Department of Tourism Seeking Best Fall Drive

In anticipation of the arrival of vibrant fall colors across the state, the Wisconsin Department of Tourism is asking fall foliage fans to join the fun and help pick this year’s best fall drive in the state. People can cast a vote for their favorite drive on TravelWisconsin.com through Oct. 2. The Ultimate Fall Drive Showdown includes 10 scenic routes throughout the state perfect for viewing fall colors. Half of those drives are either through or adjacent to Wisconsin State Park System properties, including: the Chippewa County Ice Age Drive, that goes around the Chippewa Moraine State Recreation Area; the Kettle Moraine Scenic Drive that goes through the Northern and Southern units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest; the Door County Coastal Byway, which goes by Peninsula, Newport and Whitefish Dunes state parks; the Wisconsin Great River Road National Scenic Byway that passes by Nelson Dewey, Wyalusing, Perrot and Merrick state parks; and Highway 33 from Baraboo to La Crosse, which passes by Devil’s Lake and Wildcat Mountain state parks and the “400” State Trail.

The other five drives include the Wisconsin Lake Superior Byway, the Nicolet-Wolf River Scenic Byway; Rustic Road 62 featuring Timm’s Hill in Price County; Cranberry Highway Wisconsin Rapids Area; and Rustic Road 29 featuring Snake Road in Lake Geneva. The best and brightest fall colors throughout the state can be found by visiting Travel Wisconsin’s Fall Color Report. Visitors can use the interactive map to locate peak foliage along with nearby activities, events, places to stay and eat. More than 100 fall color reporters throughout the state provide updates for all 72 counties, making the report the most timely and comprehensive report available. Fall fanatics can stay on top of the state’s rapidly changing color by: checking the report from their mobile device, tablet or desktop computer; texting “WI Fall” to 468311 to receive Fall Color Report alerts, or sign up to have the Fall Color Report emailed to them every Thursday in time to make weekend plans. Vote here:  travelwisconsin.com/ultimate-fall-drive-showdown.