Photos: The Rustic Roads of Wisconsin
The program, created in 1973, highlights the state's rural character.
Rustic Roads
An abundance of tomatoes meant a gift last week for those traveling Rustic Road 112 near La Valle in Sauk County.
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Hustle Inn server Julie Holton visits with customers at the restaurant and tavern in Hustler, Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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Lee Road, also known as Rustic Road 121, winds among the rolling hills of Juneau County in the town of Fountain.
Rustic Roads
A shed and chairs add color to the surroundings of Lee Road, also known as Rustic Road 121 in the Juneau County town of Fountain.
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Fallen leaves rest on the lightly-traveled surface of Bundy Hollow Road, recognized as the state’s Rustic Road 112, near the Sauk County town of LaValle, Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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A herd of goats forages in a pasture along Rustic Road 112 near La Valle.
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Leaves from trees lining Lee Road, also known as Wisconsin Rustic Road 121, lie fallen in the Juneau County roadway near the town of Fountain Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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A road sign marks the entrance of Wisconsin Rustic Road 121 in the Juneau County town of Fountain Wis., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Rustic Roads
Dan May, whose property is situated along Rustic Road 121 in southern Juneau County, sees traffic increase this time of the year, but come winter the roadway becomes "pretty quiet."
Rustic Roads
Members of the Lee family have farmed southern Juneau County for decades and now find themselves on Rustic Road 121, one of the most recent additions to the program that now counts 123 roads.
Rustic Roads
Cheri Hopper, owner of the Hustle Inn in the Juneau County village of Hustler, takes a break outside the business last week. The bar and restaurant, known for its $4 Sunday breakfasts and homemade pizzas, is a popular pit stop for motorists taking in fall colors, bikers on the nearby Omaha Bike Trail, and ATV and UTV riders.
Rustic Roads
In Wisconsin, brown and yellow signs have become a familiar sight over the past 46 years and identify Rustic Roads, like Bundy Hollow Road, left, in Sauk County.
Rustic Roads
Fall is a prime time to take in one of the state's 123 Rustic Roads. Bundy Hollow Road, Rustic Road 112, near La Valle in Sauk County, features 2.9 miles of slopes and curves and views of farmland, woods and wetlands.
Rustic Road 66
Running adjacent to the Fever River, that becomes the Galena River once it enters Illinois, Buncombe Road is one of several forks of Rustic Road 66 near the village of Hazel Green.
Rustic Road 66
One of the few remaining signs that mark Rustic Road 66 is seen along Buncombe Road near Esche Road in the Lafayette County town of Benton.
Rustic Road 66
Wayne and Glenda Pearce make their way along Rustic Road 66 in the town of Benton. The couple lives in a nearly 150-year-old house in the village of Hazel Green but also own a 209-acre farm that they rent out along Kennedy Road. The property is dissected by Bull Branch Creek and is where a tram back in the day was used to shuttle lead to waiting train cars.
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Many of the remaining Rustic Road 66 signs were battered and weathered in 2016. This sign is on Buncombe Road near Highway W.
Rustic Road 66
Embedded in what is likely a more than 200 year-old oak tree, is a street sign that identifies one of the branches of Rustic Road 66 in the town of Benton near the village of Hazel Green.
Rustic Road 66
Remnants of a road sign that once identified Rustic Road 66 rests in the brush along Kennedy Road just north of Buncombe Road. After the town of Benton said it would not replace state-supplied signs, the state Department of Transportation's sign policy was revised. The state will now pay for the installation of Rustic Road signs throughout the state.
Rustic Road 66
A motor scooter rider makes his way along Buncombe Road, part of Rustic Road 66 near Hazel Green.
Rustic Road 1
Bare trees are reflected in a small pond along Rustic Road 1 near Rib Lake in Taylor County. All but 13 counties in the state have a Rustic Road.
Rustic Road 1
A wild apple tree, right, helps frame the sign for Rustic Road 1 near Rib Lake. Rustic Roads are designated by the state but remain under the control of local government.
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Steam rises over South Harper Lake along Rustic Road 1 in Rib Lake, Wis., Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014. M.P. KING -- State Journal
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An address sign hangs along Rustic Road 1 in Rib Lake, Wis., Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2014. M.P. KING -- State Journal
Rustic Road 1
Natural beauty and wildlife are among the criteria for a Rustic Road. Signs of beaver are prevalent along Rustic Road 1 near Rib Lake.
Drive the state's 123 rustic roads but discoveries abound beyond.
Utilities had planned to begin building the line between Middleton and Dubuque, Iowa, on Oct. 25, according to court documents.
The goal is to help identify areas where ensure that the negative effects of policies and actions don’t fall only on certain people -- a concept known as environmental justice.
The utilities announced they had begun work on the Wisconsin portion of the $492 million project despite an injunction temporarily prohibiting work on or near federally-protected waters.
In a 6-1 order issued Monday, the high court said utilities can follow traditional procedure and ask the court of appeals to review the injunction.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is inviting the public to get outdoors Saturday, Sept. 24, in honor of National Public Lands Day.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced Oct. 18 that Wisconsin municipalities received more than $134 million in fourth quarter payments for 2023 for General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids. Walworth County and local municipalities were among the recipients.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension educators will present an educational workshop, "Beefing Up: Forage Management," on Friday Nov. 17 at the Whitewater University Innovation Center, 1221 Innovation Dr. in Whitewater. This beef production workshop will highlight forage management practices to improve haying and grazing potential.
New signs indicating the Forest County Potawatomi Community’s Tribal boundaries and two creeks in both the Potawatomi and English languages are the newest set of dual-language highway signs unveiled for placement on state highways as part of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Dual-Language Sign Program.
Gov. Evers on Dec. 6 signed Assembly Bill 133, now Wisconsin Act 42, relating to expanding farmland preservation agreements and increasing farmland preservation tax credits.
Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) on Jan. 25 welcomed President Joe Biden to Wisconsin to celebrate the more than $1.05 billion federal grant jointly awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to replace the aging John A. Blatnik Bridge between Superior, Wisc. and Duluth, Minn.
Gov. Tony Evers on Feb. 6 announced that an $8 million federal grant has been awarded to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) to reconstruct a safety rest area near Sparta, a key facility serving traffic from Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago and Rockford on I-90 westbound to La Crosse, Rochester, and beyond.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation announced Feb. 6 that municipalities across the state received more than $138 million in the first quarterly payments for 2024 for General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids. Disbursements by WisDOT in Walworth County totaled $2,495,977 in General Transportation Aid to the county and local municipalities.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources encourages conservation groups, government organizations and private landowners to apply for a share of the $460,000 being made available through a federal Natural Resources Conservation Service grant. The DNR will use these dollars to fund two agricultural wetland mitigation projects, selected from the applicant pool, and add them to the Wisconsin Agricultural Mitigation Bank
Gov. Tony Evers on March 14 announced his appointment of Marcus Hawkins to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC). The appointment fills a vacancy created by Republicans in the Wisconsin State Senate firing PSC Commissioner Tyler Huebner earlier this year. Hawkins’ appointment is effective April 8, 2024, and he will serve for the remainder of the term ending March 1, 2027.
On April 11, Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced that municipalities across the state received more than $106 million in second quarterly payments for 2024 for General Transportation, Connecting Highway and Expressway Policing Aids. In total, local municipalities in Walworth County received $1,995,707 in 2024 second quarterly aid payments from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced April 15 that there are two new additions to the Rustic Roads Program, including newly-created R126 in the Town of East Troy in Walworth County.
Shining the spotlight on Wisconsin infrastructure, Gov. Tony Evers on May 14 recapped his annual statewide “Pothole Patrol” tour, which included 11 stops across Wisconsin to fill potholes and highlight his administration’s efforts to repair and improve infrastructure across the state. This year’s tour marked the governor’s fifth “Pothole Patrol” circuit since taking office, including in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, making this the fourth year in a row the governor has conducted his tour.
The recently-published 2024 Wisconsin Rustic Roads Guide features two new Rustic Road routes, including Rustic Road 126 in the Town of East Troy in Walworth County.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on July 24 announced nearly $50 million in state investments to help support 37 projects across 28 Wisconsin counties. The projects are aimed at helping support Wisconsin’s farmers, producers, and agricultural industries by improving rural roads and bridges that are critical to moving and transporting products, crops and livestock, among others, efficiently and effectively across the state.
Gov. Tony Evers, along with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), on Aug. 8 announced approximately $174 million in state funding to help local communities across the state complete more than 1,000 local road improvement projects over the next five years.
Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced Aug. 9 that application materials for the second project solicitation cycle of the Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) are now available. Approximately $100 million in state funding will be awarded through the second ARIP solicitation cycle for eligible infrastructure projects to support Wisconsin’s farmers, producers and agricultural industries.
Gov. Tony Evers announced Aug. 16 that Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Craig Thompson will be leaving the Evers Administration, effective Sept. 11, to take a position at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Evers also announced he is appointing Kristina Boardman to serve as WisDOT secretary, who will become the first woman to serve as secretary at the department.
Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced Aug. 22 that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (…
The University of Madison Division of Extension has announced that it will be hosting workshops on calvingin management practices and neonate care in dairy cattle on Oct. 10-11 in Madison. The workshop will be offered in both English and Spanish.
Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR), on Oct. 9 published 2025 shared revenue estimates of over $1.5 billion.
Gov. Tony Evers on Oct. 18 announced his appointment of Rachel Bouressa to the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board.
Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced Oct. 28 that municipalities across the state rec…
Gov. Tony Evers announced Nov. 25 that the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) received a nearly $32 million federal grant to create a program that will promote transportation improvement projects that incorporate materials that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, announced Jan. 17 that counties and municipalities across the state received over $141 million in the first quarterly payments for 2025 for General Transportation, Connecting Highway, and Expressway Policing Aids. The funding goes to local governments to construct, repair, and improve local streets and roads,
If you are carrying the weight of loss, you don’t have to bear it alone.
