Bicycling Guide To The Mississippi River Trail: A Complete Route Guide Along The Mississippi River Review

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(More customer reviews)We used this book as our lifeline for a 5-week bike trip covering over 1750 miles from LaCrosse Wisconsin to New Orleans. No support vehicles, no GPS, just paper maps.
This book has the MRT broken into sections of 75-110 miles with 3 parts in each. Step-by-step direction, map, commentary.
First, the book has excellent step-by-step directions, with a few typos. I remember at least two places where the Right-Left were incorrect. Unfortunately, those same two places did not have MRT signs. I believe one is near the Dorena-Hickman ferry in Tennessee, the other is in Lacrosse Wisconsin. The shoulder info, mileage estimates, and overall quality of these sections is nearly perfect.
Secondly, while the step-by-step directions are generally excellent, the maps are useless. The maps do not show all of the towns (something critical when bike touring) and they don't mention towns that are off route (even if it is only 1/4 mile). When you hit road construction (or any other difficulty), the book leaves you stranded because it shows no cross streets and no parallel roads. The maps simply show a single line with dots showing some of the towns. Sadly, this means you will need to carry other sources.
Finally, each section comes with commentary by Bob. There were a few mistakes in this area too, but it mostly was quite helpful and informative. I actually would have enjoyed these sections more had he listed better traffic/hill commentary, and described a few more unique places. These sections are quite good however.
The book is good, the route isn't great. I would not take this route again, and I wish we had picked a different route. Many sections are barely passable by bike (including most of Missouri and Louisiana). Most of Missouri was under road construction and they seemed to be making less bike friendly. Any roads on the MRT route should have to be up to a specific standard. There are many areas that are simply unacceptable to bike on, even for an experienced rider.
Do not buy this book for the maps, buy it for the step-by-step directions and the commentary. Buy county maps for road construction and to help when you miss turns. The route is not always marked.
Oh, and in Memphis Rob has you go under a "primitive path". This is currently overgrown with kudzu, requiring you to carry your bike over your head for quite some distance. There is an easier way, with a sidewalk and nicely paved shoulder, but it is hard to find via bike. It takes you right to the pedestrian walkway into Arkansas. Also, once across there is a gravel MRT trail which seems to have changed since the book was published. It is gravel, but it works.
Lets hope another version of the book contains better maps, with more lodging listed. In several areas where he lists long stretches without lodging we biked right past hotels or cabins (the cabins were usually a bit pricier than hotels, but could hold more people).
We used the Adventure Cycling Great Rivers South maps along with the MRT guidebook. That helped a lot, but we still needed to pick up local maps at times.
Enjoy your journey. If you want help or advice on any confusing stretches, [...]

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From Itasca State Park in Minnesota, to the southernmost point in Louisiana, on the Gulf of Mexico, Bob Robinson guides you along the designated route of the Mississippi River Trail, turn by turn. The Mississippi River Trail follows the mighty river's entire 2000-mile journey across America's heartland. Whether you are planning on cycling the entire trail across the country or just looking for a weekend adventure, this guidebook includes the services, route directions, bike shops, and maps you need to plan your adventure. The narration accompanying each section of the guidebook includes points of interest and history of the area, so that cyclists can better appreciate the communities and scenery they pass along the route. Many of the quaint picturesque communities along the Mississippi River have long been popular destinations for travelers, and are well equipped to accommodate their needs.So grab your bike and get prepared for the adventure of your life!

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