Great River Road
The Great River Road Overview

In sheer size and importance, the Mississippi River has few equals. Hundreds of years ago, Native Americans used it for trade and travel, with the Hopewell Indian culture becoming the most advanced society in early North America. The French sent trappers down its banks after coveted beaver fur. For years, it served as the western boundary of America, providing the next western frontier as the United States acquired new lands. Western settlements expanded along the river, with their rugged pioneers doing their best to tame the mighty river country.

Today, the Great River Road National Scenic Byway incorporates riverside roads in six of the ten states that border the Mississippi: Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Wisconsin. From the river's beginning in the lakes of Minnesota down to the historic Vicksburg region of Mississippi, the natural beauty and cultural heritage along the Great River Road is as varied as the regions it passes through.

Visitors can explore the Hopewell Mounds that line the Mississippi through several states, visit river towns unchanged since the 18th Century, and participate in interactive museums that display life along the Mississippi from past to present. The forested hills and striking bluffs provide a constantly changing view, and visitors can view the successful restoration of the American Bald Eagle in its riverside habitat.

Whether learning about the vast river history or watching a peaceful sunset reflected in a mile of inland water, visitors to the Great River Road National Scenic Byway will leave with a greater awe and appreciation for one of America's greatest natural wonders.

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Other Stories

  • Taste the Music of the Great River Road

    No matter what kind of music you love, you’ll get your fill on the Great River Road. Traversing seven states, the Mississippi River has tasted every type of lifestyle and every type of music. Travel the Great River Road and get a taste of the music for yourself.

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  • Shopping Specials on Iowa's Great River Road

    As you follow the Great River Road along Iowa’s eastern border, visit the stores and sellers that make this portion of the byway special. Pick up gifts for friends and family or treat yourself when you peruse a delightful assortment of genuine Iowa-made products along the byway.

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  • Follow the Great River Road for Native American History

    Follow the Great River Road into the past as you explore remnants and reconstructions of the Mississippi River region’s rich Native American history. From Minnesota to Mississippi, count on the byway to connect you to enlightening museum exhibits, sacred mound sites, famously tragic trails,...

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  • Birding along the Great River Road

    The Great River Road showcases the mighty Mississippi River and highlights the historic importance of the river in the development of the United States. While appreciating the Mississippi River, be sure to not miss out on the impressive array of North American bird life along the expansive river.

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  • Documenting the Great River: Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

    In our era of satellite navigation and global positioning systems, we tend to take geography for granted. In the 19th Century, however, geography drove geographers to several-month expeditions into the unknown. One of the great geographers of the Mississippi was Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, who...

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  • Hiawatha: Fact vs. Literature in Minnehaha Park

    Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has been described as the first truly American poet. Hiawatha became America's most widely read poem of the 19th Century, spreading the fame of Minnehaha Falls and the uppermost regions of the Mississippi. Despite many misconceptions, both fact and literature...

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  • America's First Interstate: The Mississippi River

    As one of the great transportation arteries on the western frontier, the Mississippi River played a crucial role in 19th century America. The mighty river represented the same ideas that our modern highways have come to symbolize: commerce, discovery, and freedom. In this way, the Mississippi...

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