Upper St. Anthony Lock and Dam
Upper St. Anthony Lock and Dam
4
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:30 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
38 reviews
Excellent
13
Very good
18
Average
6
Poor
1
Terrible
0
SnowyShasta
Portland, OR2,329 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
The locks here are now closed, but you can still walk along the walkways above them, and see nice views of St. Anthony Falls (which the locks bypassed). The area is owned by the National Park Service, and there was a ranger available near the parking area who could answer our questions and tell us a little more about the history. I think they also do tours at various times, but we just explored on our own. It's impressive how far below where you're standing the water level is in the lock areas, and gives you some idea of the volume of water that was needed to run them. We also liked the pretty closeup views we got of the falls. Overall we spent about 20 minutes walking around and seeing the sights, a little more time would have been easy to use in walking further out onto the nearby Stone Arch bridge and learning more from the friendly ranger.
Written October 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bubbles911
Yorba Linda, CA303 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
This is a very pretty part of town, worth roaming around for 30-60 mins. Or biking around. Nice to see the ruins and get that piece of history from the mill times. We were fortunate to be at the lock right at the time the park ranger was to start a tour. So we decided since it was free we'd check it out. I would guess it was bout a 30 min tour where they take you inside, give you some history, explain how it works and let you walk around the lock. I was just bummed we didn't get to see it in operation. But the tour was actually a hidden gem of the trip. And free. The park ranger was very knowledgeable and patient with my (engineer) husband's questions. But I could also see how she'd be great for kids. If you want a little history of the area and to see about the engineering of the area visit here. They do a couple tours a day, depending on what private tours (school kids) they have going on.
Written June 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tuli763
Maple Grove, MN107 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
Didn't know there was a tour here - you get to walk across the lock and get an inside view - and it's FREE! You can even park for free during the tour. The tour is about a half an hour long - a great way to find out what's what in the area.
Written July 27, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicole M
Oak Hill, FL161 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
Very friendly and outgoing park rangers who take their time to explain the history, purpose and city to visitors. Went out of their way to give suggestions and very helpful to travelers who didn’t really know much about the area. Nice stop while visiting the parks and city.
Written August 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
robinsonashleigh
North Ryde, Australia94 contributions
Sep 2017 • Business
I started my exploration of Minneapolis here and let me tell you - it's a great view of the city skyline. There isn't much else around but it's a good place to start.
Written September 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mumzelda
Jakarta, Indonesia98 contributions
Sep 2016 • Family
We took a free walkabout tour at 3pm.
One of the rangers, Brian, brought us around. What a treat.
It is really worth our time to be able to see the dam up close and walked all the way across the lock, nearer to the waterfall.
Brian's explanations and stories are educational and entertaining.
We are glad that these rangers are doing all they can in preserving the Mississippi.
The lock is a cool feat of engineering.
Glad to have visited this place.
One of the rangers, Brian, brought us around. What a treat.
It is really worth our time to be able to see the dam up close and walked all the way across the lock, nearer to the waterfall.
Brian's explanations and stories are educational and entertaining.
We are glad that these rangers are doing all they can in preserving the Mississippi.
The lock is a cool feat of engineering.
Glad to have visited this place.
Written September 3, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keith T
North Carolina613 contributions
Jun 2016 • Family
If you like learning about the history of the city and National Parks, make sure you check this place out. Only takes about an hour but you can learn a lot. A ton of info on how they created the lock and dam, incredible views and hopefully it's a nice day to get out and see it from the stone bridge.
Written June 25, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LittleManitou
Minneapolis, MN29 contributions
Nov 2012
Way back when, the 1960s, as memory serves, Walter Judd (then our US congressman) got the Corp of Engineers to put in a lock to the everlasting benefit of almost no one. This pretty much blocked the view of the falls from the west side of the river and also tore an ugly gap in the Stone Arch Bridge. Now this is all a Park, and not a bad one, but the lock in all its utilitarian ugliness, abides. But walk out on the bridge where the breezes blow and the view is wonderful.
Written February 23, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dmittleman
Palm Beach Gardens, FL1,412 contributions
Aug 2021
Run by the Park Service, the locks are a fascination piece of history. Closed many years ago, the rangers will tell you all about the locks, their importance, and their maintenance.
Written August 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WeGoOut
Peabody, MA225 contributions
Sep 2019
The gentleman who spoke to us at the visitor's center was terrific. There were no tours scheduled when we were there, but he happily told us about the history of the area, the dam, and the falls. There are good views from the control tower. Then we were able to walk along the side of the River to a small parking area.
Written December 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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