Note: the following text on Wisconsin Rustic Roads is plagiarized directly from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website.
What is a Rustic Road?
The Rustic Roads program was created in 1973 to provide hikers, bicyclists and motorists an opportunity to leisurely travel through the state's scenic countryside.
The goals of the Rustic Road program are:
- to identify and preserve in a natural and essentially undisturbed condition certain designated roads having unusual or outstanding natural beauty, by virtue of native vegetation along with natural or man-made features associated with the road.
- to provide a linear park-like system for vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian travel for quiet and leisurely enjoyment by local residents and the general public alike.
- to maintain and administer these roads to provide safe public travel, yet preserve the rustic and scenic qualities through use of appropriate maintenance and design standards, and encouragement of zoning for land use compatibility, utility regulations and billboard control.
Every Rustic Road is unique, but all:
- have outstanding natural features along its borders such as rugged terrain, native vegetation, native wildlife or include open areas with agricultural vistas.
- are lightly traveled local access roads, serving the adjacent property owners and those wishing to travel by auto, bicycle, or hiking for purposes of recreational enjoyment.
- are not scheduled nor anticipated for major improvements which would change their rustic characteristics.
- are at least two miles long and often provide a completed closure or loop, or connect to major highways at both ends of the route.
- A Rustic Road may be dirt, gravel or paved road. It may be one-way or two-way. It also may have bicycle or hiking paths adjacent to or incorporated in the roadway area.
The maximum speed limit on a Rustic Road has been established by law at 45 mph. A speed limit as low as 30 mph may be established by the local governing authority.
How do you know if it's a Rustic Road?
Unique brown and yellow signs mark the routes of all officially-designated Rustic Roads. A small placard beneath the Rustic Roads sign identifies each Rustic Road by its numerical designation within the total statewide system.
Each Rustic Road is identified by a 1- to 3-digit number assigned by the Rustic Roads Board. To avoid confusion with the State Trunk Highway numbering, a letter "R" prefix is used such as R-50 or R-120. WisDOT pays the cost of furnishing and installing Rustic Roads marking signs.
