US-8 is the major highway that runs east and west across northern Wisconsin. On the Minnesota side of the border, US-8 and US-61 were once the key routes feeding the Twin Cities from the north. That role is now handled by I-35.

US-8 crosses the Saint Croix river at an interesting spot. It is the very north end of the Saint Croix Dalles area, a spot where the river has cut a deep channel through a stretch of very hard rock. Most of this channel was cut when glacial Lake Duluth emptied. This left a deep gorge for the river to flow through. It also resulted in a very narrow but very deep river. The Saint Croix often runs 70 feet deep in this area, with pools that are over 100 feet deep.