| State: | MO |
| Type: | MO |
| Route: | 79 |
| Maint: | MoDOT |
| Map Custom: | yes |
| Length Mi: | 86 |
| Tourist: | Little Dixie Highway of the Great River Road |
| Direction B: | North |
| Direction A: | South |
| Terminus B: | in Hannibal |
| Junction: |
|
| Terminus A: | in St. Peters |
| Previous Type: | MO |
| Previous Route: | 78 |
| Next Type: | MO |
| Next Route: | 80 |
Route 79 is a highway in eastern Missouri. Its northern terminus is at Interstate 72/U.S. Route 36 in downtown Hannibal; its southern terminus is at Interstate 70 in St. Peters. The route closely parallels the Mississippi River.
When Route 79 was created in about 1930, it replaced the north–south section of Route 56, which had been created in 1922 between Troy and O'Fallon. The part of Route 56 west of Winfield became an extension of Route 47.
Route 79 had major closures as a result of the Mississippi River floods of 2019 and other recent floods. Its buckling pavement in summer 2019 was attributed to hotter and more erratic climate conditions.[1]