The Upper Mississippi American Heritage River has included some 60 cities, which together constitute a “string of pearls” along the Mississippi between Bemidji, Minnesota in the north and St. Louis on the southern end.  Within the diversity of these cities—which vary in size, historical origins, relations to the river and unique challenges they face—one thing they have always had in common is that each has wanted to improve public access to the Mississippi.  For most of our communities, that access has come in the form of a bicycling path, walking trail, or some other riverfront amenity that captures the sights, sounds, and excitement of proximity to the Mighty Mississippi.  A success story that encompasses this diverse region of the Mississippi is the growing regional effort to stitch together local trail projects into one integrated Mississippi River Trail (MRT).

The MRT began in the 1990s in the Mississippi Delta states of Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.  Over the past 10 years, planning and implementation of local, state, and regional trail plans have progressed to the point where approximately two-thirds of the full 3,000 miles are designated and established.  Each state has its own way of pursuing this work, and the national group Mississippi River Trail Inc. serves as a leader, convenor, and connector of the various individual efforts.

Within the Upper Mississippi AHR region, efforts in five communities are leading the way:

In the St. Louis area, the Confluence Greenway project is building a regional network of trails, restored ecological sites, and interpretive landmarks that is stitching together the riverfronts of communities in both Missouri and Illinois.   Bridges are key components of this system:  the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge is one of the longest bike-pedestrian bridges in the country, and the Eads Bridge is a nationally-recognized engineering landmark.  Both of these unique structures are part of the developing MRT system in this area.

Farther north, in the Illinois-Iowa Quad Cities (Bettendorf and Davenport, Iowa; Moline and Rock Island Illinois) the River Way system now constitutes over 60 miles of multiple-use trail.  Led by the River Action local nonprofit group, local trails and park systems have worked diligently to complete the last few links remaining to knit the full system together.  The River Way system is now home to several local and regional festivals, community rides and other events that are making the Mississippi River the “front door” to the Quad Cities.

Dubuque Iowa is home to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, which is stimulating riverfront development across the city.  As an offshoot from this effort, the “Heritage Trail” system of bikeways through the city has been completed, linking important ecological and cultural-historic landmarks throughout the city on a loop that encompasses approximately 7 miles.

St. Paul, Minnesota, the state’s capital city, is home to the Sam Morgan Regional Trail, which is the local component of the larger Mississippi River Trail project.  Here cyclists and walkers pass active river transportation hubs and reinvigorated downtown residential development before passing into a largely park-like area near downtown.  Diverse groups in St. Paul have come together to begin planning the “Great River Park,” which will connect the 17 miles of riverfront in the city into a series of parks and amenity-driven development projects.

The Minneapolis riverfront centers on the historic St. Anthony Falls, home to the city’s world-renowned flour milling industry that served as the home for both Pillsbury and General Mills.  Today, the Mississippi River, and the miles of trails that line both banks of the river within the city, is the key to a river renaissance that is bringing new residents to the downtown and has stimulated a host of important redevelopment projects.

The Upper Mississippi reflects the full American Heritage River program in both the diversity of the challenges being faced, the creative solutions being found, and the locally-distinct pattern of local and federal partnerships that are being devised to meet those challenges.  These five communities, and dozens of smaller “river towns” along the Mississippi, are connecting their citizens to the river, and connecting themselves to each other, through the Mississippi River Trail.