Wisconsin Rustic Road 51

Wisconsin Rustic Road 51
south of Maiden Rock, Pierce County, Wisconsin
4.3 miles of gravel road; dense woodlands

Road Notes
Rustic Road 51, which follows Pine Creek, is more rustic than most, with streams often crossing low spots in the road. Throughout spring and summer, its four miles are lined with a large array of wildflowers. Hills and lower areas line each side of the road. Downed trees and scenic rocks are covered with moss. One visitor reported it 'was like exploring an enchanted forest'. (roadtrippers.com)

There were two (I think) one lane bridges but, at 2-3 other spots, running water travels over the road and cars need to ford the creek. The road was well maintained and sturdy. There was no shoulder except for a few wider areas. To my knowledge, most of the land abutting the road is private and much of it was marked 'no trespassing'. That said, there was plenty to see from the road and we never left it except for a few steps here and there to get at a plant to photograph. We visited on a weekday and encountered 4-5 cars in a three hour period. There are a few spots where one could park and leave the car. But for the most part, one can stop on the road and walk around. But you wouldn't be able to get far from the car because it might need to be moved if someone came.

There are no facilities along the route. One site I referenced suggested a picnic at the Legion Park but that property was marked 'private - no trespassing' and the driveway in was blocked. There are a few businesses in Maiden Rock including a gas station/convenience shop.

We encountered no mosquitoes or biting insects of any kind but I suspect, with all the water in the low area, it gets pretty buggy in the summer.

important note regarding road conditions: This road is not open in the winter but I suspect that means it's not plowed/maintained in the winter. I didn't see any gate or information on 'when' the road is officially open. Spring 2021 was not an overly wet spring. But we did have to ford 6-8 inches of nicely running water in 3-4 places. For a few of those crossings, there was a slight 'step down' from the road bed to the stream bed. Our Toyota Camry made all crossings. But if the water were running higher/faster it is questionable whether we could have. The crossings (as well as the entire road) was sturdy gravel and, although the gravel was a little looser on the banks of these crossing streams, we didn't have to deal with slippery mud. If fresh gravel is laid down in early spring, it's possible later in the summer the road might deteriorate.

Visits
April 26, 2021 : spent about three hours traveling the 2.75 mile route.

There were numerous spring wildflowers and emerging green plants. We saw (from the road): Mayapple, Great Waterleaf, Blue Phlox, Virginia Spring Beauty, White Fawnlily, Jacob's Ladder, Violets, False Rue Anemone, Trilliums, White Rattlesnakeroot, Buttercups, Horsetail, Wood Anemone, Early Meadow-Rue, Columbines, Small White Leek, Sharp-lobed Hepatica, Twoleaf Miterwort, Ferns, Canada Wild Giner, Sweet Cicely, and Virginia Waterleaf.

We didn't see/hear a large number of birds but we did see, hear or find evidence of: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, American Robin, Barred Owl and Turkey Vulture.

I would love to visit this area a few times over the seasons to see how it changes.

July 4, 2021 : spent about three hours

Plants in flower included Harebell, Chickweed, Avens, Hedge Nettle, Tick-Trefoil, Watercress, American Germander and a lot of Cowparsnip. Additionally observed Baneberry berries, ferns, and a few different types of grasses. We saw only a few birds but butterflies were in abundance, especially at the open areas where the streams ran across the road. We saw: Great Spangled Fritillary, Hackberry Emporer, Summer Azure, Red-spotted Purple, Grass Skipper, Eastern Comma, Silver-spotted Skipper, and Red Admiral. This may be a one day record for us in number of species.

I also found some Gammarus (Amphipod) swimming amongst the gravel where the creek traversed the road which was kind of a thrill for me.

It was a really hot, humid day and it was hard to be outside the car for very long. It was hard to even roll along the road with the windows down. For such a hot day, I felt like we got a lot of 'naturing' in and we were out of the sun for most of the route.

After leaving the Rustic Road, we visited (drove past) Morgan Coulee Prairie State Natural Area.

Useful links/info
The road is just a section that runs east/west. This page has more info on where it can be found.
WI DOT page on RR-51

more info:
MidwestWeekends: Wisconsin's Rustic Roads
MidwestWeekends: Wildflowers of the Mississippi Valley
Wisconsin Rustic Road pamphlet
Roadtrippers: Wisconsin Rustic Roads Scenic Drives
Morgan Coulee Prairie SNA journal post

Posted on April 28, 2021 10:05 PM by mmmiller