The Mississippi River is not dangerous until you end up south of St.
Louis and deal with the huge tugs and their wakes, I am told. The best
way to go after Cairo is to cut over to the Tenn-Tombigbee waterway.

The very best part of the trip is from above the locks in Minneapolis
(one is a 48 footer!) down into Iowa, very scenic and doable by just
about any boat you might consider. Take a side trip up the St. Croix,
considered by some to be the best cruising in the Midwest. North of the
Twin Cities is nice, but you have to figure a way to get around the dams
at Coon Rapids, St. Cloud, Little Falls, Brainerd and more. There will
also be some shallows in those stretches in summer that you will not
find south of the Twin Cities.

Charts are downloadable from the US Corps of Engineers. Watch out for
wing dams. There are two kinds of Mississippi boaters, those who have
hit wing dams and those who will. I'm in the first category......

Email me with questions.

Capt. Jeff