With Minnesota rivers surging and flooding the banks due to rain and significant amounts of snowmelt, many riverside parks have been affected, with paths and roads fully or partially covered in water.
Fort Snelling State Park closes due to flooding
A variety of parks have flooded in recent days due to large amounts of snowmelt and rain entering rivers.
April 21, 2023 at 10:20PM
Flooding at Fort Snelling State Park, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers in Hennepin County between Minneapolis and St. Paul, has forced its closure. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources closed the park beginning Friday morning, and said that it will reopen the park, one of the state's most-visited, when it's safe.
In 2019, Fort Snelling State Park was closed until July because of extensive flood damage. The public can go online to mndnr.gov/park-list to check park conditions elsewhere.
In Minneapolis, West River Parkway has remained closed since Monday evening between Fourth Street and Franklin Avenue. Along that stretch, water is covering the road and bike and walking paths near Annie Young Meadow, according to a spokesperson for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. It's expected to stay closed into next week.
Here are some parks and trails that have also been affected by flooding, according to the parks and recreation board:
- Lower trail along West River Road beneath the Broadway Bridge is covered in water.
- The boat launch and low paths at Boom Island Park are underwater.
- Nicollet Island Park has standing water in the parking lot.
- The lower path at Bohemian Flats Park is covered in water.
- The lower path on East River Parkway is covered in water.
- The lower path at North Mississippi is closed, and the path near Kroening Nature Center is underwater.
- North Mississippi Park Boat Launch is also covered in water.
The board first noticed flooding on Monday, spokesperson Dawn Sommers said, noting it has been a particularly severe spring so far for flooding.
"We watch it every year, and this year the levels are higher than most for sure," she said.
A list of flood-impacted parklands can be found online at minneapolisparks.org.
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