Apple Blossom Scenic Drive
Minnesota Scenic Byway 19 mi in Minnesota.
About the Apple Blossom Scenic Drive
This rolling farmland and bluff-top route travels high above the Mississippi River, offering dazzling views of the river valley below. Stop for a picnic at Great River Bluffs State Park, where short paths lead to scenic overlooks with panoramic views. Each end of this thoroughfare connects with Highway 61, which is Great River Road, another scenic drive.
Pick up some fresh apples, apple cider, and pumpkins along the route. Minnesota orchards have some of the most distinctive apple varieties in the country, thanks in large part to the University of Minnesota research center (responsible for introducing the popular Honeycrisp apple, among others).
Explore Minnesota, for the Minnesota Scenic Byways Commission's own description, in its words. Byway page on exploreminnesota.com.
Camping along the byway
- on the roadGreat River Bluffs State Park · State park · 31 sites · reservable
- 3.7 mi offPerrot State Park · State park · 106 sites · reservable
Public campgrounds within 5 miles of the road as the crow flies, nearest the road first (this stretch is in several separate pieces); each one's page has its facts, season and weather by month.
About this page's facts
The line is the Federal Highway Administration's scenic byways layer (HEPGIS, a snapshot of 2022-06-24, a US government work), cut at the state line and simplified for the map; the length is the line's. The designation is the program's own: the national tiers from FHWA's America's Byways roster, the rest from the layer's designation field. Road conditions, closures and seasonal gates change: check the agency's own page and the state's road conditions before you go.