From vibrant Appalachian villages to a cowboy town in the desert, these elevated escapes are true mountain gems.

There are not a lot of folks out on the lake and as daylight hours get shorter and the water temps continue to fall, the bite should only get better for everything.

Try fishing in 20-25 feet of water while using bottom bouncers with spinner blades or slow death rigs tipped with a crawler.

The latest addition to Dubuque County’s arsenal of parks remains one of its better-kept secrets months after opening.