Large canoes and crews paddle down the river amidst autumnal color.
The park often uses big, safe Voyageur canoes in our programs. NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman

Mississippi National River & Recreation Area

National Recreation Area · Minnesota · National Park Service

In the middle of a bustling urban setting, this 72 mile river park offers quiet stretches for fishing, boating and canoeing, birdwatching, bicycling, and hiking. And there are plenty of visitor centers and trails that highlight the fascinating human history of the Mississippi River. This a great place to start your exploration of this important river.

Plan your visit

Trails & hiking

Biking · Mountain Biking · Hiking

Know before you go

Phone
651-293-0200
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

Things to do

Highlights: Arts · Photography · Dams · Forts · Industry · Mills · Music · Transportation · Dunes · Groundwater · Freshwater Springs · Grasslands · Prairies · Waterfalls

Activities & features: Road Biking · Boating · Compass and GPS · Geocaching · Fishing · Freshwater Fishing · Front-Country Hiking · Hunting and Gathering · Hunting · Living History · Reenactments · Historic Weapons Demonstration · First Person Interpretation · Paddling · Canoeing · Kayaking · Junior Ranger Program · Skiing · Cross-Country Skiing · Snow Play · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Museum Exhibits

Photos

  • Gray clouds over flowers growing on sand dunes.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • A large canoe filled with paddlers on the river surrounded by autumnal color.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • A large, long-necked, long-legged bird wades in the river.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • Large trees are widely spaced in a grassland.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • A canoeist paddles through a water channel between islands.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • A canoeist reaches out and holds a large, yellow flower.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • Water tumbles down layers of rock with an old stone spring house in the background.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman
  • A large, long-necked, long-legged bird flies overhead carrying a branch.
    NPS photo/Gordon Dietzman

Nearby parks

Parks of Minnesota

Lake Carlos State ParkHill-Annex Mine State ParkLac qui Parle State ParkAfton State ParkSt. Croix State ParkCuyuna Country State Recreation AreaLake Maria State ParkMoose Lake State ParkFort Snelling State ParkWilliam O'Brien State ParkBlue Mounds State ParkLake Louise State ParkFranz Jevne State ParkMcCarthy Beach State ParkJay Cooke State ParkWhitewater State ParkSakatah Lake State ParkRed River State Recreation AreaMinnesota Valley State Recreation AreaMille Lacs Kathio State ParkBeaver Creek Valley State ParkScenic State ParkBig Stone Lake State ParkVoyageurs National ParkWild River State ParkPipestone National MonumentSchoolcraft State ParkGreat River Bluffs State ParkRice Lake State ParkMinneopa State ParkBig Bog State Recreation AreaCrow Wing State ParkHayes Lake State ParkZippel Bay State ParkBuffalo River State ParkKodonce River State WaysideGlendalough State ParkSplit Rock Lighthouse State ParkLake Bronson State ParkKilen Woods State ParkJudge C. R. Magney State ParkFort Ridgely State ParkTemperance River State ParkLake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State ParkGreenleaf Lake State Recreation AreaLa Salle Lake State Recreation AreaMyre-Big Island State ParkCamden State ParkLake Bemidji State ParkGlacial Lakes State ParkItasca State ParkCascade River State ParkRay Berglund State WaysideFlandrau State ParkFrontenac State ParkForestville Mystery Cave State ParkMaplewood State ParkSibley State ParkSplit Rock Creek State ParkBanning State ParkJohn A. Latsch State ParkGrand Portage State ParkCaribou Falls State WaysideGeorge H. Crosby Manitou State ParkSavanna Portage State ParkBear Head Lake State ParkInspiration Peak State WaysideMonson Lake State ParkTettegouche State ParkFather Hennepin State ParkGooseberry Falls State ParkNerstrand Big Woods State ParkInterstate State ParkGrand Portage National MonumentLake Shetek State ParkOld Mill State ParkCharles A. Lindbergh State ParkCarley State Park

79 parks mapped in Minnesota

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Guides for the trip

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12