Travel writer William Least Heat Moon's library contains over 2,000 travel books. Of those about rivers, most are all or partially about the Mississippi. He asks readers "consider all the reasons you can come up with" for why this is so, but concludes, "still you must face the inevitable: The Mississippi has an encompassing mystique no other American river exerts ..." It is this "encompassing mystique" that compels people from around the world to explore the Great River.
Nowhere along its 2,552-mile course does the Mississippi River's scenic landscape change more than in Minnesota. The Great River Road follows the river as it matures through seven distinct landscapes, each with a unique mystique and its only waterfall.
Walking across the headwaters at Lake Itasca is an international bucket-list item. It is a place like no other. Itasca State Park's interpretation and features engage travelers with hands-on history surrounded by stunning scenic views at the river's cradle.
The Mississippi seems reluctant to leave its birthplace among ancient pines and pristine lakes. After percolating from Lake Itasca, it follows a serpentine course to Brainerd, frequently twisting back on itself, leaving cut-off lands and oxbows. Contributing to the mystique is an ongoing blend of natural and human history. Humans have lived along the river here for nearly 10,000 years, and indigenous communities retain traditional lifestyles along it today. And as anyone who has canoed or kayaked this reach will tell you, every twist and turn creates a new scenic view.
The Mississippi's headwaters include thousands of lakes. The largest contributor to a reservoir system the Corps of Engineers created over 100 years ago. The river dams and reservoirs are historically significant as part of the first national reservoir system in the United States. The resulting Lakes and Reservoirs scenery generate lasting memories.
At Brainerd, the Mississippi straightens and becomes wider. More islands appear, but you see little floodplains and no large or backwater lakes. This is the Prairie River, where the prairie runs up to the river's banks, some rising 40 to 60 feet, providing views of a maturing river. Two national Great River Road Interpretive Centers showcase prairie-life history next to the Mississippi in this reach.
No place anchors the Mississippi River's significance in the Twin Cities like St. Anthony Falls or matches its national and international significance. Geologically, it is the Mississippi's only major waterfall. Historically, a who's who of natives, Europeans, and Americans explored it. Economically, it's the birthplace of saw and flour milling industries that became the dominant producers of their commodities in the world. Technologically, the falls generated the first commercial hydroelectric central plant in America. Scenically, it has drawn renowned painters capturing the fall's grandeur since before it was capped, and today remains a magnet for artists.
The Gorge is only 8.5 miles long, running from St. Anthony Falls to the mouth of the Minnesota River. Here, the Mississippi plunges 110 feet between bluffs one-quarter to one-third mile apart and 60 to 100 feet high. This is the only place where the river falls so quickly over such a short distance and through such a tight canyon. The three locks and dams of the Gorge are nationally significant, as is the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway.
The Big River begins at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers extending 34 miles to Hastings. Fort Snelling, a National Historic Landmark, overlooks the confluence, known as B'dote to Dakota people, each a contrasting feature of this scenic setting. Here the broad valley and wide floodplain offer many side channels, backwater lakes, wetlands, and wooded islands with scenic vistas and intimate encounters with a seemingly primeval world.
During the last ice age, glaciers bulldozed the Midwest's landscape but left the Driftless Area alone. Water and wind have been eroding and incising the Driftless Area for far longer than the surrounding lands, creating a unique and nationally significant landscape. From early explorers to modern travel writers, many have tried to capture that landscape's scenic power. Locks and Dams 3 through 8 lie in this reach and are listed on the National Register as nationally significant. Historic river towns are worthy stops along the way.