State Trunk Highway 52 (often called Highway 52, STH-52 or WIS 52) is a

state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. It runs east–west in central and northeastern Wisconsin from Wabeno to Wausau. It is one of four state highways that also serve Antigo.

Route description

Running from west to east, Highway 52 begins at an interchange with the

Wisconsin Highway 29 State Trunk Highway 29 (often called Highway 29, STH-29 or WIS 29) is a state highway running east–west across central Wisconsin. It is a major east–west corridor connecting the Twin Cities and the Chippewa Valley with Wausau ...

freeway segment near

Rib Mountain Rib Mountain, also known as Rib Hill, is a glacially-eroded monadnock in central Wisconsin, located in the Town of Rib Mountain in Marathon County. Composed of quartzite covered with a softer syenite sheath, it was intruded about 1.5 billion ...

. Almost immediately, Highway 52 also has an interchange with the U.S. 51 freeway, which serves as Wausau's western bypass. It then enters Wausau as Stewart Street, crossing the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousi ...

into downtown. In downtown Wausau, Highway 52 runs on one-way streets in a loop around the central business district; the eastbound lanes join Business U.S. 51 northbound, run around the Wausau Center shopping mall, and then back north via 6th Street. Meanwhile, the westbound lanes run along southbound Business U.S. 51 past Athletic Park, home of the

Northwoods League The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college el ...

Wausau Woodchucks baseball team, and also past the Dudley Tower, the tallest commercial building in Wisconsin outside of the

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

area. Northeast of Wausau, Highway 52 runs past Hogerty, with access to the Dells of the Eau Claire River Park, a popular recreational park and campground known for its rock formations and waterfalls; the

Ice Age Trail The Ice Age Trail is a National Scenic Trail stretching in the state of Wisconsin in the United States. The trail is administered by the National Park Service, and is constructed and maintained by private and public agencies including the Ice ...

also runs through the park. Just past Marathon County, Highway 52 meets up with U.S. Highway 45 and joins it for the drive north to Antigo, the Langlade County seat. Highways 47 and 64 also intersect Highway 52 along this stretch. From Antigo Highway 52 zigzags northeast past

Lily ''Lilium'' () is a genus of Herbaceous plant, herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in mu ...

, where it has a junction with

Highway 55 The following highways are numbered 55: International * European route E55 * Arab Mashreq route M55 Argentina * San Luis Provincial Route 55 Australia * Carnarvon Highway * Castlereagh Highway * Karoonda Highway Belgium * N55 road (Belgiu ...

along the Wolf River. The road then enters the

Nicolet National Forest Nicollet or Nicolet may refer to: Canada *Nicolet, Quebec, the county seat of Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality *Nicolet River, Quebec, Canada People *Aurèle Nicolet (1926–2016), Swiss flautist *Hercule Nicolet (1801–1872), Swiss ...

and into Forest County before ending at

Highway 32 The following highways are numbered 32: International * Asian Highway 32 * European route E32 Australia * Great Western Highway * Barrier Highway * East Derwent Highway * Mitchell Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 32 * Manitoba Highway 32 ...

just northwest of Wabeno. File:Wis52 northern terminus.jpg, The northern terminus with

Wisconsin Highway 32 State Trunk Highway 32 (often called Highway 32, STH-32 or WIS 32) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin that runs north–south in eastern Wisconsin. It runs from the Illinois border (at Illinois Route 137) north to the Michigan bor ...

near

Wabeno, Wisconsin Wabeno is a town in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,166 at the 2010 census. The census-designated place of Wabeno and the unincorporated communities of Carter, Padus, and Soperton are located in the town. Waben ...

. File:Dudleytowerkayak.jpg, alt=Highway 52 crossing the Wisconsin River, with a kayaking statue in the park and the Dudley Tower in the background, A kayak statue along the

as Highway 52 enters downtown Wausau; the Dudley Tower rises in the background.

Major intersections

Notes

References

External links

*{{Commons category-inline, Wisconsin Highway 52 052 Transportation in Marathon County, Wisconsin Transportation in Shawano County, Wisconsin Transportation in Langlade County, Wisconsin Transportation in Forest County, Wisconsin

Route description

Major intersections

See also

Notes

References

External links