Check out Minnesota's 'national parks'

Like the Mississippi National River & Recreation Area, there are five other parks in Minnesota that are represented within the National Park Service:

Grand Portage National Monument

Monument in this case refers to 710 acres in the northeast, within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and set up to "preserve and interpret fur trade and Ojibwe history and culture," as stated by the NPS.

North Country National Scenic Trail

The trail touches seven states and spans from New York to North Dakota. The trail will be 4,200 to 4,500 miles when completed. It includes parts of the Superior Hiking, Keke­kabic and Border Route trails in Minnesota.

Pipestone National Monument

In the southwest corner (north of Luverne and Blue Mounds State Park), the monument is made up of red pipestone quarries on its 283 acres. The monument holds a sacred place in the Indian community and was the first NPS area in Minnesota, designated by Congress in 1937.

St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

The river corridor covers 255 miles and encompasses the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers. A magnet for boaters, paddlers, hunters, anglers and birders.

Voyageurs National Park

The park lies in the southern tip of the northern boreal forest. The park's interconnected waterways were a main part of the fur trade route in use more than 250 years ago. The park was established in 1975.

More information is online at nps.gov/state/mn/index.htm.