The Least-Crowded Towns In Wisconsin To Catch Fall Foliage
When you think about Badger State, America's Dairyland, Wisconsin, you picture lush wilderness parks and pristine northern nature displaying fall colors before any other. Only some remember the shoreline, an integral part of the state's history, and we bet you didn't know that the state's motto is "Forward!" These twelve towns welcome visitors warmly near Wisconsin's many iconic state parks and landmarks, like Holly Hill, staying crowdless in the fall months.
The joyous hikes take you through a kaleidoscope of colorful oak woods and native prairie in the fresh fall breeze, with Instagram moments along the way to the next star attraction of the natural phenomenon. Bounding Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, Wisconsin is home to many notable rivers, pristine lakes, and sparkling streams. While it is great to explore via cycling, hiking, strolling, and mountain biking, canoe rides and kayaking along the impressive length of the Mississippi River are unbeatable.
Bayfield
As one of the Midwest's least populated towns with under 600 locals, Bayfield is tranquil anytime and even more subdued in the fall, except for its nature. The rich autumnal colors decorate the lakeside trails, with a peak in late September to early October for strolls in the crisp golden leaves. Bursting with amenities and no crowds downtown, you can get the morning kick from Wonderstate Coffee for a stroll to Halvor Reiten Park and Public Beach or the Marina Park & Playground.
Waking up magically in the fall along the Lake Superior shores, Bayfield is also a getaway to the Apostle Islands for even more seclusion in the falltime embrace. The vivid islands accessible by boat or a tour are ablaze upon approach, surrounding you in the haze as you descend this little corner of paradise. Catch the sunset back in town from Marina Park Fishing Pier, with the nearby, most popular Manypenny Bistro for dinner, or head to Copper Trout for family-style fine dining along the thoroughfare, and further down, Morty's Pub.
Cassville
Cassville, a classic river town, is a historic crossing point and tourist attraction today, with its Cassville Car Ferry navigating the Mississippi for pleasure riders to enjoy falltime views from the expansive river. Some 30 miles north, the gorgeous Nelson Dewey State Park, without crowds, boasts stunning bluff-top views and short, linear 0.2 to 0.6-mile trails to reach the magic display of fall colors with kids.
The wooden river bluffs overlook the Mississippi River and a dazzling river valley where resident bald eagles soar above the falltime scenery, while 223 stone steps to Mill Bluff reveal lush forestland all around. The 500-foot bluff offers warm-weather camping at four walk-in campsites atop for unobstructed views of the river, with Site C renowned for stunning sunsets. You can also drive along the colorful bluffs and rugged rock formations ridden with foliage via Interstate 90/94.
Friendship
The village by the cute name in Adams County on State Highway 13 between Wisconsin Rapids and Wisconsin Dells cannot be missed. With its own airport, swimming beach, and Friendship Mound dominating the scenery, there is also Friendship Lake and Friendship Park to hunt for fall foliage. The happy-go-lucky town home to friendly locals is your ultimate town to make friends with nature at the next-door spectacular Roche-A-Cri State Park.
The park's 300-foot Roche-A-Cri Mound is the steepest in the state, with 303 steps to the platform overlooking the whole surrounding area and scattered rock outcroppings under the changing leaves. You can explore around the mound for ancient petroglyphs and pictographs in the tan rock base. While the main gate to the park closes on Oct. 10, access to the site remains open from the southern parking lot, just off Czech Ave.
Gills Rock
Home to pristine bluffs and historic offshore shipwrecks for divers, history comes alive here, in the last town on the tip of the Door County Peninsula. Gills Rock is the gateway to Newport State Park, ensconcing some of the best foliage in Eastern Wisconsin. With many calm fall experiences to witness the fall's magical transformation, Newport State Park is one of the least visited places in Door County, without crowds for day hikes to meet the sunset along the Lake Michigan shoreline. You can share impressions of the Door County foliage at the Shoreline Restaurant for a spectacular dinnertime view from a hilltop.
The quiet fishing village along the immense Michigan Lake shoreline is home to a few gift shops, Charlie's Smoke House, and the Island Clipper for rides to Washington Island. You can bike along the lakeside and explore the state park via trails for all levels, with the best fall displays from late September through early October. The Death's Door Maritime Museum is next to Gill's Rock Town Park, while the Mariners Park at Gills Rock offers spectacular water vistas, just south of Hedgehog Harbor, the "downtown."
Hartford
Home to under 16,000 people, this bustling town with factories and foundries boasts a strong sense of history and tradition, evident along the Historic Hartford Downtown District. Home to the largest auto and truck museum in the state and a gorgeous riverfront, you can take the waterside trail for a peaceful stroll in between stunning nature and attractions. Set in the picturesque Kettle Moraine's Rolling Hills, the autumnal symphony follows you everywhere, like the warranted falltime scenery at the tourist-free Kettle Moraine State Forest.
There are seven trails ranging from under one mile to just over four-mile hikes, like the 2.4-mile Orange Loop to the glacial kame of Powder Hill, with a tower. Overlooking the dense forest below with blazing yellow maples in the fall, Pike Lake is just a few miles west. With traces of the first Menominee and Potawatomi people and a large German-American population, you can browse through various shops, quaint restaurants, and the Schauer Arts Center for galleries and regular art shows. Whether you're in for a vibrant downtown or the beautiful parks, Hartford's small-town charm is easily accessible on a city getaway from Milwaukee.
Hubertus
Hubertus, the gateway small town to the infamous Holly Hill, sits on a glacier moraine with rugged terrain and wooded trails through Glacier Hills County Park. Comprising 140 acres of land, the park is a year-round recreation destination, including foliage hikes to the picturesque Holy Hill and waterfront access to 1200 feet of Friess Lake. Equipped with rustic cabins, picnic areas, and nature trails for hiking with birding ops and later snowshoeing, you can even rent a former ranger's house for immediate access to it all.
Here, in southeast Wisconsin, you will find one of the state's most sought-after landmarks—the spectacular Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, where some get married—in the heart of the Kettle Moraine. Set atop 1,300-foot Holy Hill, the chapel is crowdless and most beautiful in the falltime scenery, offering breathtaking panoramic views of the Kettle Moraine area for 30 miles, including Milwaukee in the southeast.
Mellen
Cozily nestled along the Bad River, Mellen is home to Copper Falls State Park, where you can pitch a tent in a cozy cabin for access to the Copper and Brownstone waterfalls along the 1.7-mile Doughboys Nature Trail. Take the CCC 692 trail to a 65-foot observation tower for views of the dense woods below, the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to the southwest, and Lake Superior to the north. The tiny town neighboring the wooded hills of the Penokee Mountain Range truly feels lost in nature and applicable falltime scenery, with only some 800 locals.
Mellen offers a classic Northern Wisconsin getaway with an abundance of pristine lakes and sparkling trout streams for year-round anglers and hunters in the fall for wildlife and common birds. Its historic downtown is centered around the 1896 Mellen City Hall, a restored Victorian building on the National Register of Historic Places, with its Mellen Area Historical Museum on the second floor. You can join a local century-old tradition at the restored stage over a historical production and browse through logging, farm, clothing, home, and even business artifacts alongside historical maps.
Ogema
Ogema, the northcentral town in Wisconsin, offers an easy escape from the north to exchange the city for a quiet atmosphere, small town charm, and notable attractions. Home to Timm's Hill County Park, Wisconsin's highest point, you can reach it via the 1.5-mile Timm's Lake Trail. Particularly dressed up for fall with picture-perfect moments along the way, the crowning tower makes the highest point even higher, with droolworthy scenery from above.
The Northwoods below and miles of trails through forests and stunning lakes beckon for hiking and, later, snowshoeing with friends. The trails from the hill connect with the Ice Age Trail in Taylor County to the south via the 10-mile Timm's Hill National Trail, open year-round except for its two southernmost miles, closed through December 31. Choose a cabin for a real "Up North" experience, but really just a cozy, charming, and rustic stay.
Ontario
Welcome to the "Canoe Capital of the Kickapoo"—a sweet little town with only 534 locals. Scenically nestled within the Kickapoo Valley, Ontario is a paddling destination like no other, with spectacular limestone bluffs, stark against the lush river banks and revealing the ancient river system. You can enjoy canoeing and kayaking through the calm and serene landscape for short- to week-long adventures along the river that eventually winds into the Wisconsin River. Just nine miles north, the popular 32-mile Elroy-Sparta Bike Trail is part of the Rails-to-Trails project with three unique tunnels.
The tranquil falltime nature matches the subdued scene in town, where you can recharge at the Wild Cat Mountain Bar & Grill for plenty of leaf-peeping trails through Wildcat Mountain State Park to the east and south through the Kickapoo River Valley. The Ocooch Mountains over the spectacular gumdrop hills offer scenic vistas for all activity levels, like the Upper Picnic Area's two easy trails. From the canoe launch trailhead, you can summit Mt. Pisgah with its challenging switchbacks to two scenic lookouts at the top from 1,200 feet.
Rowleys Bay
Rowleys Bay combines the semantics of romanticized maritimes and one of Wisconsin's most diverse and important wildlife habitats in fall colors in a little sweet village on the north end of the peninsula. You can immerse yourself in the maritime vibe on a stroll to the Cana Island Lighthouse, on the National Register of Historic Places, along Baileys Harbor on the north end for 140 years now. The tall structure with 97 steps of the spiral staircase welcomes you with a gallery deck looking out into the peaceful, expansive view of Lake Michigan and the Door Peninsula.
The northern lakeside hamlet on the edge of the Mink River Estuary offers phenomenal hiking, kayaking, fishing, and birding to catch the foliage with that cravable small town atmosphere, few distractions, and no crowds. The Ridges Sanctuary, a National Natural Landmark, is a heavenly slice of forests and wetlands with vast flora and fauna species, like 25 different types of blooming orchids and Hine's Emerald Dragonfly, during the season. Open year-round for hiking or snowshoeing, you're bound to run into some of the 60 different types of birds, while the historic Baileys Harbor Range Lights is a two-structure lighthouse system like you've never seen before.
Stockholm
While there is a city by the same name in Europe, there is no other town like Stockholm in Wisconsin along the vast Mississippi River. Home to some of the state's most sought-after natural landmarks, the rustic Maiden Rock Bluff State Natural Area is mostly restored oak savanna. You can access its 400-foot bluff for an eagle's-eye view from the Great River Road or hike through the whole area from the parking lot on the eastern edge, following the social trails.
The views, wrapped up by the Great River Road, include the foliage-ridden landscape of the mighty Mississippi, bluffs in the south, and raptors soaring on the thermals above. This natural area is also one of only six in the state where you can catch sight of a nesting peregrine falcon. Visit the Twin Bluff Farms or grab something for a picnic from the popular Stockholm Pie and General Store for a stroll through Stockholm Village Park Campground. From there, the scenic Spring Street leads you along the coast, with river views to one side and two great ponds on the other.
Wausau
Wausau sits in a region filled with natural beauty next to Rib Mountain State Park, with outdoor adventures through rolling hills, lush forests, and winding rivers. Ideal for leaf peeping, the stunning park has a 60-foot observation tower on the 1,942-foot Rib Mountain for views of the town and Wisconsin River. The Nine Mile Forest Recreation Area to the south offers more peaceful hiking and mountain biking, as well as serene lakes for fishing, kayaking, and canoeing.
Even more laid-back, the Monk Gardens is a 29-acre park with botanical gardens for relaxation in nature and tranquil strolls along the river. With a claim to fame as the hub for winter sports, Wausau welcomes snow bunnies with groomed cross-country ski trails and snowmobile trails, where the Granite Peak Ski Area operates scenic chair lift rides up the hill on weekends for foliage views through October.
Did you know that Wisconsin's largest natural sandstone arch bridge is especially stunning in the autumn, made by wind erosion with a sprawling rock shelter at the base? How about that the Badger State, America's Dairyland, is not boring at all but one of the most sought-after intriguing states for nature? So, forward! To your next spectacular adventure, that is, from your rustic cabin-stay, on a leaf-peeping mission of your life in any way you desire.
