Mississippi Gateway Regional Park — Attraction in Brooklyn Park

I Have Been Coming To The Coon Rapids Dam Since I Was A 9yo Boy In 1965. Northern States Power Company (N.S.P.) Was In Its Last Year Of Producing Electrical Power From The Water-Powered Dam. At That Time, It Was Private Property (N.S.P.), And There Was Not A Public Accessible Walkway Over The Mississippi River, Nor Was The Public Allowed On The Inner Area Grounds. I Recall One Time, About June 1966, a N.S.P. Employee Let Us 3 Boys Inside The Main Building To Get A Drink Of Water From The Drinking Fountain. Us Boys Could Hear The Massive-Size Turbines Turning From The Force Of The Mississippi River Water Below Us. I Have Old Pictures, From 1966, Of The Original Building Over The North Portion Of The Dam (Coon Rapids/Anoka county side). In The Early 1990's, I Personally Donated These Old Photographs, To The Female Manager At The Time, Of The Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park, For The Purpose Of Public Education, And Enjoyment By Others Of The Old, 40-Year-Old Photographs Of Historic Value. ---Richard "Rick" Johnson...

What a great park system. Don't forget to check out the trails after you walk the dam. Natural hiking / running trails along with paved biking trails. Hiking trails are from 2-5 miles depending if you do all the loops inside the park. Trash cans are throughout the park trails, please do your part, it seemed to be difficult for some. Once inside the park forest there are bridges that allow you to cross over the small streams. A very solitude and peaceful forest. Good amount of wildlife through out the park that include reptiles, birds, deer, and beaver. The trails could get muddy if you go during or after a rain but that could be fun too! Take a picture of the parks map at the parking lot as they are a bit scarce once on the trail. Lastly, don't forget to run into the visitors center where you can take in a bit of local wildlife knowledge and see some reptiles! They also seem to do kids activities and group events too. Free parking on this side of...

This regional park offers and exciting walk across the dam to additional park space on the other side of the river. It also offers an interpretive center and river frontage. There are picnic tables and seating areas scattered throughout the regional park and its counterpart across the river, and there are plenty of trees scattered about as well. People come here from all over the region, so depending on the time that you go it can be quiet or busy to suit your mood. The main dam that you walk across is a hydroelectric dam and brings you to a small island with a few picnic tables and benches. A secondary dam brings you to the east river bank, where there is a playground and some additional amenities. The fence on both sides of the dam on the walkway seems safe but the roaring sounds of the water and the force of the current caused me to keep an extra cautious eye out...