Posts: 5,024
Threads: 136
Likes Received: 135 in 57 posts
Likes Given: 65
Joined: May 2013
Planning a ride from the Madison, WI area into and across Minnesota and into North Dakota. Would like to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi River in MN and don't have a lot of time for long trek to western North Dakota. The ND rides will probably need to be no further north than Fargo and no further west than the middle of the state. I have done some route planning, but there doesn't seem to be much in the way of curvy or scenic roads in SE North Dakota.
Thanks in advance.
MTC
Posts: 3,093
Threads: 64
Likes Received: 6 in 2 posts
Likes Given: 7
Joined: May 2013
On the Wisconsin side, check out the rural roads north of LaCrosse - not the yellow roads that google maps shows. Once you hit Minnesota they favor straighter roads, although 60 out of Wabash heading west to Zumbro Falls looks interesting.
Highway 2, much further north (I've been on the entire stretch from Wakefield MI to Whitefish MT) has some good spots.
Posts: 5,024
Threads: 136
Likes Received: 135 in 57 posts
Likes Given: 65
Joined: May 2013
(03-01-2022, 03:45 AM)Rboe_imp Wrote: On the Wisconsin side, check out the rural roads north of LaCrosse - not the yellow roads that google maps shows. Once you hit Minnesota they favor straighter roads, although 60 out of Wabash heading west to Zumbro Falls looks interesting.
Highway 2, much further north (I've been on the entire stretch from Wakefield MI to Whitefish MT) has some good spots.
Thanks!. I'm pretty familiar with the Driftless Area. We will be hitting Wildcat Mountain and Mindoro Cut on our way from Baraboo and will likely stay on the WI side of the river for a good portion of our first day. It's the second day and there-forward - in Minnesota and North Dakota, but south of whatever latitude Fargo is - that, as you state, seems fairly flat and straight. I did find a nice looking scenic byway near Valley City, ND that could be worth the ride. However, the fact is that straight and flat roads can have their own beauty, especially in the northern Heartland in late June - small towns, farm fields in full glory, good riding company make up for the lack of downshifting and bike tilt.
Posts: 3,093
Threads: 64
Likes Received: 6 in 2 posts
Likes Given: 7
Joined: May 2013
Rugby ND is the geographical center of North America, and not a bad place to stop for gas and a snack.
I've done Hwy 2 and I-94 (joke goes that the best thing out of North Dakota is I-94: I grew up in south eastern Montana and we told North Dakota jokes
). Dad dragged me through a road or two on the far western side of North Dakota otherwise. Meh. It was pretty much a state I had to go through to get to Glacier Park.
A small case could be made (depending upon your time window) for wandering south into South Dakota, while also kinda heading east; strike into Minnesota around Ortonville, heading southeast and ducking around south of Minneapolis. Both areas are heavy into agriculture so you need to be mindful of farmers using the roads with their machinery - and deer.
I've taken Hwy 23 a fair amount (totally opposite angle that you will need but cuts through the same country) and had the GPS take me through some odd areas as I tried to hit I-90 from Buffalo MN. There is some pretty country in the southern half of MN.
Posts: 5,024
Threads: 136
Likes Received: 135 in 57 posts
Likes Given: 65
Joined: May 2013
Maybe We'll blow off going to the headwaters of the Mississippi and stay in the southern parts of MN. Riding in North Dakota is a requirement (really THE requirement) of this trip. Things do look a little more rolling and curvy into South Dakota so maybe I'll look at a look that takes us just a "qualifying" distance into North Dakota. Thanks for the tips.
BTW, it won't take much to convince my wife to ride into South Dakota; she's been hinting that she wants to move there ever since we rode out that way last summer.
Posts: 3,093
Threads: 64
Likes Received: 6 in 2 posts
Likes Given: 7
Joined: May 2013
Well then, I'll offer up a nugget that you could now or save for later: Heading (for me at least
) to North Platte Nebraska. Head south anywhere between Murdo & Mitchell, getting lost but basically heading south and west. I typically make it through Valentine.
South of Valentine is the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge (and great grasslands. From Mitchell to roughly Murdo one has to cross the Niobrara River in Nebraska and the roads leading into and out of the valley are really nice.
For you, instead of going as far south as North Platte, there are cool country roads to take east and hit Iowa - Iowa is not a bad place to wander through. Ames in particular I enjoyed about 30 years ago.
Posts: 2
Threads: 0
Likes Received: 0 in 0 posts
Likes Given: 0
Joined: Feb 2019
If you are in Bismarck, take Highway 1804 south -- it runs along the Missouri River and goes all the way to Mobridge (127 miles). I have not ridden it but when driving that road all I could think was how nice it would be on a bike. It's wavy, scenic, historic and lightly traveled. This rider recommends it as an alternate route to Sturgis (Youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IRK4QU15WM).
