St. Louis to Des Moines

[Trek920]

Helping a friend move from Des Moines to St. Louis later this summer by driving his car down and dropping it off.  Plan is to take my bike down and ride back to Des Moines.  Started scouting routes via Komoot, Garmin Connect, and Google Maps.  Curious if others have made similar trip (either way), route recommendations (including places to avoid), as well as any COVID-19 restrictions on bike travel in Missouri or Illinois.  Browsed forums, but didn't see anything related to this route (hmmm...is that a sign?).  Thanks in advance.  Cheers!

[aggie]

Take a look at the Mississippi River route.  Mississippirivertrail.org

[ZiZohn]

I agree with Agee. I would take the Mississippi River Trail north to Keokuk or Fort Madison. Then jump onto one of the old RAGBRAI routes west that takes you to Des Moines. I live in Iowa also, between Keokuk and Fort Madison. On a side note, I will be up in the Des Moines area next week for a few days, riding out of Jester Park . Love the bike trails in Des Moines area.