In 1673, French-Canadian explorer Louis Jolliet paddled his canoe through the mouth of the Wisconsin River and saw for the first time the Upper Mississippi River and what was to become Iowa. Astonished by the majestic beauty of the broad river and the towering, forested bluffs rising above its west bank, Jolliet wrote that he felt "a joy I cannot express."

This stretch of northeast Iowa Mississippi River valley is almost as spectacular, nearly 330 years after Jolliet's visit. Though repeatedly the victims of logging, the maples, oaks, hickories and aspens have grown back to cloak the rugged slopes in a colorful quilt of autumn color. Grain-laden barge trains and a fleet of pleasure craft cruise the waterway, passing through a chain of locks.

Tiny McGregor, Iowa (60 miles north of Dubuque), makes a perfect base for exploring the region. Founded as a ferry-boat landing, then transformed into a rowdy frontier port boasting 20 saloons, McGregor served as a hub of westward expansion after the Civil War.

Main Street, roughly paralleling the river, still has a 19th-century air about it. Many of the old brick-and-stone storefronts now house antiques shops and galleries. You can overnight along Main in an 1800s settler's cabin, transported down from the bluffs to become part of the Little Switzerland Inn.

Most visitors are drawn to Effigy Mounds National Monument, on a bluff about five miles north of town. The preserve encompasses 191 large burial mounds created by tribes that once lived along the Mississippi. Many of the dirt mounds are shaped to resemble native creatures, such as falcons, turtles and bears. You can hike trails up the bluff to get a good view.

Pikes Peak, the highest point along the Mississippi, rises 500 feet just south of town. Explorer Zebulon Pike named the bluff before lending the same name to a Colorado mountain. From observation platforms at the bluff's edge, you can take in a breathtaking view of the rivers.

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