Trempealeau, Wisconsin - Great River Road

Mississippi River view from the deck of the Trempeleau Hotel

Located on Hwy 35 about 20 miles north of LaCrosse along the Mississippi River, Trempealeau, Wisconsin was founded in 1851. Originally called Reeds Landing, the village expanded as commercial and recreational traffice expanded on the river and the railroad line completed in 1871 created hopes it would become a major shipping point.

While the high hopes for becoming a prominent Mississippi River port were never realized, the town has successfully morphed into a charming recreational community. The abandonded Chicago & Northwestern Railway line became a bike trail that connects with Wisconsin's most famous bicycling trail - The Sparta to Elroy Trail. The Trempealeau Hotel, built in 1871, continues to offer lodging to travelers and some of the finest dining and entertainment along the Great River Road. Some of the other structures from the late 1800s are now artisan shops or B&Bs. The village is the gateway to Perrot State Park, one of our favorite camping parks along the Great River Road. Perrot offers 97 camp sites, a nature center, several hiking trails, canoeing through a network of of sloughs and creeks, a boat landing, and fishing. Complementing Perrot's recreational amenities are the adjacent Trempealeau National Wildlfie Refuge and the park and marina at Lock & Dam #6.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Downtown Trempealeau

< < < The downtown River Walk.

Some of the historic buildings from the 1800s, like this one from 1895, have been restored and converted to new uses. > > >

< < < The Trempealeau Hotel dates back to 1871.

Trempealeau Hotel

The hotel lawn hosts regular music festivals.

The deck offers a relaxing view of the river as well as an "upper box seat" for the entertainment.

While not the original, the hotel back bar dates back to 1919. You can get sandwiches or pizza with your favorite beverage in a smoke-free, family friendly atmosphere . . . or you can dine in one of the dining rooms or the screened-in sun porch.

The hotel sponsors a concert series from May to September including the Reggie Fest and the Blues Bash. For more information on the hotel or the concert series go to www.trempealeauhotel.com.

Trempealeau Locks, Lock & Dam #6
One of 29 locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi River, #6 forms a pool between Fountain City and Trempealeau. While almost all of the Locks & Dams managed by the Corps of Engineers have visitor facilities, the one at Trempealeau is one of the more attractive and easily accessible ones we've found on the Mississippi.

< < < The visitor area of the Locks has a nicely landscaped park ideal for a picnic.

The raised observation platform provides a close-up view of the dam operations and the barge's and ships coming through the locks. > > >

The Reggie G arrives at the locks with a train of barges so long it needs to be split in two sections to go through the locks.

A pair of barge workers, communicating via backpack radios, use winches, ropes, and the natural current going through the locks to jockey the front half of the train of barges through the locks.

Perrot State Park
Looking north over Trempealeau Mountain from the top of Brady Bluff in Perrot State Park. Perrot has 6 hiking trails of varying difficulty, the West Brady Bluff trail shown in the foreground here is the most rugged.

There is a 2 mile canoe trail within the park and a 4 1/2 mile canoe route in the adjacent National Wildlife Refuge.

Kids and nature-history bluffs will enjoy the exhibits in the interpretative center.

The park is popular with bicycling enthusiasts; a spur at the north end of the campground connects to the Great River State Bike Trail.

The wooded 102 unit campground includes 38 sites with electricity and does have an RV dump station. Two shower facilities are located within the campground and three other bathrooms put toilets near all the sites.

Learn more about Perrot State Park HERE