About the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (MNRRA)
This 54,000-acre park was established by Congress in 1988 encompasses 72 miles along the Mississippi River and surrounding landscape running through the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metro area. The National Park Service owns very little of the land, and works in partnership with 25 local governments, several state agencies and numerous organizations to preserve and enhance the scenic, recreational, historical, cultural, natural, and scientific values of the area, and ensure that commercial uses are consistent with the protection of these globally significant values.
Opportunities for historic, recreational, and scenic touring are plentiful within the MNRRA, which includes segments of three popular recreation corridors:
- The Great River Road National
Scenic Byway travels for 575 miles
through the heart of Minnesota before continuing south through nine more states
to the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi flows through six distinct regions in
Minnesota, each offering unique river experiences and landscapes. Highlighted
by the MNRRA, the Metro Mississippi region runs from Elk River to Hastings
through Minneapolis/St. Paul. For more information, visit www.mnmississippiriver.com.
- The Mississippi River Trail
is Minnesota's first state scenic bikeway and provides opportunities tailored
for bicyclists of all types and ages to follow America's great river.
Minnesota's portion of the ten-state bikeway starts at the river's source in
Itasca State Park and often follows the Great River Road. It also offers a more
intimate river experience, winding over 600 miles along the river and its
various tributaries to the Iowa border. For more information, visit
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/bike/mrt/.
- The Grand Rounds National
Scenic Byway is also a Minnesota State
Scenic Byway. Two of its seven districts, the Downtown Riverfront and
Mississippi River, are within the MNRRA. In addition to creek and river views,
Grand Rounds offers a wealth of interpretive sites and information centers as
well as hiking, biking, skiing and driving paths. For more information, visit www.minneapolisparks.org/grandrounds.
About the Visual Resource Protection Plan
Scenic views are some of the most highly valued resources in the MNRRA. These views are threatened by increasing pressures from land uses associated with urban development. The National Park Service, in partnership with the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, is developing a plan to preserve, protect, and enhance views along the Mississippi River and surrounding area.
For more information about this project, please contact:
Susan Overson, Landscape Architect/Park Planner
651.293.8436
