City: Minneapolis, MN

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (651) 266-6400

Description: The river-oriented Lilydale and Harriet Island Parks include the natural area of the Lilydale portion below the river bluffs and Harriet Island itself. Harriet Island, situated on the Mississippi River across from downtown St. Paul, was one of the first recreational sites in the city. Named for pioneer schoolteacher Harriet Bishop, the park was a true island separated from the mainland by a channel of water until 1950, when the channel was filled. At the top of the bluffs is Cherokee Park, which has picnic grounds and good spots overlooking Harriet Island, the Mississippi, and downtown St. Paul’s skyline.Harriet Island has long been a playground for St. Paul citizens who come alone or with friends and family to fish, launch their boats, cruise on a historic riverboat, picnic, take walks, and simply enjoy nature. The park has landscaped river edges, beautiful flower gardens that attract native and migratory songbirds, and a marina from which park visitors can board several large paddleboats to tour the waterways.Lilydale, formerly a residential community, extends to the west of Harriet Island and is now an undeveloped floodplain. It used to be the site of former Twin City Brick Co.’s mining operations, until the company exposed extensive fossil beds, making the area well known among professional and amateur paleontologists, who are sometimes allowed to accompany professionals on guided digs at the park. A connected pond and about 200 acres of marsh and woodlands provide habitat for varied flora and fauna.