Discovering Monroe via its routes brings you to a wide variety of trails: a long rail trail with a crushed-limestone surface, a paved multi-use route, and a connection between two state trails. Also nearby are natural areas, parks and museums, with topics ranging from distinctive landforms to space exploration. The La Crosse River State Trail is 22 miles long and has a crushed-limestone surface; in Sparta, a bridge connects it to the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. The four-mile paved Tomah Recreational Trail runs between Lake Tomah and Veterans Park.
Trails with Different Profiles
The La Crosse River State Trail is 22 miles long and has a crushed-limestone surface. In Sparta, a bridge connects this rail trail to the Elroy-Sparta State Trail, which runs through Norwalk, Wilton and Kendall. The bridge marks the transition between the two trails; the named towns help you orient yourself along the Elroy-Sparta State Trail.
The Tomah Recreational Trail offers a different kind of route: it is four miles long, paved and designed as a multi-use trail between Lake Tomah and Veterans Park. So alongside the long rail trail, there is a shorter paved route with two named endpoints. Monroe County also offers easy access to Interstates 90 and 94.
Nature Among Lakes, Slopes and Rock Formations
McMullen Memorial County Park has 88 campsites and the 50-acre Lake Wazeda. There are clear rules for motor use on the lake: gasoline motors are not allowed, but electric trolling motors are. Keep this distinction in mind when learning about how the waterway can be used.
Eureka Maple Woods features a very different landscape: the area is on a steep, north-facing slope above Timber Coulee Creek. It was designated a Wisconsin State Natural Area in 1989. At Mill Bluff State Park, more than two miles of hiking trails lead to views of mesas, buttes and rock spires. The park is also home to the 1.25-mile Camel’s Bluff hiking loop. At 1.25 miles, the Camel’s Bluff loop is shorter than the park’s network of more than two miles of hiking trails.
History, Collections and Unusual Details
In Sparta, the Deke Slayton Memorial Space & Bicycle Museum is on the second floor of the historic Masonic Temple. The museum traces the development of transportation through bicycles, aviation and space exploration. This sequence of themes connects everyday mobility with the worlds of flight and space.
The patriotic and religious monuments at Wegner Grotto were created between 1929 and 1942. The Grotto is listed as a historic site and attracts thousands of visitors each year. At Wegner Grotto County Park, the concrete sculptures incorporate glass shards and found objects—materials that give the works their distinctive appearance.
The history of cranberry growing can also be explored through specific exhibits: the Wisconsin Cranberry Discovery Center displays historic sorting mills, photographs and artifacts documenting the development of cranberry growing. Interactive exhibits include a game about harvesting cranberries. At the Little Falls Railroad & Doll Museum, the garden railway runs over more than 500 feet of track; G-scale steam locomotives travel along it through Monroe County.
The Little Red School House was built in 1864 and was originally called Watermill School. It is five miles northeast of Tomah. At the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area, buildings from the World War II era illustrate soldiers’ lives in the 1940s. The History Center displays memorabilia about the installation’s role in World War I and World War II, the Korean War, the Cuban Refugee Resettlement Center operations and Operation Desert Storm. The Equipment Park displays more than 70 pieces of equipment dating from World War II to the present.
Visiting Hours at Fort McCoy
From June through August, the Fort McCoy Commemorative Area is open to the public for self-guided tours on the second and fourth Fridays of each month, from 12 to 4 p.m. Since activities at the installation may affect the published hours, check the schedule before setting out.
Explore more destinations: Kendall, Tomah, Sparta, Trempealeau County, Portage County, Taylor, Milwaukee, Lincoln County.
For the broader travel overview: Wisconsin.
