The RV Guide to the Great River Road (Digital Edition)
Follow the Mississippi from Source to Sea — in Your Own Rig
The Great River Road runs more than 2,000 miles through 10 states, from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. It's one of America's great bucket-list RV drives. This 212-page digital guide from Mike and Jennifer Wendland (RVLifestyle.com and RVCommunity.com) shows you how to drive it with confidence: every turn, scenic detour, campground and roadside gem.
Whether you drive a 40-foot motorhome, a travel trailer or a camper van, and whether you travel solo or with a caravan, you'll know where your rig fits, where to stay and what's worth stopping for.
Why RVers Love This Guide
- Rig-aware routing: honest clearances, narrow historic bridges, two-lane bluff roads, and when to unhook your toad instead of taking a big coach into an old downtown.
- Ready-made 6-week itinerary: or two 3-week trips, so you can do the Upper and Lower river in separate seasons.
- Campground directory: picks for every major stop, with notes on pad length, hookups and dump stations.
- Local food guide: wild rice and walleye in Minnesota, Quad Cities pizza, St. Louis ribs, Delta tamales and New Orleans beignets.
- Practical stops: big-rig diesel, groceries, propane and regional 511 travel alerts.
10 Region-by-Region Chapters
- Bemidji and the Headwaters: Lake Itasca, Paul Bunyan and Babe, logging history
- Minneapolis and St. Paul: Minnehaha Falls, Stone Arch Bridge, Mill Ruins, river cruises
- The Driftless Area, Quad Cities and the Amana Colonies: Arsenal Island, locks and dams, German settlements
- Hannibal, Missouri: Mark Twain's boyhood home, show caves, river bluffs
- St. Louis: Gateway Arch National Park, the Missouri-Mississippi confluence, the Clydesdales
- Memphis: Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, the Peabody ducks, Graceland
- Vicksburg: National Military Park, the USS Cairo ironclad, floodwall murals
- Natchez and the Natchez Trace: high bluffs, Emerald Mound, antebellum history
- New Orleans: the French Quarter, steamboat jazz cruises, the WWII Museum, classic eats
- Plantation Country, Swamps and the Delta: Whitney and Laura plantations, bayou tours, coastal marshes
What You Get
- Instant digital download, 212 pages
- Read on your phone, tablet or laptop, at home or on the road
- Written by full-time RV travelers who drove the route
Prefer a printed copy? The print edition is coming soon. Look under Print Editions in the shop menu.
Customer Reviews
We used the RV Travel Guide for our fall road trip and it honestly saved us weeks of planning. The daily routes were laid out so clearly that we never had to wonder what came next. We avoided backtracking, saved on fuel, and loved the campground suggestions. Every stop felt intentional and easy. It took the stress right out of the trip.
As a solo traveler, I used to worry about choosing the wrong route or
missing something important. This guide completely removed that
stress. I just followed the plan and enjoyed the ride. I saw places I
would have driven right past. It gave me confidence and peace of
mind.
The campground recommendations alone were worth the price. Easy access, big-rig friendly, and close to the attractions. We did not waste time driving around searching for a place to stay, and we avoided overpriced tourist parks. That saved us both time and money.
We saved more money than we expected because the routes were
efficient and the overnight stops were well thought out. No
unnecessary detours, no expensive last-minute campground decisions. We
felt like we were traveling with an expert who had already done the
research.
I cannot believe how many hidden gems we would have missed without
this guide. Scenic overlooks, charming small towns, local attractions
we never would have found on our own. It made our trip feel curated
and intentional rather than random.
"We are relatively new to RV travel and this guide removed all the anxiety. The daily driving distances were realistic, the stops made sense, and the campground tips were extremely helpful. We spent more time enjoying and less time worrying."
It felt like having someone experienced guiding me the entire way.
The routes were scenic and logical, and I did not have to spend hours
on Google trying to piece together a plan. I saw more, drove smarter,
and stayed in great campgrounds.
For what you get, these RV eBooks are an incredible value. They saved
us countless hours of research and helped us avoid mistakes that can
get expensive fast. We followed the route exactly and it turned into
one of our best RV adventures ever.