St Anthony Falls Pool is an artificial waterfall or spillway on the Mississippi River in the historic Mill District of Minneapolis in Minnesota. The pool forms part of a project completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930s to construct a navigable channel between Minneapolis and St Louis. While the middle of the city of Minneapolis might not be exactly where you'd choose to go camping in you RV, St Anthony Falls and the Visitor Center there are worth taking a look at before you head out to some of the great Corps campgrounds in the Mississippi River National Recreational Area.
Once a natural waterfall, and the only falls on the Mississippi River, the force of St Anthony Falls was used to power various mill-oriented industries until the falls collapsed in the late nineteenth century from natural erosion. Replaced with a concrete apron to extend its working life span, the falls were used to generate hydro-power throughout the era. Minneapolis was known as the flour milling capital of the world. Today St Anthony Falls and the surrounding area have been designated as having national importance and are preserved as the St Anthony Falls National Historic District. Before you motor away from the city to somewhere like the Fort Snelling State Park for some lakeside RV camping, explore the district on foot, following the interpretive signs on the St Anthony Falls Heritage Trail. It's an eye-opener and will give you food for thought while you're out there in the wilds trying to hook a catfish for your dinner.
As you might have already surmised, if you're going to St Anthony Falls in your RV, then you'll be driving along city streets. It's a busy part of town with a lot of popular attractions plus medical centers and a university, so expect to be maneuvering your rig through medium to heavy traffic.
From the south, you'll need to head north on the MN 35 and you'll find the Visitor Center on Portland River Avenue off the West River Parkway. Program the route into your SatNav before you set out and it'll be easier to find. From the north of the city, you'll head south on the MN 35 until you've crossed over 10th Avenue Bridge and can turn onto West River Parkway.
There is free parking north of the lock on the West River Parkway.
Minneapolis has an excellent public transport system. If you're making a day of visiting the St Anthony Falls pool or want to spend the weekend in the city, consider parking up your RV and using the Metro Transit Service. You'll find free park and ride spaces at the Fort Snelling Station as well as at the Northstar Station where you can stay overnight for up to seven days. While Northstar is the only station where you can stay overnight there are several more in outlying areas where you can park for the day.
Escape the city buzz after visiting St Anthony Falls Pool by pitching your RV camp at the Cross Lake Recreation Area near Crosslake in Minnesota. Yes, it's around a two and a half hour drive, but you'll be back in the land of lakes and halfway to the Paul Bunyan State Forest and Leech Lake and even closer to the Crow Wing State Park should you want to go exploring more.
The Corps campground at Cross Lake has over a hundred campsites that can cater for rigs up to sixty feet and most have utility hookups, grills, and picnic tables. There are all the amenities you could ask for from a fishing dock to fish cleaning stations, swim beach and boat ramp. And, just to let you know you've well and truly made it back to nature, there's also a butterfly garden on the campground. The Cross Lake Campground is open from May to mid-October, and reservations are required.
Get to know Minneapolis on foot or by two wheels by exploring the Grand Round Scenic Byway which runs through the city's parks. The byway is split into seven sections of varying lengths from just over a mile to more than thirteen and all can be walked or cycled. You can access the fifty-one miles of hiking trails and fifty-one miles of cycling tracks from more than twenty different spots around the city. You'll see the best of the Minneapolis skyline from the byway and some scenic views of the Mississippi too.
There can be strong currents near St Anthony Falls which make canoeing and kayaking, if not impossible, then pretty risky. If you want to spend some time on the water while you're in Minneapolis, make the twenty-five minute trip across town to the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge. Part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the refuge is an extensive area of marshland used for the protection of migratory birds and a superb spot for paddling while doing some bird watching.
For a spot of quiet fishing, head downtown to St Paul where the Mississippi River and Minnesota River join, and you'll find Pike Island. Part of the Fort Snelling State Park, the channels around the island are full of catfish, bass, crappie, and walleye. If you like to hook carp or drum, catches are at their best in mid-summer.
Discover fascinating facts about Minneapolis's flour milling history at the Mill City Museum. Get hands-on in the Baking Lab, grinding wheat then baking your own bread, before taking a tour of the ruins of a nineteenth-century mill or watch a film presentation about how a flour tower operates. The museum is an interesting insight into the growth of an industry which changed forever the way our daily food was produced.
Climb up onto the battlements of Fort Snelling and you'll have panoramic views for miles around over both the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. Built in the early nineteenth century, the fort has served as both a trading post and military fortification. The fort is open for viewing from June through to September when there are daily, live re-enactments by historical society members.
If the weather doesn't co-operate during your trip to Minneapolis to see St Anthony Falls, drive over to Bloomington and go indoors for the day at the Mall of America. If you're traveling with kids, they'll be over the moon with the mall's theme park rides, mini-golf courses, cinemas, escape room games and aquarium. They'll have so much fun, they'll want to spend a week there.
