As a trail for walking, running, and bicycling, the Minnesota River Greenway offers a scenic route that passes through diverse landscapes, often wild and urban at the same time. There are clues in these landscapes that open surprising perspectives into the recent and distant past, but the important stories of the Lower Minnesota River Valley remain largely hidden. By knowing more about the Greenway’s historical and cultural legacy, visitors can deepen their relationships with this landscape and discover even more in these resources to value and preserve.

This plan describes a comprehensive set of interpretive experiences that promise to transform a trail through woods and marshlands into a trail through the history, culture, and ever-changing ecosystems. The plan is organized around three kinds of interpretive features: trail wide signage and interpretation, either interpretive nodes, and park-like destinations. With each feature, the objective is to encourage pause and reflection.