^Looking south on US Route 51 from the northern end of the route at US Route 2 in Hurley, August 2020.

In Wisconsin, US Route 51 runs from the north end of the state down the entire central backbone of Wisconsin, serving a great deal of prominent communities. It serves Beloit, Janesville, Madison, Portage, Stevens Point, Wausau, Merrill, Minocqua, Hurley, and other towns. US Route 51's journey through Wisconsin begins at Beloit, at a state line crossing just west of Interstate 39. It heads north through the hearts of Beloit, Janesville, and Edgerton, before converging with Interstate 39 for a short while; these convergences with Interstate 39 will be a recurring event. US Route 51 soon splits from the Interstate to cut straight westward through Stoughton. When it has served Stoughton satisfactorily, it turns northward into densely populated eastern portions of the Madison area. US Route 51 flanks Lake Monona to the east, and it serves the Dane County airport. As Interstate 39 begins to slant toward the northwest, with Interstates 90 and 94 in tow, US Route 51 crosses the Interstate, insisting on a northward course. US Route 51 serves downtown Portage, then promptly joins Interstate 39 northward (now with no other Interstates tagging along). US Route 51 stays firmly clung to the freeway north all the way to Wausau, with the exception of a surface-level business alignment through Stevens Point. In Wausau, Interstate 39 ends at Wisconsin Highway 29, but the freeway continues northward for a while, carrying US Route 51. At Merrill, where US Route 51 meets Wisconsin Highway 64, the freeway ends, but US Route 51 presses onward. The northward journey continues through Tomahawk, Minocqua, and Woodruff. North of Woodruff, US Route 51 veers toward the west. The westward jog passes through Manitowish, then it turns back toward the north. There is nothing else for US Route 51 besides end at US Route 2 in Hurley. Hurley is along the state line with Michigan's westernmost extent; Ironwood, Michigan is its twin city.  US Route 51 ends within eyeshot of the Upper Peninsula, and within 11 miles of Lake Superior.

My photo of a route marker for US Route 51 in Wisconsin actually shows the northern end marker in Hurley. Northbound travelers understand that they will need to proceed as US Route 2, as US Route 51 is coming to an end. This photo was taken as i was heading eastward along US Route 2, from Ashland to the Upper Peninsula, in August 2020.
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