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Coon Valley Ridge Runner

Coon Valley Ridge Runner is 53.6 miles of loop riding through La Crosse and Vernon Counties in Wisconsin — the Coulee Region, the coulees, ridge tops and river bluffs of south-west Wisconsin. Moving time is about 73 minutes; allow 105 with stops — a half day. It is scored CS-3, Spirited: 83 corners, 137° of turning per mile, 2,230 feet of climbing. The roads it uses, in the order you ride them, are in the app.

Curviness
CS-3Spirited · 1.55/mi
Distance
53.6 mi73 min riding
Corners
8341% sharp · Mixed
Climbing
2,230 ft42 ft/mi · Hilly
Shape
LoopHalf day
Roads
Mixed roads32% county & local
Traffic
4,900vehicles a day, median
Speed limit
55 mphtypically 55
Open this route in the app

About this road

Coon Valley holds national significance as the site of the first watershed conservation project in the United States, begun in the 1930s after settlement stripped the steep slopes and catastrophic erosion followed. The ridge roads above Coon Valley offer sweeping views and the classic Coulee Region experience of long crests interrupted by sudden drops. Norwegian heritage is strong throughout Vernon County; churches and place names still reflect the settlement wave. The same steep slopes that once shed soil into the valley now create the dramatic riding terrain. Reflecting on the conservation history while climbing the ridges that were once the source of the sediment adds a layer of meaning to every grade. Services are available in the valley communities; the ridge miles supply the elevation, the views, and the sense of riding through a landscape that has been deliberately repaired. Climb the ridges above Coon Valley that once washed away. The land has been given a second chance.

How it rides

83 corners over 53.6 miles — 1.55 a mile, and 137° of turning for every mile ridden. That scores CS-3, Spirited on the five-point curviness scale. 41% of those corners are sharp ones, and the road reads as mixed.

What it climbs

The road climbs 2,230 feet in total, 42 feet per mile, between 637 and 1,275 feet — 638 feet of relief. The longest single climb is 540 feet over 3.0 miles, and the steepest grade on it is 10.4%. By Driftless standards that is hilly.

Surface, speed and traffic

98.2% paved; the odd short stretch is gravel or seal coat. 32% of it is back road rather than highway, the other 68% state or US route. Posted speeds run to 55 mph, typically 55, measured across 61% of the route. Where traffic counts exist — 40% of the miles — the median is 4,900 vehicles a day, busiest at mile 46.6 with 37,100.

Where to stop

5 of the towns on this road have somewhere to stop — 17 fuel, 6 food, 5 bars.

Longest stretch without fuel: 19.5 miles. Worth knowing before you set off if your tank is small.

Listed alphabetically, and chosen by us rather than rated by anybody. The order you reach them, and the mile each one sits at, are in the app.

Worth knowing

Turn-by-turn directions and the spoken guidance are in the app. Every figure on this page is measured from the route itself — corner counts and gradients from the road geometry, elevation from the national elevation dataset, traffic from the state transport departments where counts exist.

Nearby roads