While there’s never a bad time to visit La Crosse, the western Wisconsin city turns especially beautiful in autumn.
Start with its soaring bluffs and beautiful rivers, add in the vibrant colors of the trees in September and October, and you’ll be happy to spend a day soaking up the sights.
Here are five gorgeous spots to check out in the fall!
Grandad Bluff
If you want a breathtaking view of La Crosse in its autumn glory, be sure to visit this hilltop that rises six hundred feet above the surrounding land.
Drive up the twisty Bliss Road, find a parking spot in one of the large lots and get ready for some amazing views! From the expansive stone overlook, you get a bird’s vantage point of the city as well as the broader Mississippi River Valley with trees ablaze in gold, red and orange. You can even see parts of Iowa and Minnesota! Follow the railing-sided pathway out for additional panoramic looks at the landscape.
Riverside Park
Any trip to downtown La Crosse is enhanced with a stroll through this public park. Set along the shores of the Mississippi River, it’s also where the La Crosse and Black rivers join in. Enjoy views of the water as well as the Big Blue Bridge in the distance. Or perhaps you’ll spot the La Crosse Queen paddlewheeler or a steamboat or cruise ship.
Kids love spotting birds in the river and running on the sidewalk and — if there’s not a concert taking place — up on stage inside the large, open-air bandshell.
Riverside International Friendship Gardens
Continue your walk through Riverside Park to this downtown gem. Open daily and free to the public, this collection of public gardens celebrates nature, beauty and the diversity of cultures around the world.
Wander through seven distinct gardens representing La Crosse’s sister-city relationships with communities in France, China, Russia, Norway, Cameroon, Ireland and Germany. While the gardens’ flowers and plants are at their lushest in summer, it’s still a treat to explore the gardens in the fall.
Print scavenger hunts from the Riverside International Friendship Gardens website that kids can use while you visit — they help everyone take time to notice the lovely details of these small gardens.
Mathy Trails
Get the whole family moving on an absolutely gorgeous trail that runs near an old quarry. Park your car and hike the first part of the Snakeroot path before picking up the Blazingstar trail.
The easy .71-mile trek takes you along the edge of a dramatic basin filled with rolling hills and colorful trees. Pause to sit on a boulder and take in the endless views. Even better: Pack coffee and snacks so no one feels in a rush to leave this scenic spot.
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
On the southern edge of La Crosse, you’ll find this spiritual site. Nestled into a tree-filled hillside, this Catholic shrine honoring the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe features a stunning Italian Renaissance-style church, as well as statues, memorials and devotional areas.
From the Pilgrim Center — which houses an information desk, gift shop and café — follow the easy path to visit all of the landmarks. Be sure to visit the votive candle chapel filled with more than seven hundred candles flickering inside blue glass votives. The walk through the trees is equally beautiful, and an incredible sense of peace pervades the grounds. The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe was completed and dedicated in 2008. The shrine welcomes religious pilgrims as well as the public, with Holy Mass held daily.
– Katie Vaughn
Katie Vaughn is the editor and co-founder of Northerly. She is a University of Wisconsin-Madison and Stanford University-trained journalist with experience as a writer, reporter, editor, blogger and author. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughter and son, and is always up for an adventure.