A beautiful – albeit short – State Trunk Tour drive on Highway 136 has plenty to offer
Wisconsin Highway 136 is a great State Trunk Tour drive, and it’s a short one! Covering about 20 miles between Reedsburg to Devil’s Lake State Park just south of Baraboo, Highway 136 is entirely within Sauk County and showcases some of the best the county has to offer from natural beauty to craft brews. Full coverage of the route is here. Meanwhile, here are 5 Cool Stops along Highway 136!
Cool Stop #1: Geology literally rocks in Ableman’s Gorge
The ride through Ableman’s Gorge between Reedsburg and Rock Springs is geographically impressive… and geologically significant. The Gorge has the Baraboo River running through it, as well as a railroad line and Highway 136. The surrounding hills and bluffs offer hiking trails and beautiful views. But perhaps the most significant feature the Ableman’s Gorge is Van Hise Rock. This sizable monolith was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1997 and is made Van Hise Rock is made of Baraboo quartzite, a type of pink-purple quartzite found in south central Wisconsin. It is one of the best-exposed parts of the Baraboo Range, a ring of quartzite hills that passes through Columbia and Sauk Counties. Charles Van Hise brought UW-Madison students to this rock regularly for geologic study and made numerous advancements during his career, which is how he got the rock named after him. A historic marker depicts this and more at a wayside along Highway 136 in this beautiful gorge.
Highway 136 winds through Ableman’s Gorge and right past Van Hise Rock at a wayside just north of Rock Springs.
Cool Stop #2: Feel the Need… the Need for Mead
Before beer, wine, and spirits, mead was king. You can really dive into this at Mead King, a meadery right along Highway 136 that opened in the tiny burg of Rock Springs in 2018. Their tasting room is located in the former Village Hall, which also served as a church, a jail, and maintenance building, and more. Now it teems with sweet, sweet fermented honey products. Well, some are semi-sweet and some are dry, too.
Size up their Cyser and explore all their fruit and honey flavors Fridays and weekends during the afternoon.
Cool Stop #3: Ride the Rails Just off the Beaten Path
You obviously like road trips. How about rail trips? You can have a fun and historic one at Midcontinent Railway Museum in North Freedom, just off Highway 136 via County I. Sitting on a spur of Chicago & Northwestern Rail line built in 1903, the Museum opened in 1963 and offers a large collection of trains outside and exhibits inside a The depot is an original C&NW Railway depot from nearby, built in 1894 and moved to the museum in 1965. You can ride 7 miles on these tracks in a variety of classic train cars during the season, which generally runs mid-May into October. Special event trains are also offered several times throughout the year, including Autumn Color weekends in the fall, Pumpkin Special runs near Halloween, Santa Express Weekends at the end of November, and the Snow Train in February.
Cool Stop #4: Tumbled Rock Craft Brewery & Kitchen Rocks & Tumbles
Tumbled Rock Brewery & Kitchen is a fantastic craft brewery just south of Baraboo where Highway 136 meets County Road DL practically a stone’s throw from Devil’s Lake State Park. It can’t be a rock’s throw, because the massive “Tumbled” rock, which is fenced in at the brewery, would be tough to remotely lift.
The brewery, which opened in 2019, is paired with a restaurant; each reside in separate structures joined by a multilevel outdoor patio space that hosts dining tables, firepits, Adirondack chairs, and an outdoor performance stage, often filled with live music in season. Plenty of great craft beers are offered along with a nice mix of food menu options. Definitely a great stop!
Cool Stop #5: It ends at the Devil
When you see the “END” sign at the east end of Highway 136 just south of Baraboo, you’ll also see the entrance sign for Devil’s Lake State Park. It’s the state’s most popular state park with nearly 3 million visitors every year. It covers over 10,000 acres filled with ba wide variety of trails and other recreational opportunities. Devil’s Lake State Park is on ancestral Ho-Chunk lands, who referred to the lake in the midst of toiday’s park as “Tee Wakącąk”, meaning “Sacred Lake.” You’ll also find numerous ancient effigy mounds that remain culturally significant today.
Devil’s Lake offers a multitude of activities, camping, and more throughout the year. Trails range from easy to rugged. And it’s a great way to burn a few calories and commune with nature after a brief but fun road trip on Highway 136!
Follow all of Highway 136 with all the stops and details here!
