This master plan conveys a vision to establish a greenway following the south side of the Minnesota River valley from Burnsville to St. Paul. Like other greenways being planned in Dakota County, the Minnesota River Greenway is envisioned to provide multiple benefits to water quality, habitat enhancement, recreation and non-motorized transportation.

The Minnesota River Greenway travels 17 miles through Burnsville, Eagan, Mendota Heights, Mendota and Lilydale before landing at St. Paul’s Lilydale Regional Park, where trails continue to Harriet Island and downtown St. Paul. This corridor is part of the larger Minnesota Valley State Trail corridor planned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources that will travel from Le Sueur to St. Paul.

For more information, read the Minnesota River Greenway Master Plan.

Cultural Resources Interpretive Plan

The Dakota County Board adopted the Minnesota River Cultural Resources Interpretive Plan on Aug. 1, 2017. The plan will guide historic and cultural resource interpretation along Dakota County’s Minnesota River Greenway through engaging, interactive installations. The project was funded, in part, by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.

Minnesota River Interpretive Plan 
Executive Summary

Minnesota River Greenway Study Documents

Alignment Feasibility Study Schedule
Greenway Issues Map
Proposed Trail Alignments
Nicols Fen Report (2008)
Floodplain Map
Soils Map
Water Resources Map
Fort Snelling Ecological Study (1995)
Wetland Delineation Report
Eagan Alignment Feasibility Study