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The RiverFirst project was built on the Great Northern Greenway Overlook during the summer of 2020. Also known as the “26th Avenue North Overlook” or the “Great Northern Greenway River Link,” this new park is an effort to transform the river corridor through North Minneapolis into public parkland, parkway, and trails. The overlook is located at the east end of the recently completed 26th Ave North Greenway, which connects the Grand Rounds at Theodore Wirth Regional Park with the Mississippi River through the heart of North Minneapolis neighborhoods.

Related Articles:

• • Theodore Wirth Regional Park, Minneapolis
  • Farview Park, Minneapolis

“[T]wo signature RiverFirst projects are currently under construction and slated to open yet this year: Water Works and the Great Northern Greenway Overlook, The Overlook started construction in May [of 2020] and is scheduled to be open to the public in September. It will be the first new river park in North Minneapolis in more than fifteen years, and the first with a direct connection into the Hawthorne Neighborhood and historic Farview Park.”

Tom Evers, Executive Director Minneapolis Parks Foundation.

About the RiverFirst Project and the Great Northern Greenway

The RiverFirst project is a “broad vision for transforming 11 miles of once-industrial Mississippi Riverfront as it flows through the heart of Minneapolis into a welcoming place for all people through improved habitat and miles of new interconnected parks and trails.”

Useful Links

• You can follow the project progress and learn more at the Minneapolis Parks Foundation website here.
• Learn about environmental efforts at the 26th Avenue North Overlook to protect the Mississippi with native plantings and natural slope stabilization from Mississippi Watershed Management Organization.