Hastings River Flats

Where is Hastings River Flats?

This 28-acre City of Hastings park is located just south of Lock and Dam 2 and adjacent to Lake Rebecca Park and Jaycee Park. It's situated along the Mississippi River, with Lock and Dam Road providing the site's western boundary.

Restoration work at Hastings River Flats improves overall habitat quality on this 230-acre peninsula, which is an important habitat node for pollinators, birds and wildlife within the river corridor. This is one of several FMR restoration sites in Hastings, including Old Mill Park, Southwest Park Ponding Basin, Vermillion Falls Park, Vermillion River Linear Park and Hastings Sand Coulee SNA.

The public is welcome to visit Hastings River Flats. (See the City of Hastings website for more info.)

Our work here takes place on Dakota homelands.

What's special about Hastings River Flats?

Located just above the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers, Hastings River Flats is an ecological hotspot. Peregrine falcons nest on the bluffs above, while bald eagles claim the large cottonwoods surrounding the river flats as home. Dozens of other bird species found here make this an excellent place for birdwatching, especially during migration. You may see flocks of American pelicans floating overhead, numerous duck species, sandhill cranes, sora, an assortment of neotropical migrants, as well as prairie specialists and many other species. 

Residents appreciate this unique ecological treasure as a defining resource for the community. Formerly, the site was used by Flint Hills Resources as an oil tank storage area. Flint Hills eventually donated the land to the City, who approached FMR to assist with its restoration. More than three decades after tank removal, this area is a thriving wet prairie, where ecological benefits and habitat have been restored to the landscape. 

Now, recreation and public use intermingle with natural beauty and a healthy, functional ecosystem. Park users can enjoy the prairie and river views by walking along the Mississippi River Greenway, a paved trail that bisects the sites and connects downtown Hastings to South St. Paul. 

Our work at Hastings River Flats

Our work at Hastings River Flats started in 2002 when we wrote a natural resources management plan for the park, modern-day Lake Rebecca Park and modern-day Jaycee Park. At the time, Hastings River Flats Park was called the “tank farm” unit, because it had been used as an oil tank storage site. In the mid-2000s, FMR and the City of Hastings took steps to convert the degraded land into wet prairie and meadow communities. In the early 2020s, FMR undertook another round of restoration to improve habitat quality. This included prescribed burning, enhancement seeding and invasive species management. In 2025, FMR wrote an updated natural resources management plan to guide the next decade of restoration work at this site. 

At this point, the prairie at Hastings River Flats is established. You'll find native species flourishing there, including blue vervain, sneezeweed, mountain mint, bee balm and sawtooth sunflower. Moving forward, we will manage the site with regular disturbance using prescribed fire and periodic invasive species management as needed. 

Find out more and get involved

• Volunteer with us to restore places like this.
• Check out other prairie wonderlands.
• Visit this and other must-see birding sites along the river.
• See this site from above in our habitat corridor video.
• Contact FMR project lead Leah Weston.

Partners and funders for our work at Hastings River Flats

This work was made possible by the City of Hastings, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Metro Greenways Program, National Park Service Mississippi Natural Resource and Recreation Area, the Outdoor Heritage Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources Habitat Enhancement Landscape Program, and by our generous volunteers and donors like you!