The Mississippi Valley Traveler Podcast · Dean Klinkenberg

Tips for Traveling the Great River Road, Part 1

·1 hr 4 min·4 clips

The Mississippi River Parkway Commission dates its birth to 1938, but scenic-road advocates were active nearly 20 years earlier.

1. The Mississippi Valley Traveler Podcast episode “Tips for Traveling the Great River Road, Part 1” follows Dean Klinkenberg from Itasca State Park toward the upper Mississippi River towns. 2. Dean Klinkenberg is the host, and he presents himself as the writer of Mississippi Valley Traveler guidebooks and the Frank Dodge Mystery Series. 3. The episode asks what the Great River Road actually offers beyond a scenic drive, and Dean answers with specific parks, museums, festivals, seasons, and route-planning advice. 4. He says the Great River Road is a “signed route, not a specific highway,” and each of the 10 river states chooses which roads count in its section. 5. He traces the route’s history to 1938, when the Mississippi River Parkway Commission marks its official birth year. 6. He also cites earlier boosters, including Joe Young of Bellevue, Iowa, and Truman Pearson of St. Louis in 1920. 7. Dean reads an early brochure line promising “variety of beautiful scenery, wood drives, lakes, and streams” through a major agricultural and resource-producing region. 8. He describes the upper Mississippi as a place for sunrise, sunset, migration season, overlooks, hiking, biking, paddling, and picnicking. 9. He names specific parks and refuges he would not skip, including Itasca State Park, Wyalusing State Park, Trail of Tears State Park, and Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve. 10. He says Native American history is central to the river corridor and names Effigy Mounds, Cahokia Mounds, and Poverty Point as must-visit sites. 11. He points listeners toward the Waquipi Celebration in July at the Prairie Island Indian Community near Red Wing, Minnesota. 12. He gives a long museum list, including the Forest History Center, Mill City Museum, National Eagle Center, National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, and the World War II Museum in New Orleans. 13. He notes that many locks and dams have viewing areas, public tours, and exhibits about river shipping. 14. He specifically mentions the locks on Arsenal Island in the Quad Cities and the Mel Price Lock and Dam in Alton. 15. He names festivals such as the St. Paul Winter Carnival, Grumpy Old Men Days in Wabasha, Memphis in May, Tugfest, and Oktoberfest in La Crosse. 16. He gives practical travel advice about RV camping, the Mississippi River Trail for bicyclists, paddling outfitters, cruises, and limited public transit. 17. The tone is conversational and list-driven, with Dean moving from broad history into very concrete recommendations. 18. The format mixes a solo travel monologue with direct address, practical asides, and a few self-references to his books and website. 19. People planning a Great River Road trip with notes in hand will get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a tightly edited story rather than route advice will probably skip it.

As heard by us

A measured road guide that values local places, historical context, and the slower work of traveling well.

The Great River Road is framed less like a slogan than a route shaped by towns, small businesses, and local know-how. Dean Klinkenberg shifts from practical travel advice to a case for slowing down, with stops at meat markets and butcher shops, bed and breakfast stays, and other…

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You want a Great River Road guide packed with tips and river history.

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