The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system on the North American continent, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source upstream of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it flows generally south for 2,318 miles to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico.

With its many tributaries, the Mississippi′s watershed between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains drains all or parts of 32 U.S. states, (about 41% of the continental US) and two Canadian provinces. This primary river is entirely within the United States; the total drainage basin is about 1.25 million square miles. Only about one percent to the total drainage is in Canada.

The Mississippi ranks as the fourth-longest river and fifteenth-largest river by discharge in the world.

The word Mississippi, originates from the Algonquin word Misiziibi which means, A river spread over a large area. The Ojibwe natives refer to is as Gichiziibi or Kichizibi, meaning, Great river. Europeans translated the native words to mean, Father of Waters.

The word Missouri is an Algonquian word which means, River of the Big Canoes. Ohio is derived from the Iroquois word which means, Good River.

Leaving Lake Itasca, the Mississippi river flows under the first bridge, a foot bridge which is about forty feet across, then along the parking lot, next, it leaves the Itasca State Park and soon comes to travel along a road, one which has come to be know as The Great River Road.

The Great River Road, although it is a collection of state and local roads within ten separate states, the roadway designation and name changes often. Nevertheless, this contiguous roadpath has become a nationally recognized roadway which follows the Mississippi River from its source in Minnesota to its mouth in Louisiana, and most often along both sides of the Mississippi River.

While crossing through the Interior Lowlands Region in the northern states and the Coastal Plains Region in the southern state, the Mississippi River either borders or passes through ten states, which ten states will be the subject of the galleries in the Pathway section below.

This entire multi-state highway is marked with a special sign, a green and white sign that has a riverboat pilot′s wheel, which in the center of that wheel is a drawing of a riverboat and on the main body of the wheel are the words, Great River Road together with the name of the State where the current highway is located.

Furthermore, this road is designated as a National Scenic Byway or an All American Road in each of the states that it traverses, which in alphabetical order are: Arkansas (AAR); Illinois (AAR); Iowa (AAR); Kentucky (AAR); Louisiana (AAR); Minnesota (AAR); Mississippi (NSB); Missouri (NSB); Tennessee (AAR); Wisconsin (AAR).

Historically, the length of the Mississippi was recorded as 2,552 miles.

Mouth of Lake Itasca, Minnesota

Head of Passes Light near Gulf of Mexico

The Mississippi River has about 250 tributaries.

Arkansas River. Right: Canadian, Cimarron

Illinois River. Right: Kankakee, Des Plains, Du Page, Fox, Spoon, La Moine

Missouri River (Go back to the Riverways Index)

Ohio River. Right: Allegheny, Scioto, Wabash

Red River. Right: Prairie Dog Town Fork Red River

Right: Minnesota, Iowa, Des Moines, White-Black,

Left: St. Croix, Chippewa, Wisconsin, Rock, Kaskaskia, Yazoo

Atchafalaya

Bayou Lafourche

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Iowa

Illinois

Missouri

Kentucky

Tennessee

Arkansas

Mississippi

Louisiana