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Norwalk–Ontario–Wildcat Short Twisties

Norwalk–Ontario–Wildcat Short Twisties is 29.4 miles of loop riding through Monroe and Vernon Counties in Wisconsin — the Coulee Region, the coulees, ridge tops and river bluffs of south-west Wisconsin. Moving time is about 38 minutes; allow 55 with stops — a quick spin. It is scored CS-3, Spirited: 40 corners, 127° of turning per mile, 953 feet of climbing. The roads it uses, in the order you ride them, are in the app.

Curviness
CS-3Spirited · 1.36/mi
Distance
29.4 mi38 min riding
Corners
4045% sharp · Mixed
Climbing
953 ft33 ft/mi · Rolling
Shape
LoopQuick spin
Roads
Backroads56% county & local
Traffic
1,100vehicles a day, median
Speed limit
55 mphtypically 55
Open this route in the app

About this road

This short, punchy loop links Norwalk and Ontario with the Wildcat Mountain area, delivering high-quality twistiness and climbing in a compact package. Direct access to the scenic and recreational resources of Wildcat Mountain State Park and the Kickapoo makes the ride an efficient sample of signature Coulee Region character. Pairing it with time in the state park joins road and protected landscape in one focused outing. Ideal when time is limited but the desire for authentic Coulee geometry and a major natural landmark remains. The combination of concentrated riding quality and immediate park access at Wildcat Mountain makes the experience coherent and high-value. Short, sharp, and parked next to one of the region’s signature places. Climb the roads around Norwalk and Ontario, stop at the overlook.

How it rides

40 corners over 29.4 miles — 1.36 a mile, and 127° of turning for every mile ridden. That scores CS-3, Spirited on the five-point curviness scale. 45% of those corners are sharp ones, and the road reads as mixed.

What it climbs

The road climbs 953 feet in total, 33 feet per mile, between 866 and 1,406 feet — 539 feet of relief. The longest single climb is 336 feet over 3.0 miles, and the steepest grade on it is 8.2%. By Driftless standards that is rolling.

Surface, speed and traffic

Paved end to end. 56% of it is back road rather than highway, the other 44% state or US route. Posted speeds run to 55 mph, typically 55, measured across 15% of the route. Where traffic counts exist — 22% of the miles — the median is 1,100 vehicles a day, busiest at mile 18.1 with 2,100.

Where to stop

3 of the towns on this road have somewhere to stop — 4 fuel, 5 food, 1 bars.

Longest stretch without fuel: 11 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.

Worth knowing

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