During America’s National Park Service centennial celebration throughout 2016, Minnesota will play a proud part in the coast-to-coast celebration. Minnesota is home to six diverse and unique national park sites that preserve and highlight some of the most distinctive natural, historical and cultural resources. Sites included are:
- Voyageurs National Park:In Voyageurs National Park, water is the primary form of transportation. There are no roads, so travelers traverse the four large lakes and 26 interior lakes that cover 40 percent of the park itself by boating, houseboating and paddling. Straddling the Minnesota-Canadian border, this remote 218,000-acre national park is the perfect “two-nation vacation,” and largest freshwater-based national park in the country.
- Mississippi National River & Recreation Area:A 72-mile-long river park and outdoor urban natural wonder covers 54,000 acres from Dayton to Hastings, Minn., passing right through the heart of Minneapolis and St. Paul.
- St. Croix National Scenic Riverway:Much of the 164-mile St. Croix River forms the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin, and it was one of only eight waterways originally designated as a “National Wild and Scenic River” by the federal government. It’s widely considered one of the best canoeing rivers in the nation.
- North Country National Scenic Trail: Once complete, the North Country Trail will be the longest continuous hiking trail in the United States. Currently, Minnesota’s portion includes the Superior Hiking Trail along the North Shore of Lake Superior. A 70-mile section through Chippewa National Forest and sections passing near the Mississippi headwaters in Itasca State Park are open for both camping and day hikes, accessible via several towns along the route.
- Grand Portage National Monument:On the northeast tip of Minnesota overlooking Lake Superior, Grand Portage National Monument is a living history site established in 1958 to preserve and interpret the site’s fur trade and Ojibwe history and culture. In 2007, a large Heritage Center opened with historical exhibits, archeological displays, films related to the site, and work by local artists.
- Pipestone National Monument:The American Indian tradition of quarrying pipestone to make into sacred pipes and other items is still practiced today at this National Monument, making it the only site in the National Park System where resources can be removed from the grounds. Visitors can tour the grounds to see the 56 active quarry pits, as well as the native tallgrass prairie, quartzite rock formations and Winnewissa Falls.
For more information on these national park getaways and lodging opportunities, please visit exploreminnesota.com or follow along via social media, using #OnlyinMN.
