Taking a trip? Sure, planning has its perks — determining your destination and mapping out all the stops and shops you want to visit along the way.
But sometimes, it’s more fun to just point your car, or handlebars, the direction you want to go and let yourself drift away, and the Sauk Valley offers some great places to go.
Detours from the daily routine offer more than just a change of scenery; they provide a chance to discover new sights or reconnect with places we’ve overlooked and memories we’ve forgotten.
These quests can be as easy as simply picking a direction off the beaten path and following it, such as one that takes Sauk Valley road trippers in a north-northwest direction away from home: traveling from Mount Carroll to Scales Mound along the edge of Illinois’ Driftless Region.
Just what is the Driftless Region? Massive ice sheets covered much of the northern continent through the millennia, scouring and reshaping the land, but during the last ice age, part of the Midwest was left out of the cold — about 15,000 square miles. As a result, the area wasn’t transformed by the glacial deposits known as drift — the clay, gravel, silt, sand and boulders left behind — creating an area marked by significant differences in topography, and some of the area’s most beautiful scenery.
Just how scenic is the route? Ask motorcyclists who’ve been on it, and there are plenty — it’s a favorite for two-wheeled travelers. The website greatmotorcycleroads.com ranked much of the stretch as one of its top seven Best Motorcycle Rides in Illinois.
In addition to all the scenery to be seen, the route that hugs curves and heads over hills takes travelers on a winding journey through an area that offers everything from a haunted house to historical sites.
Mount Carroll
U.S. Route 52 and state Routes 40, 64 and 78 lead to Carroll County’s seat, where the courthouse is in the center of town and surrounded on two sides by brick streets and mom-and-pop businesses, including the vintage-1886 Bridgewater Inn hotel. The town also is home to an oddity that made it to the annals of Ripley’s Believe It of Not: The Civil War statue in front of the courthouse has an annex statue — the such war memorial of its kind.
Other unique places in town include the former Shimer College campus (currently undergoing renovation), Raven’s Grin Inn, a haunted house open by appointment for small groups throughout the year, and a restored pony truss bridge over Carroll Creek that once was part of a stagecoach route from Peoria to Galena.
Take Route 78 north of town for two miles and turn left on Elizabeth Road.
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Elizabeth Blacktop
This 20-mile stretch of curves and hills, referred to by locals as Elizabeth Blacktop, introduces travelers from the south into the Driftless Region toward the Jo Daviess County town of Elizabeth.
The views become more scenic the farther one travels north. Interesting sights include an old pony truss bridge over the Plum River and a small maple tree at Trinity Lutheran Church that turns a fire-orange color in the fall. Detours from the path include the Rocky Waters and Massbach Ridge wineries, as well as the Schurmeier Teaching Forest — a walking path with kiosks featuring information about the forest.
The Blacktop takes three jogs along its path: 7 miles on Elizabeth Road to a right turn at Zion Road, which becomes Massbach Road at the county line; 5 miles to a left turn on Albrecht Road; and less than a half-mile to a right turn on Derinda Road, to be followed for 7.5 miles to a left turn on U.S. Route 20.
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Bicentennial city
Elizabeth, founded in 1825, turns 200 years old in 2025. Its historic charm has its origins in stagecoach travel from Chicago to lead mines in Galena, as well as the Apple River Fort in the Black Hawk War of 1832; a replica of the fort is now a State Historic Site that’s open year-round. Its staffed visitor center has several exhibits, a free 16-minute film and a gift shop. The fort itself is open for self-guided tours. Go to appleriverfort.org/ for more information.
Destinations in Elizabeth include the Highway 20 Brewing Company, the Chicago Great Western Railroad Museum and Paul’s Vintage Bikes bicycle museum. The town’s former school building, built in the late 1800s, now is home to Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Co.
Head west on Route 20 to the edge of town, and turn right on Elizabeth-Scales Mound Road.
“At the top in Illinois”
The village of Scales Mound isn’t near a state or federal highway — the closest being the 13 miles it takes to get there from Elizabeth — but it’s worth the trip. The town’s slogan, “At the top in Illinois” doesn’t just refer to its place at top of the state’s map, but also proximity to the state’s tallest point, Charles Mound, which is open for hiking during select summer Saturdays.
Scales Mound has a couple of throwbacks to everyday life from several decades ago: It has a full service Sinclair gas station — where you can still drive over a hose and the bell rings for the attendant — and Country House Grocery, where you can still hear the creak of those old wood floors.
Further yet
If you’re itching for more travel beyond Scales Mound, Shullsburg, Wisconsin, is home to a spot on a country road, Gravity Hill, that seems to defy the laws of physics. The combination of the road’s incline and the surrounding topography gives drivers the illusion that their parked vehicle is rolling uphill. The quirky phenomenon is 3 miles north of Scales Mound.
Classic taverns such as the New Diggings General Store in New Diggings, Wisconsin; Lead Mine Tavern in Lead Mine, Wisconsin; and Council Hill Station north of Galena each are within 15 miles from Scales Mound.
Who knows, maybe there is something else interesting to spot along the way. There’s only one way to find out — take a nice, scenic drive.
Along the way
Bridgewater Inn, Mount Carroll: 116 E. Market St.; go to ourbridgewaterinn.com, email ourbridgewaterinn@gmail.com, 815-244-0201 for reservations.
Apple River Fort, Elizabeth: 311 E. Myrtle St.; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday from April to October, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday from November to March; dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/experience/sites/site.apple-river-fort.html, 815-858-2028.
Paul’s Vintage Bikes, Elizabeth: 137 N. Main St.; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday or by appointment; 815-238-0930.
Elizabeth’s Grand Antique Co., Elizabeth: 300 West St.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; Facebook, Instagram, grandantiqueco.com; 815-858-9477.
Scales Mound Sinclair Service, Scales Mound: 310 Franklin St., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; Facebook; 815-845-2217.
Country House Grocery, Scales Mound: 501 Main St., 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon Sunday; Facebook, countryhousegrocery.com; 815-845-2316.