| Cruising the Upper Mississippi River |
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| The Illinois River joins the Mississippi River at Grafton. You will need to fill all your tanks (fuel & water) at Grafton. From Grafton, you will take the Mississippi to the Ohio River and on to the Tennessee or Cumberland rivers, to reach Kentucky Lake and make your way to the Tennessee-Tombigbee route to Mobile Bay. The fuel range required for this leg of your journey is 208 miles. You will have to make it from Hoppies Marina to Paudcah - which is also Mile 0 on the Tennessee river. |
| Cairo is your decision point. If you haven't made up your mind to take the Tennessee Tombigbee by the time you reach Cairo, well, the river's current may make it up for you. |
| "The Water World of America's Heartland" ( Why cruising the Great Loop is much-much more than just a great loop. ) |
| The Mississippi River: Obviously, the Mississippi River had to start somewhere, for Great Loopers, it starts in Grafton, IL. While Grafton is Mile 0 on the Illinois Upper Mississippi River. Cairo is Mile 954 on the Lower Mississippi River. Therefore Grafton is (954 + 219) or 1,173 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and 1,080 to Harvey Lock at the Gulf ICW.. |
| Mississippi River at Cairo |
| The Upper Mississippi: The next big city from Grafton is St. Louis, Missouri, and surprisingly there are no Marinas or good anchorage options in the St Louis area. |
| From Hoppies, and for the next 158 miles or so, you will discover wingdams. Wingdams wing dams on the upper Mississippi River and on the Illinois Waterway. If the river is a little high, you may not see them. If you know what to look for, wing dams can be recognized by the ripples on the surface of the water. |
| You will enter the Chain of Rocks canal at Mile marker 194.1. Do not continue down the river. The canal takes you safely past the hazardous chain of rocks reach of the Mississippi River. It ends at Mile marker 184, experience the hardest and fastest current of your entire voyage. In fact, you will race past the St Louis Arch. It is 184 miles from the Chain of Rocks to the Ohio River. If you average going down river at 9 mph it will take you 13 hours to reach the Ohio River. |
| St Louis Gateway Arch You will cruise by the St Louis Arch on your way between Alton Marina and Hoppies. |
| Kidd River Fuel: This is a diesel fuel stop in Cape Girardeau, Missouri at Mile Marker 51.9. Kidd River delivers fuel by truck and no longer sells gasoline. They also require a 24 hour notice for diesel fuel deliveries. They deliver fuel to a floating dock along the river bank. There are no services of any kind. |
| Wing Dams: locations are marked on your charts and GPS system. Going down the rivers, it is important to know what these are, where they are, and how to identify them. |
Alton Marina
is located at Mile 202 UMR
Alton,
Hoppies Marina
is located at Mile 158.5
Kimmswick,
Your next fuel stops from Hoppies on
the Tennessee - Tombigbee route are
250 miles away.
They are Kentucky Dam Marina, (Mile
marker 22) and Green Turtle Bay
Marina (Mile marker 25) on the
Tennessee river.
Note:
There is no longer a Marina or a fuel
stop in Paducah - but there may be one
by the time you get there,
is located at Mile 202 UMR
Alton,
Hoppies Marina
is located at Mile 158.5
Kimmswick,
Your next fuel stops from Hoppies on
the Tennessee - Tombigbee route are
250 miles away.
They are Kentucky Dam Marina, (Mile
marker 22) and Green Turtle Bay
Marina (Mile marker 25) on the
Tennessee river.
Note:
There is no longer a Marina or a fuel
stop in Paducah - but there may be one
by the time you get there,
| Cairo is Mile 954 on the Lower Mississippi River. Cairo is also Mile 0 on the Upper Mississippi River. |
| Hoppies is a MUST fuel stop |
Believe us . . . Cruising the Lower Mississippi River is not the wonderful romantic easy going adventure it once was. That's not to say it isn't a
fantastic adventure - it is - but for sure, you need to know what to expect. The LMR (Lower Mississippi River) has been plagued with floods, it's banks
have eroded and the result is, there are really only two Marinas along your way. There is but 2 additional places you can reach shore and dock safely.
The Tenn-Tom route however offers a host of Marinas and wonderful convenient places to stop and great tourist attractions to visit.
fantastic adventure - it is - but for sure, you need to know what to expect. The LMR (Lower Mississippi River) has been plagued with floods, it's banks
have eroded and the result is, there are really only two Marinas along your way. There is but 2 additional places you can reach shore and dock safely.
The Tenn-Tom route however offers a host of Marinas and wonderful convenient places to stop and great tourist attractions to visit.
| - Cruising America's Great Loop - Once Around Is Not Enough - |
