Lake Pepin is a natural widening of the Mississippi River — 30 miles long and up to 2 miles wide — that forms the border between Wisconsin and Minnesota. It is one of the most beautiful stretches of the Upper Mississippi: bluffs rise 300 to 400 feet on both shores, the water turns silver in morning light, and on calm evenings the sunsets are spectacular.
The lake is wide enough to have genuine weather. Sailing is popular in summer, and bald eagles nest in the bluffs year-round. In winter the lake freezes solid and ice fishing shanties appear across its surface. Highway 35, the Great River Road — Wisconsin's only National Scenic Byway — hugs the western shore through Stockholm, and the drive is considered one of the most beautiful in the state.