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County Road
CS at Interstate 39/90/94 west of Poynette
is the beginning point of these
directions. Exit the Interstate onto Cty CS and
proceed west. Take note of the bluffs in the
distance as you drive on CS. You will reach a
tri-section with Cty Rd V. After stopping
at this intersection proceed straight ahead onto
Cty V.
Immediately
after crossing the intersection you will see a
sign and driveway on your right for
Bayview Lodge at N3135
Cty V. Turn in and check out this great
picturesque year around facility. Food, Fun,
Fishing, Motel, Lounge. Breakfast - Lunch -
Dinner. Great view of Lake Wisconsin along with
great food and refreshment.
Continue to
follow Cty V thru the hamlet of Harmony
Grove.
Cty V angles slightly to the left.
On your left is Class Act Pizzeria and
Ice Cream Parlor at N2696 Hwy
V. Fantastic Pizza! Also Ice Cream,
Salads, Sandwiches, Low-Carb Wraps, Fish,
Chicken, Pastas, Deserts! Daily Specials! Hungry
a lot? Hungry a little? Stop in at Class Act!
Open 7 days, year around.
Continue to
follow Cty V south out of Harmony Grove, watch
for deer. In 1.5 miles Cty V will tri-sect with
Cty Rd J. Stay on Cty V toward the
right, the next mile of road is signed as
Cty VJ, after which Cty V again turns right and
leaves Cty VJ. Turn to the right (west) on
Cty V toward the hamlet of Okee. You
will drive up a hill and descend to a bluff and
another T-intersection, follow Cty V to the
right. Notice the second bluff across the field
to your right. Continue to follow Cty V as it
turns left (west) again. Watch to your left and
you will see one of the large bays of Lake
Wisconsin behind the homes.
At the next
intersection Cty V will turn to the left (west)
and cross a bridge and continue thru Okee. Cty V
will intersect with State Hwy 113. Stop for the
stop sign at hwy 113, then continue to follow
Cty V straight across the intersection.
A half mile on Cty
V and you will see the sign for
Slack's Jams & Jellies. A
tasty detour awaits you Monday thru Saturday
(closed Sundays). Wisconsin's finest jams and
jellies, fruit butter, speadable fruit, salsas,
including fruit salsa, and more! Antiques, too.
Turn right onto Slack Road, up
the hill and around the curves to
W12153. Enjoy!
Gibraltor
Rock. Soon you will see a sign for Gibraltor
Rock and County Road VA which leads to it. We
recommend you decide before leaving home whether
you wish to climb the trail to the top of
Gibraltor Rock (and prepare accordingly) or
whether you will view the cliff face of
Gibraltor Rock from the highway. The climb to
the top is on an old blacktop road at a steep
grade. The walk up takes about 30 minutes at a
leisurely but consistent pace. Only those of "average" or better
health should attempt the climb. Persons with
heart or lung conditions, physical problems or
frailties, and those afraid of heights should
NOT attempt the walk/climb to the top.
For more information, visit the Gibraltor Rock section
of Columbia County Tourism.com.
If you decide to
climb Gibraltor Rock allow a minimum of 1.5
hours...30 minutes up, 30 minutes at the top and
30 minutes down. Take a bottle of water and your
camera, the views are fantastic!
If you choose
to not climb Gibraltor Rock, simply continue to
follow Cty V. At the stop sign turn left. Drive
slowly and look to your left, you will see the
cliff face of Gibraltor Rock. This next
maneuver is a little tricky. The
intersections of Cty Roads V, J, and JV all
intersect together and form a triangle around a
house. At that next intersection, turn to your
right then stop at the stop sign. Then turn left
on Cty J and at the very next intersection turn
left on Cty JV. All this turning is around one
house and you should be heading back toward Cty
V. Gibraltor Rock should now be on your right
side. At the intersection with Cty V continue
straight, do not turn back toward Okee. Follow
Cty V until you reach Lake Wisconsin and the
intersection with State Hwy 188. If you made it
here....Congratulations!!
Turn right
onto Hwy 188 with the lake on your left. Travel
about a mile to the intersection with Hwy 113.
The Ferry Landing will be on your left. Turn
left onto Hwy 113 and enter the Ferry Landing.
Align your vehicle in one of the 3 lanes and
await to board. Ferry Season is from April 15th
to November 30th. There are refreshment stands
open on each side of the river during the day,
hours and days of operation may vary. Enjoy
your ride on the ferry. You may get out of
your vehicle and look around and take
pictures.
Leave the
ferry on the west side of the lake and go about
2 blocks to the stop sign and the intersection
with Hwy 78. Turn right (north) onto Hwy 78 and
drive thru Merrimac. In about 1.5 miles you will
see the junction with Cty Rd U. Hwy 78 angles to
the left and Cty U is almost a straight forward
exit. Enter Cty U.
Cty U is a
very scenic road. Many curves and hills, with a
tree canopy over many portions. Watch for the
many hills and bluffs. Enjoy this drive thru
farm country along the Wisconsin River, which is
on your right. Watch for breaks in the trees to
observe the changing geography along the
opposite shore line. At several locations you
can look across the river and see rocky cliff
walls, or dells, similar to those found upriver
at the Wisconsin Dells.
In about a
mile you will cross over the interstate highway,
and after another mile Cty U will turn to the
left at its junction with a township road named
Reumann Road. Leave Cty U and proceed
straight down Reumann Rd. Watch to your right as
you will be driving adjacent to the backwaters
of the Wisconsin River. In about two miles you
will encounter Thunderbird Road to the
right. Turn right on Thunderbird Road for about
a mile. This road takes you to a small boat
landing at which you may view the Wisconsin
River. Once finished here, go back the way you
came on Thunderbird Road to the stop sign on
Reumann Road. Turn right (north) on Reumann Road
and continue another 1.5 miles where you will
re-join Cty U. Turn right onto Cty U norht
toward Portage.
Continue on
Cty U until you reach Hwy 33. Turn right on Hwy
33 to Portage. In about a mile you will cross
the Wisconsin River bridge. If you wish to walk
onto the bridge, it is best to cross and park on
a city street, then walk back onto the bridge to
enjoy the view.
Follow Hwy 33
in Portage to the first traffic lights
downtown, which is the intersection with Hwy
16. Turn right on Hwy 16 and head south. (If you
miss this turn, turn right at the second set of
traffic lights, which is Hwy 51 and head south.)
At the next set of traffic signals Hwy 16 will
join with Hwy 51. Continue straight on Hwys 16
& 51 to the south. At this set of traffic
lights you will cross the historic portage canal
which joins the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. If you
wish to park and learn more about the Canal,
there is an informational sign at the canal. As
you continue driving south thru Portage the dike
for the Wisconsin River will be on your right.
If you wish to walk along the dike and view the
river, you may enter and park at a park on the
right a couple of blocks after the traffic
signals.
Continue south
on Hwys 16 & 51 out of Portage. In about 2
miles Hwy 16 will leave to the left. Continue
straight south on Hwy 51. You will pass a
large electric generating station on the right,
Alliant Energy's Columbia Station. About 1.5
miles past the generating station you will
intersect with County Road VJ. Turn right
onto Cty VJ. You will cross railroad tracks.
Immediately after crossing the tracks turn right
onto an access road for Lake Columbia. Lake
Columbia is a man-made cooling lake for the
Columbia Generating Station. The water is a
balmy 80 to 85 degrees year around and fishermen
love to open water fish here even in winter! You
also will get a good view of the generating
station and its large coal pile. After viewing
Lake Columbia return to Cty VJ and turn right.
Continue west
on Cty VJ. Soon Cty J will turn to the left and
Cty V will continue straight. You continue
straight on Cty V to the hamlet of Dekorra
where there are a couple of township parks with
covered tables, grills and portable toilets.
Both parks are right on the shoreline of the
Wisconsin River. When leaving Dekorra, Cty V
makes a 90 degree turn to the left, stay on Cty
V and follow it thru the curvy, hilly
countryside. In a couple of miles you will again
cross over the Interstate Highway and soon be
driving with the Wisconsin River on your right.
During warm weather you may see boats beached on
sand bars in the middle of the river with
swimmers and picnickers enjoying the
river.
Shortly you
will see a sign indicating a 45 mph curve. At
this sign is the intersection of two town
roads...Black Road to the left and Tipperary
Road to the right. Turn right on Tipperary
Road and continue straight west for a mile.
Tipperary Road then turns to the left and
follows the shore. There are many tree covered
portions of this hilly, scenic road. A couple of
township parks and boat landings provide
opportunities to relax and view the water. At a
public boat landing and park, Tipperary Road
turns to the left.
Just before Tipperary
Road makes the left turn, you will see
Fox Glen/Bear Trail adjoining
the road from the left. House of Angels
Bed & Breakfast is here at N3352.
If you miss the trail, you will also see their
sign after you make the turn on
Tipperary Road. House
of Angels is an entirely different
getaway experience at beautiful Lake Wisconsin!
Tranquil surroundings. Spacious sleeping rooms,
tastefully decorated, designed for your ultimate
comfort. (608) 635-4066
Follow
Tipperary Road as it turns to the left and
eventually follows the shoreline.
Watch to your right and after
driving about a tenth of a mile you will see
The Escape at W10865
Tipperary Road. The Escape is decorated
in a nautical theme inside and out. Look for the
sign near the road featuring a floatation life
ring and seagull....plus a small green
lighthouse in the front yard! The Escape is a
luxury get-away home offering a wide range of
enjoyable experiences for families, groups of
friends, romantic times for couples or peaceful
time for individuals. Large sundeck, sandy beach
area and view of the lake and magnificent
sunsets...all included! Stop in and learn more
from your host Carol Larson. (877) 224-2461
Tipperary Road
soon rejoins Cty Rd V. Turn right (south)
onto Cty V and cross Whalen's Grade.
Whalen's Grade has parking areas along
Cty Rd V as it crosses Whalen's Bay. On right is
Whalen's Bay of Lake Wisconsin. On the left is
Whalen's Marsh. You may wish to stop and view
the various water fowl that inhabit the
marsh.
After crossing
Whalen's Grade continue straight to the top of
the small hill which is the T-intersection of
Cty Roads V and CS. This is where the Circle
Tour directions began. If you started your
tour here and wish to return to the
Interstate, simply turn left onto Cty Rd CS and
drive 3 miles back to the Interstate
Highway.
If you
started your Circle Tour at another entry
point, you should continue to follow Cty Rd
V and turn to the right on Cty V. (Go to the
beginning of these directions and continue the
Circle Tour until you reach the optional entry
point where you began this tour.)
Thank You for visiting Columbia
County! Be sure to return
soon! | 