Mississippi Trip

[cpditty]

My wife and I are planning a trip down the mississippi in August. What is a reasonable amount of travel per day? We do not want to go FT the entire time as we like the leasure but we will probably open her up occasionally. We will be staying in hotels along the route. Has anyone done this and do you have any tips on making a trip like this successful?

Thanks CP

 

[skolbe]

How far are you going on the Mississippi? You ought to buy a Quimby's if you don't already own one. It will be helpful in finding Marina's along the way. For me personally - after about 130 miles in a day on the river - I am ready for a break. But it depends on the locks and a whole lot of other scenarios. 60 Miles is pretty easy cruising. 25 miles is just a nice 1500 RPM's cruising along the way. You can obviously go further & faster. Below St. Louis - the river has minimal services. People travel in Kayak's all the time - so your boat should be fine.

 

[midtown_towman]

Where are you guys going to start your journey?? Depending on where you put in, there a a lot of great palces to stop-Treasure Island has a great marina and a shuttle to the hotel. Wabasha is a good stop. Skolbe's suggestion to get a Quimby's guide if you don't already have one is good advice. As far as how far, how fast per day, I prefer to drive a little slower and see the sights...but 100+ miles a day is pretty doable depending on the river traffic.

We've made many trips from La Crosse to the Twin Cities-if you have any specific questions about that part of the river, you can PM me and I'll try to help.

 

[cpditty]

We will drop in near Hastings and make our way down river. Quimby's is a great idea, I will pick one up. Any advise on essentials to bring on the trip?

 

[midtown_towman]

Other than a well stocked cooler??? A VHF radio (if you don't already have one) will be helpful for locking through. Otherwise travel light-I'm sure your boat is already set up with most of what you need-safety items, etc. We did similar trips in our 240SD and always seemed to over pack and under utilize...

 

[270SLX]

We've done the trip from the Quad Cities to Lake Pepin three times now and will do it again July 10 - 18. We take two days up and two days down but that's not a "liesurely pace". There are four locks on the first leg of our trip from the QC to Prairie Du Chien and seven between there and Pepin. That's the thing that's hard to plan. I "budget" 25 minutes per lock and that seems about reasonable. You'll wait over two hours at a lock now and then but, especially during the week, you'll breeze through in 15 or less many times.

I figure on cruising an average of 25 mph plus the 25 minutes per lock and figure my time-of-travel by looking at a river chart. We generally eat while waiting for a lock rather than going ashore to a restaurant. But, with a more liesurely pace, you could do that and tour the river towns while you're at it. Study up on the river towns before you go to ensure that you make the best use of your shore time. The Quimby guide is good advice as you need to be aware of the location of shore services and gas docks one way or another.

Have the crew ready for any kind of weather situation and stay alert to ensure that you stay in the channel. Either consult a chart when venturing outside of the channel or follow a local if you dare.

Traveling the Mississippi is a great adveneture!

Dennis

 

[Stray Cat]

There should be a new municipal marina (probably not yet listed in Quimby's) at Guttenberg just below lock 10 where the public boat ramps are. It is a short walk to the downtown area. Should you find yourself in need of accomodations, the Landing is a nice motel right on the river bank...it is a remodeled clam shell button factory.
Pools 10 & 11 are among the prettiest on the river.
Here's a link to learn more if you choose: http://www.guttenbergiowa.net/

Here is another link I use throught the summer for weather forcasts and pool levels.
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ahps2/index.php?wfo=arx

I might add to familiarize yourself with the VHF channels to contact the locks and the bridge of a tow. There are times it is helpful to talk to a tow captain to find out what they want you to do vs. stuffing your boat between a channel marker and his tow.

Take your time and take it all in, or as much as you can. I love river travel and the people you meet along the way.

 

[chuck1]

Never done the Mississippi, but on the TN river or ICW I like to figure 100-125Miles a day max in our 240SD.

 

[billandamy]

I prefer the trip on a raft with a black man named Jim.

 

[AndersonAcres]

I've done the River below St. Louis and SKolbe is right. Minimal services. Get Quimby's and see if you have sufficient fuel to get from service area to service area. We went up the river in a 19' Whaler and had to have extra fuel onboard in gas cans -- even then we had to tie up at small docks, hike up the levy with the gas cans, hitchhike to/from a gas station -- we wouldn't have made it otherwise.

It's a trip I recommend, though. Keep a lookout for debris in the river. Also, the barges below St. Louis seem like they are 5-10 times larger than the upper Mississippi. The tugs are similarly huge, and their wake is formidable.

Have fun.