The Mississippi River shapes the American story, stretching from northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and revealing 10,000 years of human history and millions of years of natural change. The stretch that runs through the Twin Cities is so significant that Congress declared it part of the National Park System as the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Within its 72-mile national river boundary, Crosby Farm Regional Park is a special place in a network of historic sites, visitor centers, overlooks, and trails. The park shows features of floodplain ecology, including backwater ponds, lakes, and floodplain forest, and it is also where the darker Mississippi meets the Minnesota River.
