GRR: La Crosse to St. Paul
Although we’ve been driving through La Crosse for years, we’ve never spent much time here. On this trip up the Mississippi River we’re changing that, and so far we’re having a great time!
Our First “Official” Great River Roadtrip
When we walked over the headwaters of the Mississippi River more than ten years ago, we vowed to “someday” explore the entire Great River Road. Three years ago on our 2022 winter trip, we visited some sights along the river in New Orleans and then followed the River Road south to the delta. We ended our 2023 trip in New Orleans so we could work our way up the River back to Wisconsin. Although we didn’t get too far, we saw some good stuff and our desire for more was growing!
So, this our first “official” Great River roadtrip, and due to the variations in altitude at the northern end of the river, this trip has offered the most beautiful overlooks and stunning views of the river so far. The bluffs were fantastic – with overlooks to see the river winding through green valleys and cities – and bridges we now recognize.
Visiting the river towns along the way – with their city parks, river museums, historic buildings (and breweries) – made this trip a lot of fun. We arrived home and immediately created a rough draft for visiting another section soon. And “someday” we hope to return to the headwaters for more photos, maybe when we’ve completed our quest to see it all.
The Minnesota Welcome Center
Our first stop is the Dresbach Welcome Center just across the Dresbach Bridge (I-90). Unfortunately, our first turn to get a close-up of Lock and Dam #7 was closed due to construction, so the last photo below is the best I can do on this trip.
Since I try to capture our vacations in pictures, I walked around the center while Jim went inside to read what he could on Minnesota and the river road (and get maps). Even though we’ve stopped here quite a few times over the years, I just can’t get enough of this river and the bridges that cross it. If you get a chance, you should click on the Bridge link just above for some awesome shots of this bridge.
Lovely La Crosse
Similar to Kenosha and Racine (which we finally explored in 2019), we’ve been hauling-ass through La Crosse for nearly forty years on our way to somewhere else – with only a stop if nature called. This time we started our trip here, and coordinated a visit with our friends in Minneapolis to add even more fun to the trip!
We opted for three nights at the Radisson Hotel, Harborview, and chose Two Queens over a usual King so we could get a river view. This was the perfect location for this trip, in (very) close proximity to the River and its fabulous Riverside Park, restaurants and the Turtle Stack Brewery! All of the photos below were taken on quick walks from our hotel. The beautiful bridge in the distance over the Mississippi is the I-90 ALT bridge and we’ll explore that a LOT closer-up on a later stop.
On our first night in town we had a wonderful dinner at Buzzard Billy’s. We would definitely recommend the Bacon-wrapped Shrimp (if you can take some heat), the Blackened Catfish, and the Downtown Browns were fabulous!
Time for a Boat Ride
The next morning we walked a beautiful six minutes to the 11 a.m. Sightseeing Cruise aboard the La Crosse Queen. We took a seat at some picnic tables nearby while we waited to board. Just upriver we could see where the Black River joins the Mississippi and as it turned out, we were sitting right by the La Crosse River which also flows into the Mississippi.
Fun Fact: The Mississippi’s watershed drains all or parts of 32 US states and two Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains, with about 250 tributaries and branches in its massive watershed.
“Step aboard the authentic La Crosse Queen for a narrated journey through the Upper Mississippi River. This scenic excursion takes you along the main channel, where you’ll learn fascinating facts about the river’s ecology, history, and significance in modern times.
Admire the stunning views of steep bluffs and the Great River Road, celebrated by AAA as one of America’s most picturesque drives. Watch for wildlife like bald eagles soaring over the water and enjoy the peaceful pace of the paddlewheeler.” ~ READ MORE
A Short Delay
As we came up to the railroad bridge in the photos above, our tour guide interrupted her normally scheduled narration to let us know that there would be a short delay. It seems an Amtrak is heading this way to cross the bridge – the same bridge where there’s not enough clearance for us to get under. Hmm. Interesting.
That turned out to be a very cool delay, since this bridge is one of only a few remaining swing bridges on the Mississippi River, and we were fortunate enough to watch it open for us. After the train passed by, of course! This bridge is “designed to rotate horizontally around a central vertical pivot”, allowing both boats and trains to pass through (one after the other). And our small boat was more easily inconvenienced than that speeding train!
A Tour of our Boat
After all the excitement of the swing bridge, I went below deck to check out the paddles that were on full display behind a pretty wet and smeary window. Then I found someone to help with refreshments. Say hello to our steward – keeper of Bloody Marys and a bag of popcorn. Not a great breakfast, but at least we had tomato juice and veggies, right? On my way back up, I took the video of the paddles on full display out in the open.
We were coming up on our turn-around point and that happened to be the I-90 Dresbach Bridge we visited yesterday. Today we had a great vantage point that you can’t get from the Welcome Center! That’s where they said they wouldn’t be able to go much further because of the construction, but we already knew that.
What a marvelous day (so far).
My next post will cover some random stops after our boat cruise and a bluff that’s high on the list of things to do in La Crosse.
Next up: More in La Crosse, WI
Happy trails,
Barb
