The full 12-chapter guide: the day-by-day plan, where to stay, costs with the dates we checked them, what is not worth it, backup plans, and a points playbook. You read it online in your PerkJolt library.

Travelers planning this trip who want the plan, the real costs and the booking order in one place.

Does it cover points and miles?

Yes. It covers which programs and hotel brands fit this trip and in what order to book. It does not quote card offers.

Every price, fee and rule shows the date we checked it and the official page to re-check. Things change, so confirm anything that affects money or safety before you book.

Can I get every guide instead?

Yes. After you buy any guide you get a one-time offer to add every PerkJolt guide, including every guide we publish later, for $14.99.

Great River Road: Minneapolis to Memphis

Great River Road: Minneapolis to Memphis: free sample chapter

Read the first chapter free. No email or account required.

Start here

Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. Fees, hours, river levels and road work move around. Every price here carries the date we checked it and the page we checked. If a fact has no stamp, treat it as "typically" and confirm it on the official page we name.

Cover block

The promise: eight days, one car, and the upper Mississippi from the Twin Cities to the blues city, with eagles, bluffs, river towns, a boyhood home, an arch and the Delta.
Trip length: 8 days southbound, one way.
Best months: mid-September to mid-October; late May to August as a second choice.
Budget band: low to mid. Lodging and car are the big lines; verified paid attractions for one adult total roughly $46 if you do all three we priced.
Best for: couples, friends and solo drivers who like small towns, history and scenery more than nightlife.

At a glance

Route: MSP, Red Wing, Lake Pepin and Wabasha, Winona, La Crosse, Effigy Mounds, Dubuque, Galena, Quad Cities, Hannibal, St. Louis, Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, Memphis.
Route body: the Mississippi River Parkway Commission's site says the route runs through 10 states and nearly 3,000 miles [read 2026-10-10 — Mississippi River Parkway Commission site; official for the route designation, not for third-party facts, https://experiencemississippiriver.com/].
Eagle Center: 10am to 4pm daily, closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Day and Easter; adults $14, seniors $12, ages 5 to 15 $10 (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Effigy Mounds: free entry, no pass needed (checked Oct 10, 2026).
River Museum, Dubuque: adult general admission $27.95, youth $20.95, senior $24.95 (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Fenelon Place Elevator: April 1 to November 30, 8am to 10pm, adults $2 one way or $4 round trip, cash only (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Hannibal: the Mark Twain museum says it is open year-round, seven days, closed major holidays; ticket prices were not on the page we opened (checked Oct 10, 2026).
City pointers: Minneapolis /guides/minneapolis/, St. Louis /guides/st-louis/, Memphis /guides/memphis/.