Great River Road — Southeast Minnesota (US-61)

The Great River Road is a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road that runs 575 miles in Minnesota from the Mississippi River headwaters at Lake Itasca to the Iowa border. The southeastern Minnesota section — following US-61 from La Crescent north through Winona and Wabasha — is the most motorcycle-frequented segment, tracing the Mississippi River bluffs through historic river towns with panoramic valley overlooks. US-61 in this stretch hugs the river on the Minnesota side, passing through Winona (with its Victorian commercial architecture and Sugarloaf Bluff) and Wabasha (home of the National Eagle Center), with frequent river-view pull-offs and the dramatic limestone bluffs of the Hiawatha Valley rising above the highway. The segment from La Crescent to Red Wing is approximately 130 miles. The byway connects at both ends to additional scenic routes including the Historic Bluff Country Byway (MN-16) and continues north toward the Twin Cities.