Download free topo maps of Mississippi River and Recreation Area. Use the adjoining 7.5 minute quadrangle legend to locate the Minnesota maps you need.
Mississippi National Recreation Area located in the state of Minnesota is a cornucopia of recreational activities, combining the splendor of nature with magnificent learning opportunities. The Recreation Area stretches along a 72 mile corridor of the Mississippi River from metropolitan Dayton to Hastings at the southern end of the Park. All along the length of the Recreation Area are a combination of Regional and State Parks, Historic Sites and Museums to be explored and enjoyed. Along the river are opportunities for boating, canoeing, trails for walking and hiking, fishing, hunting, and more. There is an archery course at one location, primitive camping on several of the islands, fossils at Lilydale, picnic areas, Geocaching, wildlife and bird viewing, and five contact centers. The Visitor Centers offer information; there are some with exhibits, museum displays, a nature refuge orientation and Rangers to assist with brochures, and interpretive information. The entire corridor is filled with historical points, a spiritual site at Coldwater Springs which is important to all of the Dakota tribes in the region, as well as Indian Mounds Park near the site of a historic 18th century Kaposia (Dakota) village. A "Ranger on Call" is available online which will inform you about all of the sites along the 72 mile corridor. A visit to Minnehaha Falls will illuminate the epic poem "Song of Hiawatha" written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Or visit Fort Snelling for a view of pioneer history, or the dams and locks along the Mississippi. Whether you are seeking recreation, geological information, caving, educational opportunities or just the enjoyment of the natural surroundings, the Mississippi Corridor running through Minnesota will provide what you are seeking. Spend a day at Grey Cloud Dunes for a change of scenery, or hike to some of the waterfalls in the parks along the river. This beautiful Recreational Area offers magnificence with spring wildflowers, the wonder of autumn when the trees turn color, and during the winter there is cross country skiing and snowshoeing along the Park trails.