Minneapolis has opened a new regional park along the Mississippi River in North Minneapolis, transforming part of the former Upper Harbor Terminal site into public parkland. Upper Harbor Park officially opened with a grand-opening celebration on September 19, 2026, after more than a decade of planning, community engagement and construction. Here are seven things to know about the new riverfront destination.
1. The park sits along the Mississippi River
Upper Harbor Park is located at 3700 West River Road North, between North Dowling Avenue and the Mississippi River. The park is part of the larger Above the Falls Regional Park system.
The location is significant because the Upper Harbor redevelopment is designed to reconnect North Minneapolis with the riverfront. The broader site sits on what was formerly an industrial property, creating an opportunity for new public space along a stretch of riverfront that has historically been difficult to access.
2. It covers 19.5 acres
The new park covers 19.5 acres, making it one of the largest single additions to the Minneapolis park system in decades.
The park is part of a much larger 53-acre Upper Harbor redevelopment area. That larger project includes the park as well as an outdoor amphitheater, housing, jobs and other development planned around the riverfront. The park itself is now open, while construction continues on other parts of the Upper Harbor site.
3. Walking and biking are central to the park
Upper Harbor Park includes both walking and biking paths, giving people new ways to reach and move through the North Minneapolis riverfront.
The park is also connected to the larger network of trails and parkways in the Above the Falls Regional Park area. Better connections were a recurring theme during the community planning process, when residents identified biking, walking, river views and gathering spaces among the features they wanted from the redevelopment.
4. There is a community garden
A community garden is one of the amenities now available at Upper Harbor Park.
The garden fits into a broader vision for the redevelopment that grew out of community engagement around food, gardens and access to the riverfront. Planning documents identified food sovereignty and food access as important themes for the Northside community, while the completed park now lists a community garden among its official amenities.
5. The park includes places to gather and picnic
Upper Harbor Park is designed for more than passing through. Its amenities include picnic areas and walking paths, giving people places to spend time along the riverfront.
The planning process also emphasized gathering spaces as an important part of the park. Earlier community engagement identified picnic areas, views, trails and opportunities to relax and spend time outdoors among the features residents wanted to see at the Upper Harbor site.
6. The park is part of a much bigger redevelopment
Upper Harbor Park is only one piece of a much larger transformation of the former Upper Harbor Terminal. The City of Minneapolis and Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board are working together on the redevelopment, which is intended to reconnect North Minneapolis with the Mississippi River.
The first phase also includes an outdoor Community Performing Arts Center and mixed-use affordable housing. The amphitheater began construction in May 2026, while additional housing and other development are planned for later phases.
7. The riverfront project is still evolving
Opening the park does not mean the entire Upper Harbor project is finished. The park is now open to the public, but work continues elsewhere on the site, including the parkway and Community Performing Arts Center.
The city is also continuing work on West River Road to improve access to the Upper Harbor development. Future phases are expected to include additional mixed-use housing and living-wage jobs, meaning the character of this part of the Northside riverfront will continue to change around the new park.
