Great River Road

The route was designated in 1938 and is not one road but a linked set of existing highways on both banks, marked with a green pilot's-wheel sign, running about three thousand miles from Lake Itasca in Minnesota - where the river leaves the lake as a stream you can step across - to the Gulf. The character changes completely along it: bluffs and lock-and-dam country in the upper reaches, the Driftless Area where glaciers never flattened the land, then the levees, plantations and refineries of the lower river. Because both banks are marked, crossing points let you switch sides, and the two banks often differ substantially in what they offer. Full-length drives take two to three weeks.

What you actually see

• A stream at the source - narrow enough to step across at Itasca.
• Bluffs and the Driftless Area - in the upper river.
• Locks, dams and levees - the engineering of the middle and lower river.
• Both banks marked - so you can cross and compare.

When to go

April to October; autumn colour in the upper river. A day to three weeks.

Honest expectations

It is not one continuous scenic road - long stretches are ordinary highway through industrial areas. Signage is inconsistent between states. Flooding closes sections. The full drive is a serious commitment.

Nearby

Effigy Mounds, Hannibal, Memphis and New Orleans all sit on the route.