The confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers is the birthplace of the state of Minnesota. The Mississippi flows through the heart of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and attracted both native tribes and settlers for commerce and raw, natural beauty. St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis is the only significant waterfall on the entire river.
From Lake Itasca in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River is the fourth longest river in the world reaching 2,350 miles in length. In Minnesota, the river flows through valleys, bluffs, prairies and woodlands in a variety of flow rates and widths.
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area Water Trail corridor is rich in cultural values. Archeological sites, historic structures and landscapes, shorelines, wetlands, steep slopes, and other sensitive resources. The corridor passes through the eastern deciduous forest and the tall grass prairie biomes. Historically, land in the corridor was covered mainly by oak, woodlands, and brush. Other vegetation types included floodplain forest, upland prairie, and maple basswood forest.
Whether you are biking or walking along the river's shores, fishing in a floodplain lake, or boating its waters, the Mississippi River Companion www.nps.gov/miss/planyourvisit/missrivercomp.htm is a resource for finding public water accesses , trails, and recreational opportunities along one of the world's great rivers. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has prepared several maps and web resources in response to the demand of the boating public for detailed guides to Minnesota's great rivers. The river guide http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/education_safety/safety/boatwater/metro_river_guide.pdfcovers the most popular portions of the Mississippi, St. Croix and Minnesota rivers.
Three printed Mississippi River maps and one Minnesota River map cover the stretches of these rivers being proposed for designation. These printed maps can be found at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/az.html. Minnesota DNR has also prepared a digital interactive map that allows boaters to customize and print their own maps at home: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/interactive_map/index.html
