Before I left this northwest corner of Iowa, I got up before sunrise to explore Pikes Peak State Park, renowned for offering premier views of the Mississippi River. The park has over 11 miles of trails of varying difficulty and numerous lookout points with breathtaking views. The most picturesque is at the top of a 500-foot bluff overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers.

In true Louise GlobeTrotter style, you will not be surprised to learn, Dear Reader, that I hiked all the trails, ensuring that I got to see each one of those lookout points, and those views of the Mississippi River did not disappoint.

Father Marquette and Louis Jolliet discovered this region because they were leading an expedition to find and then map the Mississippi River. Accompanying them were five men, and they were travelling with two canoes to find the direction and mouth of the mighty river. Both explorers had different motives for this adventure. Father Marquette was keen to continue his missionary work to spread Christianity, while Louis Jolliet had more commercial pursuits with entrepreneurial goals to expand his fur trade business.

The team entered the Mississippi River via the Wisconsin River near the town of Prairie du Chien and followed it south to the Arkansas River. The mission confirmed that it was possible to travel from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico by water. The expedition resulted in many French names in those cities along the Mississippi and sadly decimated populations of mammals killed for fur in their wake.

So what do we know today about the mighty Mississippi? Here are 12 fun facts* as we leave Iowa and continue our journey following the River up to Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Second-longest river in North America, flowing 2,350 miles.
Starting point: Lake Itasca, Minnesota.
Ending point: the Gulf of Mexico (95 miles below New Orleans, Louisiana).
Narrowest section is 20 feet wide.
Widest section is greater than 11 miles at Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota.
Average surface speed of the water is about 1.2 miles per hour - roughly one-half as fast as people walk.
It takes about three months for water flowing from the headwaters at Lake Itasca to reach the Gulf of Mexico.
At least 260 species of fish — 25% of all fish species in North America — live in the Mississippi River.
326 species of birds use the Mississippi River corridor during their migration.
More than 50 cities rely on the Mississippi for daily water supply.
Sixty percent of all grain exported from the US is shipped on the Mississippi River.
You can drive alongside most of the River - the drive takes about 36 hours to complete.

More Mississippi River fun facts from the National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm