- Exploring the hidden gems of Western Wisconsin—curating unforgettable stays and sharing the places locals love most.
Highway 35 doesn’t rush you. Between St. Croix Falls and Nelson, the road climbs and drops with the bluffs it’s cut into, curves tighten around the river towns, and just when you’ve settled into the rhythm of it, another overlook opens up and you’re reaching for the hazard lights. This stretch has been called one of the most scenic drives in the country, and it earns that honestly, mile after mile.
Before the road even turns south along the Mississippi, it passes through the Dalles of the St. Croix — a gorge with basalt walls rising 200 feet above the river, carved out by glacial meltwater at the end of the last ice age. Interstate State Park sits right along it, and the pull-offs and short trails near the river give you a first look at the kind of drama this whole corridor is built on. It’s a good place to stretch your legs before the longer drive south.
Coming into Prescott, the bluffs pull back just enough to let you see the whole picture at once: the St. Croix River, still holding its own blue-green color, sliding into the wider, muddier Mississippi. There are a few pullouts along the way into town where that confluence view opens up, and it’s worth taking slower than the speed limit really requires. Locals tend to have their own favorite spot for it — ask around and you’ll get a different answer every time.
This is the stretch where Highway 35 stops being a lazy river road and starts feeling like a genuine climb — the road gains about 450 feet in elevation over two and a half miles heading out of Bay City. It’s a workout for cyclists and a highlight for drivers, because at the top, Lake Pepin spreads out below with the Mississippi filling the valley from bluff to bluff. Find a pullout, put the car in park, and give the view the minute it deserves.
The village of Maiden Rock takes its name from the 400-foot bluff that towers over it, tied to a Dakota legend about a young woman named Winona. The bluff itself is now a state natural area, with a mile-long out-and-back trail through 250-year-old cedars — steep enough to earn the view, and known for nesting eagles overhead. If you’ve got twenty extra minutes and decent shoes, it’s the one stop on this drive worth getting out of the car for more than a photo.
South of Maiden Rock, the road settles into an easier rhythm along the shore of Lake Pepin, the widest natural stretch of the entire Mississippi. Stockholm sits right on the water, small and walkable, with the lake visible from most of Main Street — less a single overlook here and more a whole town built with a view.
By Nelson, Lake Pepin has started narrowing back into river, and the bluffs close back in a little on both sides. It’s a fitting place to end a scenic drive — one more set of curves, one more view of water and rock, before you turn around or keep heading south.
A word of advice if you’re driving this yourself: take the curves slower than you think you need to. The river towns keep their speed limits low for good reason, and half the views on this road only show up if you’re going slow enough to notice them.
Make downtown Prescott your home base and book direct with us: The Port of Prescott for boutique king suites steps from the river, Port After Dark for romantic suites made for couples, The Harbor Hotel for themed rooms and extended stays, and The Cove Guest House for downtown condos and group getaways.
Driving it as a couple? Our romantic getaways in Wisconsin guide turns this route into a trip for two.
