Why You Should Go...

In the middle of a bustling urban setting, this river park offers quiet stretches for fishing, boating, birdwatching, bicycling, and hiking.

The Mississippi River's character changes more throughout the 72 mile (115 km) stretch of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area than anywhere else along its 2,350-mile course. The river enters the northern corridor as a free-flowing prairie river and moves downstream to plunge over St. Anthony Falls and into the river's narrowest gorge.

Eight and one-half miles later, the river exits the gorge to become the country's dominant floodplain river and part of the largest inland navigation system on earth. Through the gorge, the Mississippi drops more than 110 feet, the river's steepest descent anywhere. The river's rapidly changing character explains why the national river and recreation area has such a unique concentration of nationally significant resources.

Why You Should Go...

In the middle of a bustling urban setting, this river park offers quiet stretches for fishing, boating, birdwatching, bicycling, and hiking.

The Mississippi River's character changes more throughout the 72 mile (115 km) stretch of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area than anywhere else along its 2,350-mile course. The river enters the northern corridor as a free-flowing prairie river and moves downstream to plunge over St. Anthony Falls and into the river's narrowest gorge.

Eight and one-half miles later, the river exits the gorge to become the country's dominant floodplain river and part of the largest inland navigation system on earth. Through the gorge, the Mississippi drops more than 110 feet, the river's steepest descent anywhere. The river's rapidly changing character explains why the national river and recreation area has such a unique concentration of nationally significant resources.

What You Should Know...

Open: Year-Round

Cost: Free

Join the park’s Junior Ranger program and pledge to explore, learn about, and protect the Mississippi River. National Park Rangers lead many programs designed just for Junior Rangers and provide unique opportunities help Junior Rangers fulfill their pledge.

Coldwater Spring was added to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area in 2010, with the goal of restoring the landscape to an oak savanna/prairie complex. Since then, volunteers have helped plant over 1,000 trees, shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers. The restoration work is ongoing.

The Mississippi River Visitor Center in the lobby of the Science Museum of Minnesota is open all year. The St. Anthony Falls Visitor Center is located at the Upper St. Anthony Lock and is open seven days a week from Memorial Day to Labor Day and Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in September.

They are mostly an urban/suburban park, but have areas of forest and backwaters where few people visit. The Mississippi River is also a major flyway, so both resident and migratory birds are common. As a result, they have a wide variety of wildlife and much of the wildlife is easily watched.

The Mississippi River is a great place to spot bald eagles. The National Park Service is studying bald eagles to determine the persistence of various chemicals in the upper Mississippi River, the Saint Croix and the Apostle Islands.

Mississippi Park Connection is the park’s principal non-profit partner. They provide opportunities for people to get to and on the river through youth education, community engagement, and environmental stewardship programs that connect people to their national park.