teachme

I been lookin at it online and seems to be cycle friendly. Wondering if anyone has first hand experience on it.

Cyclebum

Well, I waited to see if you'd get an answer from someone who'd actually done the MRT. Maybe you will. Least this will throw it back to the top of the queue.

In the meantime, there's lots of info in journals on CG, including a current one. And there's a book available on Amazon.

Looks to me like a fun ride from either end. I'd probably do it N-S in the Fall. Can't beat Fall for touring anywhere.

simplygib

Wow. Nearly 1400 miles on three Huffys. Judging by the countless breakdowns they experienced, I doubt they'd ever repeat it on those bikes. Looks like an interesting route though.

Cyclebum

Best advice offered was "Don't be a slave to the published route."

robow

I have completed a lot of the 550 miles of the Great River Trail in Illinois ( yea, it's a long state). Many or most parts are very pleasant but there are some long periods without many services when you get north of Quincy, IL. Also the portion along the Ole Miss when you get near East St. Louis is not for the faint of heart.

Yumadons

I'll be doing part of it in Sept. Here's a CGOAB journal of someone doing it now.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?..._id=10609&v=2t

naisme

I did not follow the MRT but did ride along the Mississippi last summer from Minneapolis to St. Louis. I took the WI side of the river. It is very bike friendly on that side of the river. There are road signs reminding drivers to "share the road." The MN side was the most convoluted and poorly marked trail. Living here and having all the bike paths in Minneapolis and environs I thought it would be better than it was, I got lost, ditched the maps and head east to Prescott and followed the river.
It can be a hilly ride, with a lot of river bluffs to climb and coast. It's a beautiful ride. I ran into several places where the river was up, this was early May. WI is very bike friendly as is IL
I have been to IL before, and wanted to see a couple sites, the Dickeyville Grotto(https://dickeyvillegrotto.com/) which is just north of IL, and Fort Apple River (https://www.appleriverfort.org/). There were other sites in IL that I wanted to see so I head across the State to Springfield (Lincoln's tomb, museum), then back across the State to Hannibal. I was able to use several of IL's rails to trails, and once I got to St. Louis I took the Mother of all rails to trails the KATY to Kansas City. So, I haven't really traveled the MRT at all, but along the route crossing and following, and leaving when moved.

Neil_B

And how did the author "melt his camp stove?"

zos

I did a little over 70 miles of the Illinois portion with some friends last month. Like someone said earlier, a few long periods between pockets of civilization where we needed to ride longer than we would have liked before a stop. The path itself varied from excellent, with beautiful views and well maintained to extended stretches on regular roads with cars and potholes. We also were on one nasty stretch that was loose gravel. Overall, not as nice as any of us expected, but still worthwhile.