfalls, and River Falls is the place to paddle the Kinnickinnic.

Prescott
Where the rivers meet

Prescott

Where the St. Croix meets the Mississippi and Wisconsin’s Great River Road begins — a walkable downtown with river patios, sunsets and our home base.

Maiden Rock
Down the Great River Road

Maiden Rock

A bluff-side village above Lake Pepin, with one of the best overlooks on the whole drive.

Stockholm
Down the Great River Road

Stockholm

A tiny town on Lake Pepin that’s worth every minute of the drive.

Pepin
Down the Great River Road

Pepin

A harbor town on Lake Pepin and a favorite stop on the fall color drive.

Nelson
Down the Great River Road

Nelson

A must-stop along the Great River Road, known for local flavor, river views and small-town charm.

Photo: Royalbroil, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Make Prescott your home base.

Stay right where the rivers meet, and every town on this page is an easy day trip.