Great River Road
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge - IA, IA

At 260 miles, the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the Lower-48's longest refuge, running from upriver of Wabasha, Minnesota southward to just upriver of Rock Island, Illinois. It contains over 230,000 acres of wooded islands, marshes, and waterways. There are many recreation opportunities along this refuge, including bird watching, environmental education, camping, and hunting and fishing in designated portions of the refuge. A number of the "pools" which make up lengthy segments of the refuge can be particularly productive for bird watching, including Pool 9, running along the NE corner of Iowa. Waterfowl and eagles can be present in impressive numbers in season.