- Walking Guide now available at the River Action office in Davenport and the Visit Quad Cities office in Moline. It can also be viewed online here.
Welcome to RiverWay – the Quad Cities’ scenic stretch of the Mississippi River with almost 100 miles of area parks, trails and overlooks between the river bluffs. Enjoy America’s most famous river by walking or biking along its paved riverfront trails.
Experience the Mississippi River as it was first discovered, while paddling! The Quad Cities area is rich with water. Paddling conditions on the Mississippi and Rock Rivers are perfect for multi-day excursions with camping access, afternoon urban getaways, and getting in touch with nature for all levels of paddlers. The 45 miles of Quad Cities Water Trails also tie directly into 73 miles of recreational trails for exceptional cycling and hiking.
What reptiles and amphibians can be found at Nahant Marsh?
Numerous reptiles and amphibians call Nahant Marsh their home.
Chorus frogs are the first to begin singing in the spring, their call sounds similar to a person running their fingers over a fine-tooth comb. They can be found breeding in the smaller vernal ponds that fill up with water from snow melt and rains during the early spring.
In terms of mammals, nearly every mammal commonly found in Eastern Iowa or Western Illinois has been observed here, including foxes, bobcats, river otters, weasels, white-tailed deer, beavers, and a healthy population of muskrats.
Nahant Marsh is part of a 513-acre complex of wetlands formed when the Mississippi River changed it’s course and left behind oxbow lakes that gradually began to silt in.
This steel truss railroad bridge is called the Crescent Bridge because of the graceful curve it strikes as it extends outward over the river from the Rock Island. It was opened on January 6, 1900, just three years after the completion of the other railroad bridge in the Quad Cities, the Government Bridge, located about a mile and a half upstream from here.
Become a Member: Join us in protecting our Mississippi River and shared RiverWay!
For over 40 years, River Action members have worked to improve our common RiverWay. We've done this by encouraging greater access to the riverfront, helping build and expand riverfront recreation trails, protecting endangered habitats and cleaning up the river and RiverWay. Your membership supports the mission of a healthier Mississippi River and more vibrant Quad Cities.
Action Membership ($135) – Includes the benefits of a Household Membership, plus 2 tickets to a River Action event. (Choose from Channel Cat Talks, Explore and Seek, Taming of the Slough, Floatzilla, Riverfront Golf Cart Tour.)
Household Membership ($80) – Includes the benefits of an Individual Membership plus discounts on our Annual Fish & Fire Friendraiser Dinner & Upper Mississippi River Conference registrations.
Individual Membership ($50) – Includes a subscription to the 'eddy Magazine', and free Riverine Walks. (Narrated tours by professionals on the Quad City riverfront.)
Student Membership ($25) – Includes a subscription to the 'eddy Magazine' and Free Riverine Walks.