Take the Great River Road to Minnesota’s Scenic Outdoor Tapestry
Monday, August 24, 2020 at 3:10PMVia an August 24 News Release from the Minnesota Mississippi River Parkway Commission:
Nowhere along its 2,500+ mile course – from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico – does the Mississippi River provide such diverse scenic themes as it does in Minnesota. Minnesota’s Great River Road is the designated travel route to reach them all.
Eight geographic and geologic river reaches characterize the Mississippi River in Minnesota, and each has its own mystique. A drive on any of the eight is revealing, but a journey along all eight gives the traveler insight into the great river’s source…before it plunges southward.
Lake Itasca is a quintessential bucket list destination. Ancient pines and pristine lakes dominate the headwaters area, where the river meanders lazily. Large lakes and reservoirs provide supreme views and recreational opportunities. The Mississippi is a prairie river by the time it gets to Brainerd. St. Anthony Falls, the river’s only major waterfall, marks the Twin Cities’ reach where it played the centrifugal force in drawing Native peoples, European explorers and American industrialists all of whom left their mark on the landscape and the economy. It also offers the Mississippi’s scenic gorge. At the confluence of the Mississippi and the Minnesota, two of the state’s great rivers, the Mississippi becomes the mighty river of classic lore. And the Minnesota Mississippi River journey is completed in the scenic Bluffs and Driftless Area, where Locks and Dams 3 through 8 lie and are listed on the National Register.
Along the Great River Road, you’ll find urban centers, college towns, working river ports and iconic mill towns, a colorful collection of Minnesota communities. The Mississippi River travels through 43 towns, 20 counties and three tribes as it makes its way to the Iowa border. These communities offer a change of pace, history, and opportunities to get on or beside the river.
September is Drive the Great River Road Month. More important, it’s one of Minnesota’s prettiest months, when the dimming light of summer shows off the colors of the landscape. And, the car – or the bike or canoe – can be your safe passage to the vistas. For more information and a map: www.mnmississippiriver.com.
About the Minnesota Mississippi River Parkway Commission
Minnesota’s Mississippi River Parkway Commission (MN-MRPC) is a statutory Commission, recognized in 1963, whose mission is to...To preserve, promote and enhance the scenic, historic and recreational resources of the Mississippi River, to foster economic growth in the corridor and to develop the national, scenic and historic byway known as the Great River Road. The MN-MPRC is part of the larger 10-State National MRPC organized in 1938 to celebrate the Mississippi River by developing the Great River Road Scenic Byway. The 10 states include: Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. The National MRPC is the oldest organization whose work ties together all the Mississippi River states.
Eight Scenic Reaches to Explore
• Lake Itasca: The journey of this world-renown river begins at Lake Itasca. But there is more here than the point where the Mississippi spills out. The lake lies within the 32,000-acre Itasca State Park, the second oldest state park in America.
• Serpentine River: After percolating from Lake Itasca, the infant river follows a serpentine course to Brainerd, frequently twisting back on itself, leaving cut off lands and oxbows.
• Headwaters Lakes & Reservoirs: The headwaters region includes thousands of lakes. The largest contribute to America’s first reservoir system. Created by the Corps of Engineers over 100 years ago, the reservoirs provide a wide range of scenic views.
• Prairie River: From Brainerd to St. Anthony Falls, the Mississippi becomes the Prairie River, as it straightens out and islands replace oxbows. Here, the prairie runs up to the river’s banks, not bluffs.
• St. Anthony Falls: No place anchors the Mississippi’s significance in the Twin Cities like St. Anthony Falls - the river’s only major waterfall. Its physical power gave rise to Minneapolis, but its scenic power has drawn nationally known artists since the 1800s and still attracts modern day painters and photographers.
• The Gorge: Below the falls, the Mississippi drops into the 8.5-mile Gorge, stepping down 110 feet through three locks and dams, running between bluffs one-quarter to one-third of a mile apart. Nowhere does the river fall so quickly over such a short distance.
• The Big River: The Big River – the river of Mark Twain - begins at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. It is characterized by a broad valley and a wide floodplain, with many side channels, backwater lakes and wooded islands.
• Driftless Area: Below Hastings, the Mississippi enters the Driftless Area, with its distinctive limestone bluffs. During the last ice age, glaciers bypassed the Driftless Area, creating a unique and nationally significant landscape.
For Great River Road route details and information on 700+ things to see and do, use the Plan Your Trip online mapping at www.mnmississippiriver.com.
