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Trempealeau–Dodge–Arcadia Loop

Trempealeau–Dodge–Arcadia Loop is 46.8 miles of loop riding through Trempealeau County in Wisconsin — the Coulee Region, the coulees, ridge tops and river bluffs of south-west Wisconsin. Moving time is about 64 minutes; allow 95 with stops — a half day. It is scored CS-5, Technical: 101 corners, 183° of turning per mile, 1,770 feet of climbing. The roads it uses, in the order you ride them, are in the app.

Curviness
CS-5Technical · 2.16/mi
Distance
46.8 mi64 min riding
Corners
10139% sharp · Mixed
Climbing
1,770 ft38 ft/mi · Hilly
Shape
LoopHalf day
Roads
Backroads79% county & local
Traffic
1,500vehicles a day, median
Speed limit
55 mphtypically 55
Open this route in the app

About this road

The Trempealeau River and ridge country around Dodge and Arcadia produce high corner density and mixed technical character. Quieter roads full of local texture define the northern Coulee Region flavor—slightly softer than Vernon County yet still fully Driftless. River and small-town elements combine with honest climbing around Dodge and Arcadia. Continuous variation in road and landscape keeps the riding engaging throughout. Ideal for riders who want geometric interest and solitude without the extreme demand of the deepest Vernon or Crawford routes. Also a strong sample of the northern Coulee’s distinct character within a larger regional itinerary. Different texture, same region. Worth exploring for the quieter roads and the continuous interest of the northern Coulee around Dodge and Arcadia.

How it rides

101 corners over 46.8 miles — 2.16 a mile, and 183° of turning for every mile ridden. That scores CS-5, Technical on the five-point curviness scale. 39% of those corners are sharp ones, and the road reads as mixed.

What it climbs

The road climbs 1,770 feet in total, 38 feet per mile, between 701 and 1,338 feet — 638 feet of relief. The longest single climb is 549 feet over 5.1 miles, and the steepest grade on it is 10.0%. By Driftless standards that is hilly.

Surface, speed and traffic

Paved end to end. 79% of it is back road rather than highway, the other 22% state or US route. Posted speeds run to 55 mph, typically 55, measured across 18% of the route. Where traffic counts exist — 23% of the miles — the median is 1,500 vehicles a day, busiest at mile 22.0 with 7,600.

Where to stop

3 of the towns on this road have somewhere to stop — 1 fuel, 4 food, 2 bars.

Longest stretch without fuel: 24.7 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.

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