Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, MN

Minnehaha Falls, Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, July 2022 The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota are known—perhaps more so to locals than non-natives—for having one of the most extensive park systems in the country, centering largely around the mighty Mississippi River. The National Park Service’s Mississippi National River and Recreation Area …

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King’s Bluff Trail (Great River Bluffs State Park, MN)

King's Bluff Trail, Great River Bluffs State Park, July 2022 The mighty Mississippi River—2,300 miles long and the centerpiece of the United States’ largest drainage basin—begins in Minnesota, passing through the Twin Cities before settling into a broad valley on the border with Wisconsin. Here—around the town of Winona, Minnesota—the river is bounded by towering …

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Fire Point Loop (Effigy Mounds National Monument, IA)

Fire Point Loop, Effigy Mounds National Monument, July 2022 Perched on the bluffs high above the Mississippi River Valley in northeast Iowa lies a hidden treasure of burial mounds, estimated to have been created by American Indians between 850 and 1,400 years ago. And these are no usual resting places: best viewed from the air, …

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