Everyone has their favorite riverfront spot. See more vistas as well as full panoramas, and comment on your favorites on the new FMR interactive River Corridor map.

What's your favorite view of or on the Mississippi River? What is it about that view that makes it special? FMR is gathering public input on scenic views and vistas within the Mississippi River Critical Area, a state-protected river corridor from Dayton to Hastings, and would like to hear from you!

Please visit our just-created interactive web portal. Created in Google Maps, the portal incorporates 360-degree panoramic photos of various river locations. Click on a photo icon, and a Flash video pop-up will offer a 360-degree view. Add comments about your favorite views via the form on the side of the page. FMR will post some received comments, so be sure to check back and see what others are saying. Comments will also help inform and support our Critical Area river-planning work.

The panoramas are part of an ongoing project to photo-document key views within the Mississippi River Critical Area. The Mississippi National River and Recreation Area unit of the National Park Service helped FMR plan the project and set up the photography protocol, and University of Minnesota students began taking pictures last fall. FMR intern Henry Stroud is finishing up the photography this summer as well as helping to set up the interactive map.

FMR has been actively providing the Department of Natural Resources with input during the ongoing Critical Area rulemaking process. FMR is particularly concerned with protecting scenic views within the Critical Area. With your input and feedback, we hope to provide the DNR with recommendations that reflect scenic aspects of the river most valued by the public.

The interactive map, photos and comment form can be accessed here.

For more information, please see the most recent article on the Critical Area Rulemaking.

— Irene Jones, River Corridor Program Director and Henry Stroud, River Corridor Program Intern