Minnehaha Falls visitor guide

Minnehaha Falls is a 53-foot waterfall on Minnehaha Creek in south Minneapolis, inside Minnehaha Regional Park at 4801 S Minnehaha Drive. Seeing the falls is free. The park is open 6 a.m. to midnight in its developed areas, and you can park in a pay lot, at a meter or in the free lot, or ride the METRO Blue Line to the 50th St/Minnehaha Park station.

The falls sit near the end of the creek, which runs out of Lake Minnetonka, about 22 miles to the west according to MNHS, and empties into the Mississippi River below the gorge. The National Park Service lists the park as a stop in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, but the park itself is run by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB), which covers 167.24 acres.

Most visits are short: the overlook at the top of the falls, the stairs into the gorge for the view from below, and then the trail down the creek to the river. What most people plan around is parking on busy days, the creek's flow (the falls change a lot with rain and season) and which buildings are open, since the restaurant, the depot museum and the restrooms are seasonal.

Minnehaha Falls at a glance

Seeing the falls: overlook, stairs and the glen trail

From the top

The overlook at the top of the falls is the quick view. Above the falls, a life-size bronze of Hiawatha and Minnehaha by Jakob Fjelde stands on a small island. MPRB dates its dedication to 1912.

Into the gorge

The NPS says you can "descend into the gorge below the falls via a staircase." MPRB says the stone walls and steps down to the lower gorge were rebuilt in 2012. Neither source gives a step count, so plan for a real climb back up, especially with small children or anyone who struggles on stairs.

Down to the Mississippi

From the bottom of the falls, the NPS describes a trail that runs "down the gorge past lovely pools and photogenic stone bridges to a sandy beach at the confluence of Minnehaha Creek and the Mississippi River." The NPS mentions the beach as a spot used by sunbathers and anglers. Neither MPRB nor the NPS publishes a distance for this walk, so treat it as an out-and-back that ends with a climb.

How much water you will see

The falls depend entirely on Minnehaha Creek, and the water the creek gets from Lake Minnetonka is released through Gray's Bay Dam. The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District says the dam "is operated through the spring and fall and is typically closed during the winter season," and that when the lake is below 928.6 feet, "no discharge is allowed during the open water season." Its 2026 log shows releases of 12 to 50 cubic feet per second from late April to early August, and the dam closed at 0 cfs on August 24, 2026. If you are timing a visit for a full waterfall, check that log and recent rain first.

Parking, transit and getting there

Parking

MPRB lists "a pay parking lot and a free parking lot," plus on-street parking kiosks. Neither the park page nor the parking page publishes Minnehaha rates. According to the MPRB parking page:

• Pay parking is enforced daily, including holidays.
• Multi-space meters take coins or credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express).
• You can also pay by phone with the MPLSParking or Flowbird apps.

If you visit Minneapolis parks often, MPRB's Annual Patron Parking Permit covers its designated regional lots, but not on-street meters.

Seven Minnehaha lots are in the permit program, the largest being Minnehaha Main (96 spaces) and Minnehaha South (56 spaces). The others are the 50th St. (22), 52nd St. (20), 53rd St. (18), North (20) and Dog Park (39) lots.

Light rail

The METRO Blue Line, which runs from downtown Minneapolis past the airport to the Mall of America, stops at 50th St/Minnehaha Park, between the 46th St and VA Medical Center stations on Metro Transit's route map. Check Metro Transit's closures page before you ride.

What else is in the park

A few notes on these:

• Minnehaha Depot: MNHS lists admission as free and says to call the Minnesota Transportation Museum at 651-228-0263 for group tours. Its hours page did not list hours when checked in November 2026, so call before you plan around it.
• Stevens House: MNOpedia describes it as the first permanent settler's home in Minneapolis, built in 1849.
• Bike rentals: MPRB lists rentals through Wheel Fun Rentals.
• Dogs: MPRB says the Minnehaha Dog Park is "in the process of being decommissioned." Do not plan a trip around the off-leash area without checking its status.

Minnehaha Falls in winter

The falls can freeze over in winter, as in the January 2016 photo on this page. MPRB says paved trails are maintained through winter. It also says, as of November 2026, that "restrooms at Regional Park facilities are closed for the season," and the MPRB parking page lists a lot at 2125 E. Minnehaha Parkway among the lots that are not plowed in winter. Neither MPRB nor the NPS says whether the stairs into the gorge are cleared, so expect ice on the steps and the glen trail, and wear traction. For more cold-weather ideas, see the winter trip guides.

A short history

• Name: MNOpedia says the name comes from the Dakota words mni (water) and gaga (falling or curling).
• Fame: the falls became famous through Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha, published in 1855, even though, per MNOpedia, "Longfellow himself never visited."
• Park: in 1889, MNHS says, Minneapolis gave Minnesota $100,000 to buy 173 acres around the falls as a state park. MPRB says it was "officially named Minnehaha State Park," that only New York had created a state park at the time, and that the city put up the money and managed it from the beginning. Landscape architect Horace W. S. Cleveland proposed leaving the falls and the creek below them in their natural state, according to MNOpedia.
• Little Crow: a mask of Ta Oyate Duta (Little Crow) overlooking the falls was placed in 1992, according to MNOpedia. MPRB notes the area is considered sacred to Native Americans.

Before you go

• Check flow: look at the Gray's Bay Dam log and recent rainfall if seeing the falls at full volume matters to you.
• Check what is open: Sea Salt, the depot museum, the wading pool and the restrooms are seasonal. MPRB's main line is 612-230-6400.
• Pick your parking: bring a card or one of the two parking apps for pay lots, or ride the Blue Line to avoid parking altogether.
• Plan the stairs: the stairs and the glen trail are a climb on the way back, and icy in winter.
• Watch the hours: undeveloped areas of the park close at 10 p.m.
• Add a stop: Fort Snelling State Park pairs well with the falls: the DNR lists a Minnehaha Trail there, a 3-mile paved loop with Mississippi overlooks. Further east, things to do in Stillwater and Afton State Park make a day out of the St. Croix Valley.

Related guides: Twin Cities and St. Croix guides · Minnesota hikes and waterfalls · Fort Snelling State Park · Interstate State Park

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Sources

• Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minnehaha Regional Park: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks-destinations/parks-lakes/minnehaha_regional_park/
• Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Parking: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/parks-destinations/parking/
• Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Annual Patron Parking Permit: https://www.minneapolisparks.org/rentals-permits/annual-patron-parking-permit/
• National Park Service, Minnehaha Falls Regional Park: https://www.nps.gov/places/minnehaha-falls-regional-park.htm
• Minnesota Historical Society, MNOpedia, Minnehaha Falls, Minneapolis: https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/place/minnehaha-falls-minneapolis
• Minnesota Historical Society, Minnehaha Depot hours and admission: https://www.mnhs.org/minnehahadepot/visit/hours
• Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Gray's Bay Dam operations: https://minnehahacreek.org/explore/grays-bay-dam/grays-bay-dam-operations/
• Metro Transit, METRO Blue Line route map (effective 3/14/26): https://www.metrotransit.org/Schedules/RouteMaps/aug26/blue
• Metro Transit, "A Walk in the Park" (50th Street/Minnehaha Park Station public art): https://www.metrotransit.org/lefevre-walk-in-the-park