All events are subject to change. Please visit parkconnection.org/events for the most up to date information.
The Public Works Water Treatment & Distribution Service produces safe, clean drinking water for people who work in, visit and live in Minneapolis. On this tour, you'll learn about the process of treating Mississippi River water and turning it into drinkable water.
Learn to identify the trees in your local forests and neighborhoods while engaging with the natural world around you!
Explore, discover, learn, and embrace winter during the first annual Winter Play Day! Try your hand at cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, guided hikes, outdoor photography, s’mores with Smokey Bear, and more during this new Winter Carnival event.
🗓️ January 25, 10:00am-2:00pm
📍 Crosby Farm Regional Park
🎟️ Free! No registration required.
The possibilities for discovery are endless in winter at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area!
The possibilities for discovery are endless in winter at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area!
Join a ranger for a winter hike and discover what nature there is to explore, even in the dead of winter.
The Public Works Water Treatment & Distribution Service produces safe, clean drinking water for people who work in, visit and live in Minneapolis. On this tour, you'll learn about the process of treating Mississippi River water and turning it into drinkable water.
Great blue herons start returning to their rookery on the Mississippi River toward the end of March. Join National Park Service staff and volunteers at Marshall Terrace Park in Minneapolis as we watch them rebuild nests and do a little flirting.
Join us for a backstage pass to St. Paul’s largest source of energy! You’ll see the inside workings of biomass utilization, solar power, and more.
The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area is free year-round, although some partner parks, museums and historical sites within the MNRRA boundaries require parking passes or charge admission fees. Spend National Park Week learning about all six national park sites in Minnesota and start planning your next adventures.
Calling all Junior Rangers who love to explore, learn, and protect their national parks: join us in celebrating Junior Ranger Day on April 26th!
Reimagine your connection with the Mississippi River at our upcoming community event hosted at Wandering Leaf Brewery Company. Join us for an evening of creativity and conversation as we explore plans for the new Mississippi River Learning Center. The event, featuring interactive art and poetry prompts by local artist Aki Shibata, invites you to share your experiences and ideas for enhancing our riverfront spaces. Bring home a framed artwork as a memory of the evening and a reminder of your role in shaping this exciting project. Let’s come together to celebrate, create, and plan for a brighter future along our beloved river! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with your community, ask questions, and contribute to a shared vision for the Mississippi River Learning Center.
🗓️ Thursday, December 12, 5-8pm
📍 Wandering Leaf Brewing Company
🎟️ Free! No registration required
The possibilities for discovery are endless in winter at Mississippi National River and Recreation Area!
Join us for a backstage pass to St. Paul’s largest source of energy! You’ll see the inside workings of biomass utilization, solar power, and more.
Explore the Mni Owe Sni area to immerse yourself in the beauty of the season with a park ranger from the National Park Service
Explore the Mni Owe Sni area to immerse yourself in the beauty of the season with a park ranger from the National Park Service.
Sit down with the superintendent of Mississippi National River and Recreation Area for a cup of hot cocoa and an informal chat
Embrace the abundance of this season, and support Mississippi Park Connection's goal of raising $40,000 to serve the Mississippi River to the Max! Your generosity helps increase the capacity for youth education, environmental stewardship, and community connections on the river. Whether you’re coming to the Mississippi River for the first time or walk in the park daily, you can benefit from the visitor services and recreation, education, and park programs our donors support in the park.
Celebrate Fossil Day with the National Park Service on this guided fossil walk and waterfall exploration.
Join us at our second event of the year as we collect native seeds for the MN DNR. There are no maintained trails or facilities onsite.
Join Mississippi Park Connection and the National Park Service to celebrate all of our volunteers!
Celebrate Fossil Day with the National Park Service on this guided fossil walk and waterfall exploration.
Join the hosts of "Monsters of the Mississippi," a completely real and not at all made up podcast about mythical monsters on and near the Mississippi river as they investigate a cold case murder believed to have been committed by a local legend Catfish McGee? Was the victim killed by a giant walking catfish or is the culprit a little less sensational? The mystery will unfold as you walk through Crosby Farm and you can help figure out who was responsible!
National Public Lands Day is the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands, with this year’s theme being “Together for Tomorrow.” Across the country, volunteers of all ages and abilities will roll up their sleeves and join forces for a common goal—stewarding America’s natural resources for future generations to enjoy.
Join the hosts of "Monsters of the Mississippi," a completely real and not at all made up podcast about mythical monsters on and near the Mississippi river as they investigate a cold case murder believed to have been committed by a local legend Catfish McGee? Was the victim killed by a giant walking catfish or is the culprit a little less sensational? The mystery will unfold as you walk through Crosby Farm and you can help figure out who was responsible!
Learn how you and your dog can keep the ecosystem at Coldwater Spring healthy, and get a free official B.A.R.K. Ranger dog tag!
Get ready for the nighttime event of the summer. You’re about to explore Crosby Farm Regional Park’s nocturnal side with a program that engages the natural world through science, culture, and art.
Explore a unique portion of this national park with a National Park Service ranger who will guide you through the back channels of a floodplain forest!
Junior Ranger: Fins and Feathers features an exhilarating fusion of fishing, birding, and biking, taking families on an immersive journey through the vibrant ecosystems of the Mississippi River.
Explore a unique portion of this national park with a National Park Service ranger who will guide you through the back channels of a floodplain forest!
Bike with a Ranger is a way to explore the Mississippi River and Hastings Trails along the 10 mile loop. Led by a Park Ranger, participants will learn about history and wildlife at easily accessible points by bicycle.
Enjoy a riverboat cruise on the spectacular Mississippi River and participate in a program led by the National Park Service and special guest speaker Annette Atkins. Annette Atkins, Professor Emerita of History, Saint John’s University and the College of Saint Benedict, studies history looking for the stories that demonstrate the complexity of the past and of people’s lives. In her teaching and writing, rather than dates and memorization, she stresses time, imagination, and curiosity as the essential approaches to understanding the past.
Explore a unique portion of this national park with a National Park Service ranger who will guide you through the back channels of a floodplain forest!
Explore a unique portion of this national park with a National Park Service ranger who will guide you through the back channels of a floodplain forest!
Join us at our annual benefit fundraiser for Mississippi Park Connection on August 29th! Get Tickets today
This guided tour with National Park Service rangers and Three Rivers Park District staff starts just downstream of the Coon Rapids Dam. Free shuttle service back to Mississippi Gateway Regional Park after your paddle is provided by Three Rivers Park District.
Get up close with a heron rookery (nesting birds may or may not be present), spot bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and other wildlife as you kayak down the Mississippi River. You will also pass by the Upper Harbor Terminal Project site, several industries on the river, the Lowry Avenue Bridge, and the iconic Boom Island lighthouse, with the Minneapolis skyline as your backdrop.
Note: Nesting birds at the rookery typically leave by the end of July.
Explore a unique portion of this national park with a National Park Service ranger who will guide you through the back channels of a floodplain forest!
Make a commitment to yourself by waking up Saturday morning immersed in nature. Release the week's stress back into the soil and nourish the land with energy. Join Mississippi Park Connection and yoga teachers from Peace in Practice at Uŋčí Makhá Park in Saint Paul for a morning of release and renewal.
Get ready for the nighttime event of the summer. You’re about to explore Crosby Farm Regional Park’s nocturnal side with a program that engages the natural world through science, culture, and art.
Get up close with a heron rookery (nesting birds may or may not be present), spot bald eagles, peregrine falcons, and other wildlife as you kayak down the Mississippi River. You will also pass by the Upper Harbor Terminal Project site, several industries on the river, the Lowry Avenue Bridge, and the iconic Boom Island lighthouse, with the Minneapolis skyline as your backdrop.
Note: Nesting birds at the rookery typically leave by the end of July.
