State advises safe travel to take in fall colors

Posted October 3, 2020

With fall underway, state residents should travel safely and prepare appropriately in order to take in the beauty and scenery of Wisconsin nature, a tourism official said.

Communications Officer Amanda Weibel from Travel Wisconsin recommended the popular “Fall Color Report” resource for travelers around the state. This color-coded county map of Wisconsin shows which areas are seeing the greatest change in color of the leaves. At present, northern Wisconsin is showing a greater change of color than southeastern Wisconsin, which is still mostly green.

The “Fall Color Report” is available on the tourism department’s website, travelwisconsin.com.

For those who wish to go outdoors and travel for recreational activities, keep in mind policies that have been put in place due to COVID-19. You can find Wisconsin’s Travel Pledge on travelwisconsin.com. The pledge is based on the acronym PEOPLE: protect health, embrace community, open space, physical distance, local guidelines and educate others. Tourism officials recommend that all travelers wear a mask wherever they go.

Kayaking, hiking, sight-seeing and bird watching are all options for getting out and seeing nature. But when going out, always have a back-up plan in case the area you are traveling to is packed with people or if the weather goes awry, according to tourism officials.

Locally, the River Falls area offers the Kinnickinnic River for water activities. The Whitetail Ridge Mountain Bike Trail is an option for activities with family or friends. The trail is on the north side of River Falls off Whitetail Boulevard. In Hudson, there are pumpkin patches and the possibility of going on a river boat cruise, creating opportunities for outdoor excursions.

The Kinnickinnic State Park in Pierce County and the Willow River State Park in St. Croix County also are open, according to the Department of Natural Resources.