Address

East terminal of 26th Avenue N at the Mississippi River

Plan Your Route

Bus, bike, drive, or walk

Contact

Phone: 612-230-6400
Email: info@minneapolisparks.org

Park Hours

6 am–midnight
Ordinance PB-2-33

26th Ave N Overlook

Part of: Above the Falls Regional Park

View Photo Gallery

  • Riverfront Beacon
  • Overlook Platform
  • Play Netting
  • Bike Racks
  • Benches

See what’s currently in the works for this park. Some projects may be under the name of the regional park or service area it lives within. View Current Projects

riverfirst intiative logo

This project is part of RiverFirst, a generational vision for transforming 11 miles of once-industrial Mississippi Riverfront into a welcoming place for all people through improved habitat and miles of new interconnected parks and trails.

Size: 0.2 acres

Neighborhood: Hawthorne

Service AreaNorth

Commissioner District2

The oval-shaped Overlook platform centers around a 35-foot-tall riverfront beacon that leans toward the water. The beacon light can display a variety of colors but stays dark during spring and fall migratory periods to protect birds in the Mississippi Flyway.

Outdoor Use and Event Space: Learn how to reserve park space for corporate events, community celebrations, and more.

Name: The 26th Avenue North Overlook is named for its location, where 26th Avenue North meets the Mississippi River. The Overlook marks the first phase of a broader project known as the Great Northern Greenway River Link. The broader vision for the River Link includes connections to downtown Minneapolis and West River Road walking and biking trails, together with new parks stretching north and south from the Overlook along the riverfront. Once complete, the full River Link will unite downtown to North Minneapolis along the river, open up a new 40-mile trail loop in Minneapolis, and eventually reach to Northeast across the river to nearly complete Great Northern Greenway trails in Northeast Minneapolis.

Acquisition and Development: The 26th Avenue North Overlook is part of RiverFirst, an initiative adopted by the Park Board in 2012 to develop riverfront parks and trails on both sides of the Mississippi River from the northern city limits to Downtown.

The construction of I-94 in the 1950s created a barrier between North Minneapolis and the Mississippi River. The highway and industrialized riverfront limits access to one of the city’s most beloved natural amenities. In 2017 the City of Minneapolis finished rebuilding 26th Avenue North, which included a new off-street bike/walk trail spanning North Minneapolis. This trail travels past Farview Park and Nellie Stone Johnson Community School, connecting the river to Theodore Wirth Regional Park across the heart of North Minneapolis.

The Overlook was completed in May 2021. Its location at the eastern end of 26th Ave N makes it a natural pivot point bringing parks users and bike commuters from North and Northeast Minneapolis across the city and into Downtown. By locating the new park at this juncture, the overlook will eventually extend the existing Ole Olson Park north and creates a staged reconnection of Farview Park to the river.

Other RiverFirst projects include Hall’s Island, a habitat-rich island and gravel beach restored in 2018 after it was destroyed by 1960s industrial expansion, and Water Works, a new park space and pavilion that also opened in the summer of 2021, located in Mill Ruins Park next to the Stone Arch Bridge.