Overall Route Rating
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4.5 out of 5 Rider Rating 4.5
5 Reviews

Motorcycle Route Author

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By Chicago Craig (14 McR Points) on Aug 14, 2012

Rider Reviews

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3 BMWs
33 McR Points
October 26, 2015
I highly recommend the route. If you include the…
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DUUC
7 McR Points
June 29, 2014
This is a good ride, and well worth doing. A…
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Written Directions

https://goo.gl/maps/bm2Wr 1) Start in Mt. Horeb on the main drag (Rt. 78) heading West. 2) Turn right onto Fertile Ridge Rd 3) Turn left onto County Highway E 4) Turn left onto County Highway Z 5) Take the 1st right onto Barber Rd 6) Turn right onto County Highway F N 7) Sharp left onto Prairie Grove Dr 8) Turn left onto Mounds View Rd 9) Turn left to stay on Mounds View Rd (twice) 10) Turn right onto County Highway F S 11) Take the 1st right onto Co Rd H 12) Turn left onto County Rd K 13) Turn right onto County Rd K/Main St 14) Turn left onto WI-39 E/WI-39 Trunk E/County Rd K/Waldwick St - Continue to follow WI-39 E/WI-39 Trunk E 15) Turn right onto WI-78 S 16) Sharp left onto County Highway H 17) Turn right onto Sawmill Rd 18) Turn right onto Loyalty Rd 19) Slight right onto Yankee Hollow Rd 20) Turn left onto Gould Hill Rd 21) Take the 1st right onto Kainz Rd 22) Turn left onto WI-78 S 23) Continue onto S State St 24) Turn left onto Monroe St 25) Turn left onto W Puddledock Rd 26) Take the 1st left to stay on W Puddledock Rd 27) Turn left onto Puddle Dock Rd 28) Turn left onto Biggs Rd 29) Turn right onto County Highway A 30) Turn right onto County Highway H 31) Turn right onto County Highway H/County Highway J 32) Take the 1st left onto County Highway H 33) Turn left onto Marty Rd (Look for the Rustic Road sign) 34) Turn right onto WI-39 E 35) Turn right onto WI-69 S 36) Drive through town. New Glarus Brewing is past town on a hill to the left.

Scenery

This is the SE corner of the Driftless, a non-glacial region. Starting off in the farmland around Mt. Horeb, you'd never expect what you are about to see, though it becomes clear the moment you turn off on Fertile Ridge Rd. It's hilly and windy in the Driftless, with plenty of streams, farms, and fields. Lots of forests to ride through. Seriously, this is the Midwest? With road signs showing squiggly lines and a 30 mph suggested speed? This area is why I bought a bike.

Drive Enjoyment

Words of warning - there can be a lot of gravel, especially around the apex. There is active farmland, so be on the lookout for drag-on. The roads, other than debris (which is why I knocked it down one star), are fairly well maintained. As to the fun bits, it's mostly a combo of high-speed sweepers and low-speed s-curves. There's decent elevation change, especially for the Midwest. The few straight bits simply take you to the next curve. Be on the lookout for "Rustic Highways." That's usually code for "Freaking Cool Road to Ride." I put on on the ride for your (Marty Rd).

Tourism Opportunities

Beginning and end - 4 Middle - 2 Mt. Horeb has plenty of restaurants and shops, including antiques and places to buy trolls (don't ask me). It's a cute town, though not really my thing. But, hey, there's cheap gas and cold sodas. New Glarus is really nice. It's a Swiss village transplanted to Wisconsin. Tons of restaurants and hotels. And the brewery (check the hours - they tend to close early) is worth it for a cold Spotted Cow and a gorgeous view. In between, you can gas up in Blanchardville and Argyle, but don't expect too much more.

Motorcycle Road Additional info

You won't regret it.
 

Share Your Comments ( 5 )
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3 BMWs
October 26, 2015
33 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Touring
I highly recommend the route. If you include the circle loop just north of Mt. Horeb followed by this one, you will experience one of the best 60 plus mile, almost no traffic, rides Wisconsin has to offer. My first experience with it had me turned around because of road markings. So I laid out a careful hand drawn route (with attention to some of the action points) and the 2nd time I drove the route, navigated it perfectly. Great twisties, climbs and descents, and (at least in the autumn), several "oh my god" type of views. Do yourself a favor, study the route to spend all your time enjoying the ride and scenery!
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4 riders found this road review useful
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DUUC
June 29, 2014
7 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Sport - Touring
This is a good ride, and well worth doing. A couple of notes: two roads early in the trip have newly laid gravel, but the distances are only about 1/2 mile each. Some roads have missing road signs, e.g. Kainz Rd and Puddledock off of Monroe St/WI 81...believe Chicago Craig indicates take 1st right for Kainz Rd direction...I missed thatg part. I didn't have a gps unit, so I had to backtrack a bit. Roads to definitely soak up are WI-39 (step 14 of directions) Sawmill Rd ...think double black diamond for you skiers...Puddledock Rd, and Marty Rd. To finish this route off, head back north up Hwy 69 to 92 West so you go back to Mt Horeb. Hwy 92 is very well maintained and there are high speed sweepers the entire way to keep the smile on your face from this route Craig set up here for us.
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3 riders found this road review useful
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Guest
April 29, 2013
0 McR Points
Motorcycle Type : Sport - Touring
Definitely worth it. Lots of twisties and beautiful country to enjoy. Beware, there's loose gravel on some corners so you can't really safely work on your corning technique as much as you may want to, but its still very fun. Highly recommend it.
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3 riders found this road review useful