The Mississippi River Trail (abbreviated MRT) is a designated bicycle and pedestrian trail that traverses the shores of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. The trail extends from the headwaters at

Lake Itasca Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake, approximately in area. Located in southeastern Clearwater County, in the Headwaters area of north central Minnesota, it is notable for being the headwater of the Mississippi River. The lake is in Itasca Sta ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

to near the mouth of the river in

Venice, Louisiana Venice is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 162. It is south of New Orleans on the west bank of the Mississippi River at . It is t ...

. Much of the trail’s follows roadways used by motor vehicles, although some of the route is on multi-use trails. The segment in Minnesota has been designated as U.S. Bicycle Route 45 (USBR 45), part of the U.S. Bicycle Route System.

Designation and signage

The Mississippi River Trail route marker is based on a 2012 design that the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

(FHWA) has allowed several states, including

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfo ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to t ...

, to use as U.S. Bicycle Route markers. The design features a green background with a white triangle and a bicycle symbol. However, the Mississippi River Trail's marker bears the abbreviation "MRT" in place of a numeric route designation. The portion of the Mississippi River Trail in

was designated as U.S. Bicycle Route 45 in 2013. Long-range plans call for the rest of the MRT to be designated as USBR 45, and for the southernmost segment near

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

concurrently designated as USBR 51. By the time the

Minnesota Department of Transportation The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT, ) oversees transportation by all modes including land, water, air, rail, walking and bicycling in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The cabinet-level agency is responsible for maintaining the state ...

(MnDOT) successfully proposed designating the MRT as USBR 45, planning for the trail was already well underway. Local trail partners did not want to spend additional funds and weaken the MRT brand by installing the USBR signs a requirement for USBR designation alongside the MRT signs. MnDOT secured approval from the Federal Highway Administration to display only the MRT shield for the time being.

Route description

The trail is divided into three sections: Northern, Central, and Southern. In some locations trails are along both sides of the river.

Northern section

Minnesota

Minnehaha_Trail_north_entrance_Minneapolis_June_2020

The MRT begins at

Itasca State Park Itasca State Park (pronounced eye-ta-ska) is a state park of Minnesota, United States, and contains the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The park spans of northern Minnesota, and is located about north of Park Rapids, Minnesota and from Ba ...

, near the headwaters of the river. Itasca State Park also contains more than of paved biking trails. After it leaves the park, the MRT winds north along the river, traversing county roads to the city of

Bemidji Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making i ...

. Here the main trail connects to a number of city and regional trails. From Bemidji, the MRT heads southeast along the Paul Bunyan Trail, a state-developed rail-trail conversion. This paved trail extends from Bemidji to Brainerd. From Brainerd, the MRT follows county roads, some with marked bike lanes and some with paved shoulders, through the cities of Little Falls and St. Cloud. South of St. Cloud, the surroundings become more urban as the rider approaches the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in statu ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with list of lakes in Minneapolis, thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. ...

and

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

. The route through the two cities passes the

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is a and protected corridor along the Mississippi River through the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro in the U.S. state of Minnesota, from the cities of Dayton and Ramsey, to just downstream of ...

that includes St. Anthony Falls, Minnehaha Falls Regional Park, and

Fort Snelling State Park Fort Snelling State Park is a state park of the U.S. state of Minnesota, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. For many centuries, the area of the modern park has been of importance to the Mdewakanton Dakota people who c ...

, among other protected areas and parks. In Minneapolis, MRT segments appropriate the established Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway trails and Minnehaha Trail. South of St. Paul, the MRT passes through several smaller cities before reaching

Lake Pepin Lake Pepin is a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River on the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is located in a valley carved by the outflow of an enormous glacial lake at the end of the last Ice Age. The ...

. The route passes through Wabasha and

Winona Winona, Wynona or Wynonna may refer to: Places Canada * Winona, Ontario United States * Winona, Arizona * Winona, Indiana * Winona Lake, Indiana * Winona, Kansas * Winona, Michigan * Winona County, Minnesota ** Winona, Minnesota Winon ...

on its way to the Wisconsin state line.

Wisconsin

The Wisconsin section of the MRT begins at Prescott and continues along the eastern side of the river all the way to Illinois. The section north of

Prairie du Chien Prairie du Chien () is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,506 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is 53821. Often referred to as Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien was est ...

primarily follows the

Great River Road The Great River Road is a collection of state and local roads that follow the course of the Mississippi River through ten states of the United States. They are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Miss ...

, while the section south follows various state and county highways. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has prepared an online publication, ''The Great River Road Mississippi River Trail Bicycle Map: A Guide for Cycling Along Wisconsin's Great River'', which offers a detailed section by section guide of the Wisconsin route complete with road maps, services, campgrounds and route descriptions.

Iowa

Central

Illinois

Missouri

Kentucky

Southern

Tennessee

The trail enters Obion County from Kentucky along State Route 157 (SR 157) and then turns right onto SR 22 traveling southwesterly. The trail goes along the eastern boundary of

Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge is a part of the U.S. system of National Wildlife Refuges consisting of an area of Northwest Tennessee and Western Kentucky that consists primarily of a buffer zone around Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee's only large natu ...

. Near Samburg, the trail turns right onto SR 21 and follows the south shore of

Reelfoot Lake Reelfoot Lake is a shallow natural lake located in the northwest portion of the U.S. state of Tennessee, in Lake and Obion Counties. Much of it is swamp-like, with bayou-like ditches (some natural, some man-made) connecting more open bodies of wate ...

. It also passes near

Reelfoot Lake State Park Reelfoot Lake State Park is a state park in the northwest corner of Tennessee in the United States. It encompasses Reelfoot Lake and is situated in Lake and Obion counties. The park itself makes up , divided into ten sections around the lake. A ...

. The trail enters into Lake County and turns left onto Bluebank Road, right onto Wynnburg–Keefe Road, left onto Madie Church to Keefe Road, right onto Madie Thompson Road, left onto Madie Road, and right onto Gratio Road, entering the town of Ridgely, Tennessee. Through Ridgely, the trail travels along Poplar Street, Main Street, and Depot Street (Levee Road). From here, the trail travels along SR 181, also known as Great River Road. The trail enters Dyer County and crosses over Interstate 155 (I-155). It continues south on SR 181 for several miles until it crosses over the

Forked Deer River The Forked Deer River system is the main drainage of the central portion of West Tennessee. Locals pronounce the first word of the river's name with two syllables, as in “Forkéd” (). The Forked Deer consists of various streams designated ...

and into

Lauderdale County, Tennessee Lauderdale County is a county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Tennessee, with its border the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,143. Its county seat is Ripley. Since the antebellum years, it has ...

. From here, the trail continues east on SR 88 and turns right onto Porter's Gap Road. Then the trail turns right onto Edith–Nankipoo Road and right onto Hobe Webb Road, traveling near the

Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge Chickasaw National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located along the Mississippi River in the northwestern part of Lauderdale County in West Tennessee. The area is noted for a diversity of wildlife, notably white-tailed deer, wild ...

. The trail turns left onto Chisholm Lake Road, right onto Craig School Road (turning into Turkey Hill Road), and then left onto SR 19. Then the trail turns right onto Lightfoot Luckett Road then right onto SR 87, then left onto SR 371. The trail turns right onto Cooper Creek Road and then right onto U.S. Route 51 (US 51), crossing into Tipton County over the

Hatchie River The Hatchie River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 3, 2011 river in northern Mississippi and southwestern Tennessee. It is of considerable geographic, cultural, a ...

. Continuing south along US 51, the trail turns right onto Leigh's Chapel Road, left onto Flat Iron Road (turning into Simmons Street), right onto Murphy Avenue (turning into Bride Road), left onto Garland Drive, and right onto Garland Detroit Road (turning into Detroit Road, then Jamestown Road, then Randolph Road), following the top ridge of the 2nd

Chickasaw Bluff The Chickasaw Bluff is the high ground rising about above the Mississippi River flood plain between Fulton in Lauderdale County, Tennessee and Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee. This elevation, shaped as four bluffs, is named for the Chick ...

. Passing through the town of

Randolph, Tennessee Randolph is a rural unincorporated community in Tipton County, Tennessee, United States, located on the banks of the Mississippi River. Randolph was founded in the 1820s and in 1827, the Randolph post office was established. In the 1830s, the tow ...

, the trail turns right onto Needham Road and right onto SR 59. The trail then turns south onto Richardson Landing road, turns right onto Pryor Road (turning into Bluff Road), and makes a left in order to stay on Bluff Road. The trail turns right onto Quito–Drummonds Road and right onto Ray Bluff Road, entering Shelby County. The trail continues south along Ray Bluff Road (turning into New Bethel Road), right onto Bass Road, right again onto New Bethel Road, right onto West Union Road, right onto Herring Hill Road, and straight onto Riverbluff Road (turning into Bluff Road). The trail travels along the ridge of the 3rd Chickasaw Bluff and passes through

Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park is a state park in Shelby County, Tennessee near Memphis, located in the Southeastern United States. The park borders the Mississippi River and contains two lakes— Poplar Tree Lake and Lake Piersol. The Mee ...

. In the community of

Shelby Forest, Tennessee Shelby Forest is an unincorporated community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The area is located roughly twelve miles north of Downtown Memphis, just west of the Millington area and north of Frayser. The area includes the former co ...

, the trail turns right onto Benjestown Road, right onto Island Forty Road (turning into Ramsey Road), and right back onto Benjestown Road. Then the trail turns left onto South Circle Road (turning into East Circle Road), right onto Northaven Drive, and right onto SR 388 (North Watkins Street), passing through the Northaven area and crossing over the

Loosahatchie River The Loosahatchie River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 3, 2011 stream in southwestern Tennessee. Except for a few miles near its head, its mouth, and near the ...

into the Frayser community of Memphis. Once in Memphis, the route turns right onto Millington Road, right onto Carrolton Road, left onto Benjestown Road, and right onto Whitney Avenue, passing by General DeWitt Spain Airport and over the Wolf River. The trail turns south onto North Mud Island Road (turning into Island Drive) and passes through the Harbortown neighborhood. Then the trail turns left onto A.W. Willis Avenue over Wolf River Harbor, right onto Front Street (passing next to the

Pyramid Arena The Memphis Pyramid, formerly known as the Great American Pyramid and the Pyramid Arena, is a building located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States, at the banks of the Mississippi River. Built in 1991 as a 20,142-seat arena, the facili ...

), passes under

I-40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west Interstate Highway running through the south-central portion of the United States. At a length of , it is the third-longest Interstate Highway in the country, after I-90 and I-80. From west to eas ...

and the

Hernando De Soto Bridge The Hernando de Soto Bridge is a tied-arch bridge carrying Interstate 40 across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Tennessee. The design is a continuous cantilevered cable-stayed steel throug ...

, turns right onto Jefferson Avenue, and left onto Riverside Drive, entering

Downtown Memphis Downtown Memphis, Tennessee is the central business district of Memphis, Tennessee and is located along the Mississippi River between Interstate 40 to the north, Interstate 55 to the south and I-240 to the east, where it abuts Midtown Memphis. It ...

. From here, the trail continues south on Riverside Drive, passing by Mud Island, the MATA Trolley riverfront loop, and the South Bluffs neighborhood. The trail goes along the paths in

Tom Lee Park Tom Lee Park is a city park located to the immediate west of downtown Memphis, Tennessee, overlooking the Mississippi River. Encompassing about parallel to the Mississippi River for about , it offers panoramic views of the Mississippi River ...

and the Riverwalk Trail system in Downtown Memphis. After this, the official trail is unclear. According to the MRT website, the trail travels under the

Harahan Bridge The Harahan Bridge is a cantilevered through truss bridge that carries two rail lines and a pedestrian bridge across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. The bridge is owned and operated by Union Pacifi ...

and the

Frisco Bridge The Frisco Bridge, previously known as the Memphis Bridge, is a cantilevered through truss bridge carrying a rail line across the Mississippi River between West Memphis, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee. Construction At the time of the Memphis br ...

, up the side of the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, and onto a sidewalk on the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge. A route following the South side of the Memphis-Arkansas bridge from E.H. Crump park has been documented. Construction has been completed on a multi-use trail for pedestrians and cyclists along the north side of the Harahan bridge.

Arkansas

Mississippi

Louisiana

References

External links

Mississippi River Trail Map of Parks, Trails and Points of Interest - IMTrails
{{Wisconsin hiking trails Bike paths in Arkansas Bike paths in Illinois Bike paths in Iowa Bike paths in Louisiana Bike paths in Minnesota Bike paths in Missouri Bike paths in Wisconsin Long-distance trails in the United States Mississippi River