Great river road
Thinking of doing the great river road in late sept and oct. need suggestions and advice. Will be in a class A 36 foot towing a car. What not to miss and what to avoid. Where to stay and so forth.
Forum Discussion
- Does anyone besides me not know what you are referring to?
- Never heard of it. Where is it?
- I live 9 blocks from the great river road. Suggest you travel both sides south of Baton Rouge for at least 50 miles. That way you get to visit most of the plantation homes. Most are open for tours.
- I assume this is the road(s) along the Mississippi. Like most named highways it's mainly a marketing idea (supporting local tourism), not a formal state highway designation. It's basically any more-or-less through road that gets close to the river, regardless of whether you can see the river or not.
It might help if you specified which states you intend to cross. Travel in Minnesota will be quite different from Illinois or Louisiana.
Even in Minnesota conditions vary from US61 in the south (divided highway in a scenic valley) to mishmash of roads the cross the smaller river in the north. Another scenic stretch is near the Palisades state park in Illinois.
https://experiencemississippiriver.com/
US 61 follows the river most of the ways, and in many parts is the 'official' river road (or one of several alternatives on one side or the other). - It is a National Scenic Byway.
- Went from St. Louis north to the head of the Mississippi River . Some beautiful scenic areas. Some not so much. Some neat towns also years you could get a map of the whole road, you may try to google it they still may offer maps
- We saw Jerry Lee Lewis's birthplace in Faraday LA, but decided not to get out of our vehicle. You can't see the river for much of it but it is a nice drive and we will do it again.
- Where are you starting from. It runs from Missippi up into at least Illinois, maybe Wisconsin. You should be able to google the portion you are thinking of and find some information.
- How much and what sections? It's a long way from the Big Easy to Minnesota.
Much of the middle and lower section, you won't see the river a lot as it's behind dykes but obviously, there are nearby towns and historic sites. - I like the Columbia River Gorge. It is the Great River Road of the West.
