Welcome to Wabasha, MN, home of the National Eagle Center. Wabasha is located on the Mississippi River, where hundreds of eagles nest in it's backwaters. These waters are part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, which begins at the confluence of the Mississippi and Chippewa Rivers just north of Wabasha and goes south to near Rock Island, Illinois. This refuge of wooded islands, marshes and backwaters was established as a breeding place for migratory birds, fish, and other wildlife and plants.

BIG RIVER ADVENTURES offers customized eco tours of the Upper Mississippi River backwaters, either pool 4 or 5, both of which are part of the refuge. This is a nature lovers and photographers ultimate adventure! Our captains will take you to the isolated areas of the river that most other boats aren't able to navigate. Depending on the time of the year, you will see eagles, eagle nests, eaglets, egrets, herons, tundra swans, white pelicans, beaver, beaver dams, muscrat, turtles, all kinds of ducks, lotuses, lillies, barges, remote sand beaches, and man made islands. Our tours are in a flat bottomed jon boat, with a maximum of 4 people per tour. DON'T FORGET YOUR BINOCULARS AND CAMERA!!