Walking the Big River Crossing in Memphis felt like stepping into a postcard--except the breeze was real, the sun was setting, and my legs were definitely getting a workout. It starts off pretty normal: a bridge, some signs, people with strollers and bikes. Then, a few steps in, you look left and boom--there's the mighty Mississippi just doing its thing, rolling slow and wide like it knows it's the star of the show. Look right, and the Memphis skyline's just casually posing for every photo you take, no filter needed. Halfway across, I realized something weird: I was crossing state lines on foot. Tennessee behind me, Arkansas ahead. No tolls, no border guards--just a bunch of joggers and one guy playing country music out of a Bluetooth speaker strapped to his backpack. As the sun dipped, the lights kicked on--thousands of little LEDs blinking across the bridge like it was throwing its own party. It felt like magic. A peaceful, riverfront, light-show kind of magic. Five stars for turning a simple walk into a memory I'll probably brag about way too often. read more

Memphis, TN. If you have an hour or so this is a pretty cool walk. The walkway offered up some pretty impressive vistas of the Mississippi. The walk is lengthy but never strenuous. I found the restroom on the Arkansas side, its two porta-potties behind a bunker wall. Surprisingly, they were clean. You can see the blue outhouses from the area above after you leave the bridge. I did not see restrooms on the Tennessee side, but I may have missed it. It would be real cool if they put a piano at the center of the span like they did on the bridge in Austin, TX. read more

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The Big River Crossing bridge is a straight shoot great for running, walking and biking with a view of the Mississippi River and breezy draft. read more

Pro-tip: Big River Crossing is a must when visiting Memphis. The foot path crosses the mighty Mississippi River where you can see riverboats, barges, and freight trains in action. You can also soak in scenic views of Downtown Memphis & the Hernando de Soto/M bridge and walk right across the Tennessee/Arkansas state line. read more

Big River Crossing - Hiking Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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The bridge is a little hard to find but worth it if you manage to come across it. If you're taking the River path (going through all the waterfront parks - Tom Lee park, ashburn-coppock park, martyrs park), there's no direct access to it and it's blocked by gates, so you need to exit the parking lot and walk past the news station and church and then you'll be at the beginning of the bridge. Once you start walking out towards the middle you'll be able to be in both Tennessee and Arkansas at the same time as the state line is technically over the Mississippi River. From the lookouts you'll be able to see the Memphis skyline and the bass pro pyramid in the distance. read more

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AMAZING! This was one of the most fun activities we did on our trip to Memphis. The walk across the Mississippi River is a shade under a mile (one way) and would be great stroll when the weather is good. There is a marker that denotes the state lines between TN and AR (great for a photo opp) and you can clearly see the Pyramid of in the distance. I would recommend this activity for folks who want to stretch their legs and visit 2 states in the span of an hour! read more

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This is a nice, easy walk across a bridge spanning the Mississippi River. I believe the distance is about one mile each way. About halfway across, you reach the state line so you can find yourself in both Arkansas and Tennessee at the same time. It's a popular photo opportunity and there's a little sign marker indicating the spot. The views are very nice as you cross. You can see much of downtown Memphis looking east and nothing but land and trees on the Arkansas side. There are lots of closed circuit cameras and alarm buttons along the walking path so that's a nice security feature. The walk is populated by plenty of normal folks looking for a nice stroll or some exercise. There's a parking lot on the Memphis side of the bridge. I don't know if there is any parking on the Arkansas side but I assume so. This is well worth visiting. You might as well visit this bridge so you can work off some calories and grab some excellent views at the same time. read more

Big River Crossing - Looking east toward Memphis while on the bridge. - Hiking Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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The one thing I wanted to do for sure when I visited Memphis last week with friends was walk the bridge. We did it the last morning before breakfast. There is not any real close parking for handicap to the base of the bridge. One of my friends has a walking issue so that was a problem for us. But we managed. You can park in Martyr park there on the Mississippi River and walk around to the bridge. which would not normally be a problem but... But once on the bridge it was a great walk across the Mississippi. There is signage indicating when you leave Tennessee and enter Arkansas which make great photo opportunities. The walking section is not very wide and used by bicycles and walkers so you need to be careful. But it is very well constructed and a great experience. Was so glad I got to cross it off my bucket list. read more

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Rounding up a star because I visited on a rainy day with very limited time, but I know on a sunny day it's beautiful. My cousin-in-law bikes this trail across the river from Mud Island, so you can access from there. I wanted to set feet on Arkansas ground, so we went to that entrance. It kinda scared me getting here. I'm from the mid-Atlantic region and have seen too many movies and PBS specials about terrible things happening in the "country" in the south. As soon as you cross the river there's nothing around. You wind around an exit ramp down a back access road to get up under the bridges. For some reason you have to drive several minutes into AR wilderness before you can wind back around toward the Mississippi. Anyway, then it becomes a mix of paved and dirt road, just creeped me out. The preservation and new trail construction up under the bridges was very cool. It appears the train bridge is still functional, though we didn't see a train pass. Port-a-potties available just off parking lot. I didn't see dog poo bags anywhere. Great opportunities for beautiful views when weather is nice. read more

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You definitely feel safe here, whether or not you actually are. Lots of cameras and signage to indicate that security watch. For what it is, it's made very well, structurally sound, and the fact that it's covered and the right height to keep children safe is five stars from me. Definitely worth visiting, from either side! read more

Big River Crossing - The Middle! - Hiking Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Extremely nice and well kept walking trail. Will definitely be our go to for our walks and runs. It's a 7 mile loop but we did not do the full 7 miles. read more

Big River Crossing - Views - Hiking Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

I visited on a Friday fall evening within minutes of sundown. I parked on the Memphis side and the "TV station parking lot" that is often mentioned was closed and secured, so I parked on the street - it looked like that might not be kosher at some times of the day, but there was another car that did so and I crossed my fingers since it's a tourist attraction and all. (Crossing fingers works, as all who paid attention in school know.) I thought sunset would be a scenic way to enjoy the bridge walk, but it should be stated that (at least at this time of year) the sun sets southwest of the bridge and you're on the north side, so your photos will be obstructed by the bridge fencing which is a little disappointing. But if your goal is to have a nice time and not to grab some pretty photo it's not a big deal. Maybe sunrise offers a better scene? I don't know, wake up early, try it out, and lemme know. One nice thing about visiting at this time is that you will see the transition into the evening and the Memphis lights come on. You're not going to confuse this with Times Square & to be honest you're at a pretty far distance (as others' photos will show) so level-set your expectations. I think it's less the views you get on this mile walk as the feels, walking over the waters into the greenery nowhere that is the Arkansan side, kind of a shirking of all your hangups. But then it's getting dark when you're heading back to Tennessee, so nobody can see when you've rejoined society. Just how I like it. Best of all, you get to brag you've walked over the longest pedestrian walkway above the mighty Mississippi. Believe me, I'm bragging about it, and you can too. C'mon, be a bragger! read more

Note: Map pointer is off, searching "Harahan Bridge" on Google will get you closer. I've suggested a map pointer update, but it may not have happened (yet). Walk across this bridge and you can say you crossed a river, on foot (or bike), into another state. I can't think of too many places to do that, and it was a first for me. Some cool videos at the official website too (of the lights). Nice that there was a chemical toilet, at least on the east (TN) side. Did not make it off the bridge on the Arkansas side, as it was getting too close to 10PM, closing time, and we were not sure what would happen. We wanted to get off the bridge and back downtown. Saw a couple of police cars, also on TN side near closing, and wondered if they were there to escort people off and/or lock the gate? So the bridge is very cool at night, and all the night pictures confirm that. Those "more than 100,000 Philips LED lights" are quite amazing. So very cool, walkable, bikeable, destination. Would have liked to explore more of the Arkansas side, but that will have to wait until next time. Looks like a great trail system. Since I only spent about an hour there, can't quite go 5 stars, but it's definitely worth a visit. Bottom line: Don't get here too close to closing, you'll regret it. PS. Oddly enough, this yelp page has a better map, and pointer - https://www.yelp.com/biz/big-river-crossing-memphis read more

Big River Crossing - Hiking Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

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Crossing any state line by foot (or bicycle) has a geeky charm to it. When the state line is what separates the east coast from the Midwest in the middle of the Mississippi River, this is an awesome thrill. To me, this is the most underrated thing on the memphis tourist list. However, on a lovely day, you can park along the river bank and cross a mile long bridge on foot or bicycle. The entire walkway is covered so of it's raining a bit, that may just add to the charm as you see drops pm the river. read more

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After having some BBQ I decided to walk to Big River Crossing the other side of the Mississippi and back. Parking was convenient and according to the signs that it was being video monitored or recorded. It was nice crossing the river, there was plenty of room. The bridge offers some spectacular views of downtown Memphis. If you like sound of the train, then this is the place for you if the trains are crossing. On the Arkansas side there were some porta-potties. I hiked across and back. I highly recommend it, if you want some good pictures of downtown, Bring a camera. read more

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Nice walk... and you can check off another state that you visited! Walking from Tennessee to Arkansas, we did in the morning... it might be better to do that route after the sun passes noontime because it wouldn't be so hot...! read more

Great attraction! Plenty of free parking (weekday morning) with relatively few visitors. We spent a leisurely 1.5 hours ambling to the Ark end and back. Bonus attraction is to watch the rebuilding of the adjacent RR bridge. The Crossing is built atop what was formerly used for auto traffic many decades ago. A few remnants of the auto traffic days can be found at the west end of the Crossing where you will also find picnic tables. Bonus 2: large portions of the Crossing are under cover. Bonus 3: the view is to the north, putting the sun behind you. And, of course, there is the glorious view of the river and downtown. read more

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This was really cool. A neat little addition to Memphis. I've never been in this area so it was neat to explore. I parked on the side of the street, everyone does. Hopped out and just started walking. It was cold so we only did 1 mile but it was nice! Everyone was friendly and it was a beautiful view of the city. Biking is permitted and so are dogs but be respectful of pedestrians on the bridge. Enjoy! #choose901 read more

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What's not to like about this? You walk across the Mississippi River. Great views of river and downtown Memphis, very popular with walkers, runners, and bikers, all of whom seem to respect each other's space. No extra bells or whistles, just a nicely constructed metal pedestrian bridge along side the railroad tracks. Particularly special for us who live down river where there is no such option. read more

Loved this. The Mississippi River up close and personal. Lots of people enjoying the weather yesterday and this fairly new (5 years old) pedestrian walkway adjacent to train lines all the way across the 1 mile wide Mississippi River AND BACK. No place to exit on Arkansas side. We parked in Martyrs Park. Husband on electric mobility scooter. No problems!! read more

I am a giant fan of the Big River Crossing. The sunsets are amazing and the bridge is super nice especially at night because the lights are beautiful. The bridge is a great addition to our city. They put bikes you can rent at the bottom so if you wanted to ride over to Arkansas you could! I love seeing families out and people walking their dogs across the bridge! I'm proud of our city! read more

Big River Crossing - Hiking Near Me - Memphis, Tennessee

Very cool new Memphis attraction. The crossing is the longest public pedestrian/bike bridge across the Mississippi River, with great views of the river and the Memphis skyline. It connects Main Streets in Memphis to West Memphis, Arkansas. You can walk it or bike it. Street parking nearby. Once you get over to West Memphis you can go eat at the original Panchos. Right at 1 mile to cross it. Don't forget to bring your camera! read more

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Excellent place to take family and spend an hour walking/biking. There are picture spots, which are great. Bikes and pets are allowed. Trains do pass by pretty close, but they go in slow speed. Sometimes you can goat them to blow the horn. Warning, they are loud. read more

Do you think you could post a sign on how to find the parking lot. That's a (1). (5) for actual bridge walk. read more

This was a good place to go while in Memphis. My husband and I rented a bike and rode across the Mississippi River into Arkansas. We felt like kids again! In my opinion it's better to ride a bike. The bike rental was $5 for an hour. There weren't many people on the crossing which made it even better! read more