Metro Region Driving Directions

Elk River to Downtown Minneapolis (28 miles)

The Great River Road continues past Elk River east on Wright Co. Rd. 39 to MN 101, then south to Wright Co. Rd. 42, then east to the Hennepin County line (Co. Rd. 12).  Go south on Co. Rd. 12.  Across the Mississippi from Anoka, head southeast along Hennepin Co. Rd. 12 (West River Road) to 97^th Avenue.  Head east briefly  on 97^th  Avenue to West River Road, then southeast to Brookdale Drive.  Go west on Brookdale Drive to Minnesota Highway 252.   Go south on MN 252 to I-694.  Cross the Mississippi River on I-694 and take East River Road (Anoka  Co. Rd. 1) to the Anoka-Hennepin County line (the road becomes Hennepin Co. Rd. 23/Marshall Street) at the north edge of Minneapolis.  Continue along Marshall Street to Broadway Avenue (Hennepin Co. Rd. 66) and head west on Broadway to West River Parkway.

NOTE:  (Rev. 8/17/07):  A temporary detour of the Great River Road around the I-35W Bridge Site has been established...   This temporary routing will not be signed.
 

Great River Road I-35W Detour: 

Please note: At this time this detour is not signed.

Follow the signed route of the Great River Road along West River Parkway south from Broadway Avenue (Hennepin Co. Rd. 66) to 11^th Ave. South. 

• Begin the detour by departing the signed route and turning right onto 11^th Ave. South.
• In two blocks turn left onto Washington Ave. South.
• One block after crossing over I-35W, turn right on Cedar Ave South.
• In two blocks turn left onto Riverside Avenue.
• In about nine blocks turn left on Franklin Ave.
• In three blocks, before crossing the Franklin Ave bridge, turn right onto West River Parkway.

Resume following the signed route of the Great River Road on West River Parkway.  Here is a link to a map w/o the route.

Take West River Parkway south to Godfrey Parkway. Look for the entrance to Minnehaha Park.  Follow Godfrey Parkway to the roundabout in front of the Longfellow House, then turn right onto Minnehaha Avenue (one block), left onto 46th Street East (one block), then left (south) onto Minnesota Highway 55,   where you will head southeast toward the Hennepin-Dakota County line (at the Minnesota/Mississippi River confluence).  At the Dakota County line, take Minnesota Highway 13 (Sibley Memorial Highway) northeast to Interstate Highway 35E.  Take I-35E north, then turn right on West 7th Street.  Turn right on Randolf Avenue to Shepard Road, then turn left.  Continue along Shepard Road, which becomes Warner Road (Ramsey Co. Rd. 36).


From downtown St. Paul to Hastings (26 miles)

From Warner Road, take U.S. 61/10 south to I-494 west, which crosses the river.  Exit south on Minnesota Highway 56, then turn east on Minnesota Highway 55 toward Hastings.  Take Dakota Co. Rd. 42 northeast to U.S. 61/10.    Turn south on U.S. 61 through Hastings (At this point, and throughout the remainder of your byway journey to the Iowa border, you will notice that the Great River Road signs all say "State Route."  This is because the national 10-state route continues on from Hastings into Wisconsin, following the river on its eastern shoreline.)