Training & Preparation for Your Adventure

Proper training and preparation will help you achieve a strong finish on the Mississippi River Challenge. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the event details and paddling techniques before July 30th.

This event is not called a “Challenge” for nothing! The route is about 22 miles per day, which should take intermediate level paddlers about 7 or 8 hours including breaks and wait time at the locks. If there are headwinds, that may add time and difficulty depending on wind strength and direction.

Overall, the paddling is easy, but the duration and distance will provide a challenge to many paddlers. Here are some useful training tips and safety information that can help you prepare for the Mississippi River Challenge.

Friends of the Mississippi River will be offering a paddling workshop to Mississippi River Challenge paddlers on June 22 at 6:30pm at Lake Nokomis. New paddlers will have an opportunity to learn the basics and those with more experience will get more advanced paddling tips. Our paddling experts will help you achieve greater comfort with your paddling skills before sending you out on the Mississippi River Challenge. If you would like to attend, please and let us know what type of boat you would like to use for this practice. Boats are generously provided by Hoigaard's for this paddling workshop.

Paddling tips and techniques are listed on the Paddling Tips page.

Make sure that you are fully prepared for the Mississippi River Challenge by visiting the Paddler Packet page and reviewing all of the documents. Here you will find tips on what to pack, route information, event details, and maps.