Great River Road Mississippi River: Minneapolis to Dubuque

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Minneapolis

   Minneapolis begins with a waterfall, and it is a small one. St Anthony Falls, on the Mississippi at the heart of the city, is the only major waterfall on the whole river, and its power was what built the town. In the late nineteenth century the flour mills on its banks made Minneapolis the flour-milling capital of the world, and the ruins of the mills still stand along the river, with one of them turned into the Mill City Museum, where an elevator ride takes you through the story of flour and the families who made fortunes from it. The Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1883 for the railway, now carries walkers and cyclists across the river with a view of the falls.

   Read the complete Minneapolis write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Minneapolis is where the day begins. Next is La Crosse.

2. 2. La Crosse

   Grandad Bluff gives La Crosse its postcard view: a limestone headland rising about 150 metres over the city, from which the whole valley lies open, the Mississippi sliding past in several braided channels, the wooded bluffs of Minnesota on the far side, and the Wisconsin river towns lining the shore. On a clear autumn day the colour is extraordinary, the oaks and maples turning red and gold along miles of ridgeline. A road climbs to the top, and the view is free.

   Read the complete La Crosse write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   La Crosse comes up about 256 km into the recorded legs. Next is Dubuque.

3. 3. Dubuque

   Dubuque is an old river city built on a limestone bluff above the Mississippi, in the north-east corner of Iowa, where the state meets Illinois and Wisconsin. About fifty-nine thousand people live here, and the town's history goes back to 1788, when a French-Canadian trader named Julien Dubuque, with the permission of the Meskwaki people who lived here, began mining the lead that lay close to the surface. He died in 1810, and his grave, a stone tower above the river at a site called Mines of Spain, is now a state recreation area with hiking trails and views over the water.

   Read the complete Dubuque write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   The route ends here after 450 km.