Mississippi National River and Recreation Area protects a 72-mile corridor of the upper Mississippi through the Minneapolis–Saint Paul region, preserving about 54,000 acres where natural landscapes, industry, recreation, and urban life intersect. Established in 1988, it is the only National Park System unit devoted exclusively to the Mississippi River and operates as a partnership park, relying on cooperation among public agencies, organizations, businesses, schools, and private landowners rather than direct federal ownership of most land. Its varied reaches include quieter northern waters, Minneapolis at St. Anthony Falls, the gorge by Fort Snelling, and the broader working river and backwaters through and below Saint Paul.