Upper Mississippi River

T

Two Bears

New member
Upper Mississippi River
We hope to get away from home in Northern Idaho by the weekend of August 8, trailer to Minneapolis, launch there and boat down to the Mississippi River Gathering the weekend after Labor Day. Allowing time for driving, launching and getting organized we’d head down river about mid-August. To reach the gathering we would have about 25 days to travel 638 river miles and traverse more than 20 locks and dams, which is about 25 river miles and a little less than one lock per day. We have the Jerry Hay book on the Mississippi River and I’ve spent some time online, including the Nat Park Service’s National River site. But this is a long way from home, and from past experiences there are always surprises when you enter unfamiliar lands and waters. So, for you locals I have some questions.
1. Is the river portion feasible/ reasonable/ manageable? Is travel on the river worthwhile? Are there places to stop and visit or places to avoid? The Hays book tells wonderful tales but I’ve been misled by guidebooks before.
2. Will it be so hot and humid in late August that we won’t enjoy it? For example, would we be better to visit Rainy Lake or the Apostle Islands until after Labor Day and then trailer to the gathering?
3. Your thoughts on a shuttle after the gathering: fly, or rent a car and drive back to get truck & trailer?
4. What am I not thinking about that I should be thinking about? Or, what should I know that I don’t?
Our plans after the Meet in the middle Gathering are to trailer down to the Cumberland or Tennessee Rivers later in September and early October and then spend some time on the Gulf Coast in later October including attending the Gulf Coast Gathering usually held the 4th weekend –Oct 23-24? Anyone else thinking of doing something similar?

Chuck
 
I live in Prescott, Wisconsin at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. Sounds like you have a great trip ahead. I wouldn't be concerned about the heat and humidity too much. You won't notice it underway at all but the nights can be a bit uncomfortable or just wonderful. The farthest we have been downriver is Marquett, Iowa. Plan a night there at the casino marina. Stay at the loge at the top of the bluff overlooking the river valley. We have a condo on the river overlooking a rustic little marina where you could tie up your first night for Bout $25. Gerrie and I would be happy to show you our little town and give you any help we can about where to go and what to see. 25 miles a day sounds a little modest, but we all have our cruising style. Plan a little side trip up the Scenic St, Croix while here too. I can send you brochures of attractions if you PM me with your address. I volunteer at the Great River Road visitor center here in town.
 
Chuck & Penny I sleep on a 16 in the peak of summer in Fl. I run a fan with the forward hatch open. I don't wear much while sleeping any heat of my body is removed by the good air flow. I run it off of one of my two batteries and runs all night with no problem. The fan is a 12 volt car truck variety which their are a good variety to choose from on Amazon. I also use the ThermaCELL insect repellant that works like a force field on Star Trek and it works ! You can find it on Amazon and Wal mart. Personal attitude is really your strongest asset, you'll remember your trip far more than any inconvience you experience.
 
Chuck-

El and I drifted down the Upper Mississippi to the Gulf almost 15 years ago -- and through those locks (what an experience) and it was a marvelous trip and great memory. Yes, as stated, personal attitude is critical.

Perhaps consider Amtrak as a way back to truck and trailer. C-D folk could take you from the Gathering to a station, and CD folk could volunteer to meet you at the top end and take you from station to car.

As you meander south, certainly take up the offer to stop at towns along the way -- you will be traveling an historic "highway" of America -- rich in culture, food, and wonderful sights -- as well as marvelous nature en route.
 
Hello, Chuck and Penny,

Amtrak will work for the return trip.

You can take the 7:25AM train from the Alton Amtrak station. It is just a mile from the marina. Ken or I can give you a ride.

In Chicago change to the westbound Empire Builder to Minneapolis. You will get to Minneapolis late that evening.
The station is actually in St. Paul and is a short cab ride to the Watergate marina, also in St. Paul.
You can launch there to start your trip and they are very accommodating about storing your truck and trailer.

That trip is very doable in your time frame. Sharon and I have done the upper river several times. When I have some more time, I will post up more info about interesting places and facilities along the route.

Several of the regulars at the Mississippi Gathering also have lots of knowledge of that part of the river. Hopefully some will post up some favorite places of interest and helpful tips.

See you in September,

Tex and Sharon
"Bixby's Cub"
 
Some random additional notes and thoughts of the upper Mississippi

There are lots of on water marinas and restaurants from St Paul down to St Louis.

Most towns have historic districts within easy walking distance.

On the upper river Memorial day to Labor day is big time boating season.

On weekends near any major town there will be lots of boat traffic, The upside is that there are a lot of special events and every store, cafe, shop is open.

After labor day, it is like someone turned off the switch, quite a few of the marinas end their season Labor day, or switch to limited or weekend only operation, so check ahead with cell phone for gas.

Some towns that come to mind are: Wabasha, Mn (the national Bald Eagle center is right on the river)

Guttenberg, IA (nice marina with showers, Pizza, Museum at the lock, hometown to some nice C-Brats)

Dubuque, IA (nice marina, National Mississippi river museum, steam dredge tour, tons to see and do)

Quad Cities (very interesting John Deere museum, has public dock for river access, Rock Island Armory, on the river but no river access, must get ground transportation from a marina, if you like the history of firearms this place is incredible, from revolutionary war pistols to atomic cannons)

Keokuk, IA (Superlock, Keokuk yacht club, nicest bunch of down to earth folks on the river)

Hannibal, Mo (Mark Twain hometown, trolly ride to cave and around town, Mark Twain shows, lots of events, most within walking distance of the marina)

Louisiana, Mo (Mark Twain birthplace, nice example of a typical historical river town)

Grafton, Ill (mouth of Illinois river, nice marina, restaurant, winery, ziplines, last stop before Alton.

For our first trip we bought used copies on most every Mississippi river book off of Ebay and Elibris, read them ahead of the trip and brought them in the boat to reference along the way. Most were logs of other peoples trips down the river by steamboat, raft, canoe.
And for sure a copy of Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi”.

Our first trip was without internet, but later trips a wireless card and a laptop enabled us to review the history of each river town as we passed it, and to find free concerts, farmers markets, festivals and other events along the river.

Combining the top notch color Corps of engineers charts with the satellite view on google maps enabled us to find excellent sandbars and behind Island anchorages.

Most often you can find a nice sandy beach for the evening where you can enjoy a campfire, so be sure to bring some sort of bow ladder for easy access.

My suggestion is since you are already on the river and your destination is the gulf coast to just river on down to New Orleans and take the famous Amtrak train (the city of New Orleans back to St. Paul to get your truck and trailer. Then you will have done the entire river. Let me know, as I have some more tips for the lower river.

Tex
 
Some random additional notes and thoughts of the upper Mississippi

There are lots of on water marinas and restaurants from St Paul down to St Louis.

Most towns have historic districts within easy walking distance.

On the upper river Memorial day to Labor day is big time boating season.

On weekends near any major town there will be lots of boat traffic, The upside is that there are a lot of special events and every store, cafe, shop is open.

After labor day, it is like someone turned off the switch, quite a few of the marinas end their season Labor day, or switch to limited or weekend only operation, so check ahead with cell phone for gas.

Some towns that come to mind are: Wabasha, Mn (the national Bald Eagle center is right on the river)

Guttenberg, IA (nice marina with showers, Pizza, Museum at the lock, hometown to some nice C-Brats)

Dubuque, IA (nice marina, National Mississippi river museum, steam dredge tour, tons to see and do)

Quad Cities (very interesting John Deere museum, has public dock for river access, Rock Island Armory, on the river but no river access, must get ground transportation from a marina, if you like the history of firearms this place is incredible, from revolutionary war pistols to atomic cannons)

Keokuk, IA (Superlock, Keokuk yacht club, nicest bunch of down to earth folks on the river)

Hannibal, Mo (Mark Twain hometown, trolly ride to cave and around town, Mark Twain shows, lots of events, most within walking distance of the marina)

Louisiana, Mo (Mark Twain birthplace, nice example of a typical historical river town)

Grafton, Ill (mouth of Illinois river, nice marina, restaurant, winery, ziplines, last stop before Alton.

For our first trip we bought used copies on most every Mississippi river book off of Ebay and Elibris, read them ahead of the trip and brought them in the boat to reference along the way. Most were logs of other peoples trips down the river by steamboat, raft, canoe.
And for sure a copy of Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi”.

Our first trip was without internet, but later trips a wireless card and a laptop enabled us to review the history of each river town as we passed it, and to find free concerts, farmers markets, festivals and other events along the river.

Combining the top notch color Corps of engineers charts with the satellite view on google maps enabled us to find excellent sandbars and behind Island anchorages.

Most often you can find a nice sandy beach for the evening where you can enjoy a campfire, so be sure to bring some sort of bow ladder for easy access.

My suggestion is since you are already on the river and your destination is the gulf coast to just river on down to New Orleans and take the famous Amtrak train (the city of New Orleans back to St. Paul to get your truck and trailer. Then you will have done the entire river. Let me know, as I have some more tips for the lower river.

Tex
 
Well, Tex, you're given me a bit to think about.

What about gas? Active Captain only shows gas at Memphis and Vicksburg. I really do not want to carry a bunch of five gallon gas cans.

Chuck
 
Hi Chuck & Penny,
I've been away from this machine for a spell and am just now catching up to the C Brat news. We live in Guttenberg, IA, which is right on the Miss. River mid-way between Prarie du Chien, WI and Dubuque, IA. We also have plans on floating down river to attend the gathering in Alton, but have yet to figure out the logistics. In any event, it would be great to meet you so I hope you can make our little town one of your ports of call. If the timing works for all of us maybe we can float some of it together. Also, if you'd like, PM me and we can exchange email addresses to keep in contact. When you get relatively close we'll drive up to greet you and if needed, we can shuttle you around to pick up any supplies you may want.

I really can't add too much more information than Tex has shared with you, but if you have any questions please ask. It'll be a fun trip, I'm sure. The Mighty Miss is a fun and interesting river.
Paul & Joni aboard the Joni Lynn
 
This sounds like a great trip, I have a modest amount of envy!

Res Amtrak, both of those legs are first legs so they likely will be on time. But wife and I would likely be sure we have the better part of 24 hours in Chicago between the two legs. The Empire has been badly badly affected by track problems and lack of track capacity. 20 hour delays have not been unheard of.
 
I don't have the link in front of me, but you can download a PDF file of Mississippi River Navigation Charts. (You can probably find the link by just googling it.) Very helpful to have those charts on board. I have an older hard copy I use, but also have the latest version on my iPad. Colby
 
Last we were on the lower river there was marina gas at Greenville, Miss

Unlike the upper River with 28 locks and dams restricting the flow, the lower river flows unimpeded with a steady current in your favor close to 3 mph.

This helps on the mileage but some gas can fuel stops will be required if you want to put the lower Mississippi in your logbook.

Although there is no marina gas, There is a lot of activity at the Vicksberg landing and it is an interesting enough town we spent a couple of days there...
and a ride in someones pickup truck to the gas station a few blocks away is a sure bet. You will find that this hospitality is the norm along the river in the south.

Just downriver from Vicksberg at Natchez you can beach your boat at the spot where a duel went wrong in 1827, broke out into a full fledged brawl and Jim Bowie killed a Louisiana sheriff with his famous knife. He fled arrest to Texas, ended up in the Alamo and the rest is history. Also there are some historical pre Civil war era mansions on the river where you can beach your boat and tour the mansion.

If you stay at or near hull speed and use the current you can keep the "gas can" stops to a minimum.



It is surely worth the effort and if you decide to do the lower river, I can fill you in on all of the "gas can stops" and some other interesting sights and stops.

On our first trip down the lower river we were on a houseboat that had a top speed of only 7 mph in still water and we were able to log 70-100 miles in a day on several occasions pretty effortlessly.

If you are used to coastal navigation, all inland river markers are in statute miles rather that nautical miles

We are planning another headwaters to the Gulf trip in 2017 to mark the 10th anniversary of our first trip.

Or you can go the Tennessee River-Ten-Tom route to Mobile rather than New Orleans, I am told there are lots of marinas with gas, on the water restaurants and activity. A couple of times we almost went that way but went we got to the the Ohio river to hook up to the Tennessee River, I always had a steering malfunction and just could not get the boat to make that left turn towards Paducah. I guess that I read Huck Finn too many times. For me there is always something special about being on the Mississippi river.
 
Judy and I went down the Mississippi in Journey On, from St Paul to Dubuque, Ia. Here's the story: Down the Big Muddy.

Great trip, wrong time of the year, July and August. That's what comes from living in SoCal. Left the truck/trailer in Winona and took to bus back to St Paul and the boat. Rented a car from Enterprise ($10/day, weekends,) to go from Dubuque to Winona to pick up the truck.

Lots of great stuff to see if you've never been there before. The barges and the locks were a lot of fun. Those guys know what they're doing with the tugs and are polite to the little guys.

Boris
 
Thanks Boris. I had a different link, but like the one you shared as one stop shopping. :-) These charts are really good to have. I've only used them on the Mississippi, but they've come in handy. Colby
 
Here is the PDF of the upper MS 0 to 866 free:

http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Portals/4 ... _PAGES.pdf

Twp other sources of information and "Charts" of the upper MS are the Navionics App and the Garmin Blue Charts app. Which includes "Active Captain".

Since a lot of the river ( as most rivers) changes, I would rely on your visual, and the markers, more than any chart per say.

You all got me thinking about our "trip" for the year!
 
I sort of, sort of not, agree with Bob on this. I have found the charts are fairly accurate while on the Mississippi River. You will find that the buoys can sometimes be dragged off course. But Bob is right about keeping your eyes on the visual too. The Army Corps of Engineers tend to keep the main channel dredged, and most the wing dams are marked on the charts. (They don't move!) Unless you are familiar with the waters, I've always followed advice I was given. Always approach the shore straight on, and very slowly. Wing dams have a way of otherwise ruining your day. When the river is high, as with most flowages like this, watch out for logs and other debris and when it's low, be careful of cutting any corners into marinas. And when coming into the locks, stay away from the dams! And stay out of the way of the tows. :-) Sometimes you can follow in behind a local fisherman, but some of those guys can cut it pretty close to wingdams and such, so unless you are right in their wake, and not drawing any more water, be careful! Colby
 
Chuck & Penny

Welcome to the Midwest and the Mighty Mississippi River.

My wife and I have traveled the river from the first dam to Memphis and it is great. We travel the area between St Louis and Wabasha yearly and love it.
As Tex mentioned, the bald eagle museum in Wabasha is great and they have a dock right in front of the place. Also in the town is the restraint that inspired the character in the Grumpy Old Men movie (mile 759).
Further south in Guttenberg, Iowa, great little town, (mile 615) that has a nice marina, neat little pizza joint (Joes Pizza), that also serves great ice cream. By all means call Paul and Joni, two of the nicest people you will ever meet.
When you get to Dubuque, Iowa (mile 580.7) you can stop by Catfish Charlies for a great meal (named one of the best restaurants in the country No. 2 that can be reached by water) or you can enter Ice Harbor (mile 579.7) where there is a floating restaurant right next to the marina. You will also be right next to the National Maritime Museum and Aquarium. The city also has many, many other great things to see and do.
You can't go wrong if you stop in Hannibal Missouri (mile309) and do the Mark Twain and the cave adventures.

There are sand bars all along the Mississippi river if you are into camping out in your craft or there are marinas all along the way.

I would be glad to give you my phone number and e-mail address to assist you in any way we can or answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to seeing you in at the Meet In The Middle Gathering in Alton.

Ken and Pat (Pelican)
 
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