lake pepin

We visited on Friday, September 26, 2014.Such wonderful views! This is a wide spot on the Mississippi River that is always beautiful. There are many places along US 61 to turn off the road and take in the views. Also, to a lesser degree from Wisconsin Highway 35 there are fewer vantage points.

We toured Red Wing and stopped at lake Pepin. The view was absolutely amazing. It was very relaxing and you also could see all the different type of boaters. We went out on the rocks and just sat. Worth stopping if you want something free and relaxing and great views.

Just being by the large body of water, big marina full of sail boats, nice. You can walk on a long cement pier farther into the marina.

We traveled up and down Lake Pepin on a friend's boat, we saw 5 Bald Eagles and enjoyed our ride. Red Wing Marina is a great place to stop.

Two friends and I stopped at a cute cafe on the Main Street and thoroughly enjoyed a lovely breakfast. The building is an old house with great food and friendly service.On our wat back home, we stopped for HOMEMADE PIE in Stockholm WI! Delicious!

We traveled to Lake Pepin, Pepin, WI public beach for an afternoon adventure and it was nice for something different. The beach hasn't ever had a lifeguard on duty when we have been there but it's ok. The beach has lots of washed up rock and crushed seashells and entry into the lake is rocky with small rocks but then you reach soft sandy bottom the deeper you go out. Kids like building sand castles and exploring the beach. Nice restroom to change and spray off area. Close to shops and restaurants and the marina. Beautiful views!!

The drive is 70 miles and took us about 4 1/2 hours, because we made many stops along the way. Frontenac State Park has excellent views, Lake City is beautiful and worthy of some time, and Stockholm has some great little shops with excellent prices. Lots of photo opportunities as well as good food--stop into the chamber of commerce and they can give you directions as well coupons for some of the places along the way!

Be sure to travel along the Minnesota and Wisconsin side of this lovely lake that is part of the Mississippi River system. There are many vantage points to view the lake and surrounding bluffs. Bring your binoculars. Enjoy the many birds and majestic bald eagles.

It is a must see, beautiful water, the bluffs and scenery are spectacular. Numerous lovely marinas, Lake City is a lovely quiet lake front community with a lot to see and do, highly recommend.

The views can't compare to anywhere! I'd put Lake Pepin and the bluffs up against any sights in the US. Great for a scenic drive around the lake and stopping at the quaint and friendly boutiques. It makes for an amazing afternoon. Don't miss the drive around Lake Pepin, take 61 S out of Red Wing and then cross the river at Wabasha and head back up Hwy 35 for breathtaking views. Start with an empty stomach there are plenty of good eats along the way.

We spent a couple of hours by Lake Pepin, picknicking, walking, and driving around.It looks like a place we'd want to spend more time, and get out on the water. Birthplace of waterskiing, we saw folks out having fun on the water. Also many, many fisherpeople taking on the fish.Wish we'd had more time there. At this time, the Mississippi is nearing flood stages in some spots along the river, so we likely won't get back this trip.

We looked high and low for our fist camping destination as a couple. My girlfriend chose the Hok-Si-La campground which is nestled right along the Lake Pepin just a mile north of Lake City. After several conversations with the campground director, Barbara, we settled on the G1 group camp site. Camp site on the south end of the property are designed with a "G" for groups and site on the north end are smaller family sized sites. Barbara had just had a cancelation on the G1 site, and even though there was just two of us, she let us book the group site at the family price of $20/night (the group sites are usually $60/night).When you first arrive, it is a bit confusing where to go. The entire grounds are fenced off with a gated entrance at the main office. We pulled up to the gate and waited for it to open - thinking it was automatic. After a few moments, we came to the conclusion that somebody inside needed to open it for us. We headed into the office - which actually doubled as a small convenience store - and spoke with Barbara and an assistant. We were in there less than 5 minutes and as we were leaving, Barbara told us not to block the gate...ever again. There were a couple of cars waiting to enter behind us. Oops.Hok-Si-La strives for a serene camping experience, so all cars must park in the designated lots on the perimeter - you cannot overnight park at your site. Barbara indicated we had only 20 minutes to park our car at the campsite and unload our gear. The car/boat would need to be moved back to the lot after 20 minutes. The campsite was easily enough room for 6-8 tents comfortably, with a fire pit and two picnic tables. Site G1 is completely surrounded by woods. You cannot hear or see anybody. The drawback is that it is one of the few sites without a waterview - which was fine with us. The more privacy the better for these two lovebirds :)While taking a stroll around the park, we decided to go off the beaten path. There is a hillside opposite of the road from group site G5. We traipsed down the hill and found a fabulously peaceful stream running through the basin called Ripple Creek. The creek is about 12 feet wide and 1-2 feet deep. The water flowing through is crystal clear (but quite cold) and the creek bottom is virtually all sand. We spent a lot of time taking scenic pictures and just wading in the creek. Eventually we crossed the creek and made it out to Lake Pepin. The creek mouth was full of small sand bars will little streams of water meandering into the big lake. The water temp in Pepin must have been nearly 80, so the contrast between the waters made for a unique wading experience. We explored the south shoreline finding crawfish and eagles circling above. There were enormous fish carcasses - some longer than 2 feet - lining the beach from the eagles dropping them out of their nests. Various driftwood lined beach making for very scenic phot ops.The following day we launched the boat at the public ramp - less than a mile north of the campsite. The ramp was very nice - double wide pad that was not very busy at 8AM when we launched. We buzzed all around the lake. The morning was cool and calm which created a low level fog underneath bluebird skies. Pepin never fails to show off their eagle population. While cruising the lake, we saw no less than 200 (that is not an exaggeration) eagles flocking to the skies, trees and beaches. The fog burned off within an hour and the lake started getting busy. While she tanned, I did a little bass fishing on the east side of the lake near some heavy weeds and lily pad cover. I caught a couple of bucket mouths and one little hammer handle. At lunch, we docked at the Lake City Marina (at no charge) and had lunch in town at a small bar & grill. We quickly returned to the lake for some sun and fun on the water. We spent the afternoon enjoying ice cold beverages in the boat and lounging around the many private sand bars. Tip: if you have a boat, anchor up on a private sand bar with some drinks and good music. It was like a slice of tropical paradise.If you are an adventurous water loving and sun seeking individual, couple, family or group, this is the perfect long weekend getaway. Lake Pepin provides an up north experience less than 45 minutes from the Twin Cities - and you don't have to fight traffic to get there!

Wonderful area, the whole of this Mississippi River area is mind blowing and should not be missed. The scenery is stunning and the mighty Mississippi, is truly mighty here. Lots of bird life too.

the cruise could not have been any better very fun and memorable day the staff were great and well worth the $15.00 price

My husband's conference booked the paddleboat to roam Lake Pepin at sunset with cocktails. It was beautiful watching the colors change. Bar was adequate but slightly expensive. The appetizers provided were very good.